Yesterday we kicked off a four-part series on the ethics of birth control with some observations from John Feinberg. Today we’ll continue the conversation with insights from Mark Driscoll, looking at 16 biblical truths that impact how we should view this issue:
The Bible says children are a blessing, but the Bible doesn’t seem to address the specific topic of birth control. Is this a black-and-white topic, or does it fall under liberties?
Nowhere in the Bible do we find terms such as contraception, birth control, or family planning. Still, the Bible does speak to those issues in principle. Therefore, to best answer these and other questions, we have to begin with a Christian worldview and then explore how the Bible principally establishes ethical guidelines by which contemporary birth control questions can be answered. The biblical worldview necessary for answering this question is comprised of sixteen truths.
- Truth 1: God is the Creator and author of human life. (Genesis 1–2; Deut. 32:39; Ps. 139:13–16)
- Truth 2: God made humanity in his image and likeness, which means that human life is unique and sacred. (Gen. 1:27; James 3:9)
- Truth 3: God intends for human beings to fill the earth. (Gen. 1:28; 9:1)
- Truth 4: God authored that life begins at conception and declares that an unborn baby is a sacred life. (Ex. 1:16–17; 21:22–25; Lev. 18:21; Jer. 7:31–32; Ezek. 16:20–21; Mic. 6:7; Matt. 2:16–18; Acts 7:19)
- Truth 5: God knows us from our mother’s womb. (Jer. 1:5; Job 10:9–12; 31:15; Ps. 119:73; Eccl. 11:5)
- Truth 6: God declares that when human life is taken without just cause (e.g., capital punishment, just war, self-defense), the sin of murder has been committed. (Gen. 9:5; Ex. 20:13)
- Truth 7: God made humanity to exercise dominion by ruling over creation. (Gen. 1:26)
- Truth 8: God made humanity to steward creation by exercising wise discernment based upon natural revelation, conscience, the Holy Spirit, counsel, and most authoritatively, Scripture. (1 Pet. 4:10)
- Truth 9: God made humanity male and female. (Gen. 1:27, 31)
- Truth 10: God created marriage as a covenant for one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24–25, cf. Matt. 19:5, Mark 10:7–8, Eph. 5:31; Prov. 2:16; Mal. 2:14)
- Truth 11: God created sex as a gift only for a married couple. (Gen. 2:24–25)
- Truth 12: God is sovereign over the womb and can ultimately open and close it as he wills. (Gen. 20:18; 29:31; 30:22; 1 Sam. 1:5–6; Isa. 66:9; Luke 1:24–25)
- Truth 13: Children are a blessing from God to be provided and cared for by parents and extended family and church, including those who are adopted as Jesus was. (Gen. 1:28a; Ps. 127:3–5; 128:3–4; Matt. 18:5–6; Mark 9:36–37, 10:16; 1 Tim. 5:8)
- Truth 14: God desires Christians to raise godly offspring. (Mal. 2:15; Jer. 29:4–9)
- Truth 15: God commands his people to lovingly help care for widows and orphans. (James 1:27)
- Truth 16: God expects single non-parents to help parents raise children, as Jesus’ own life as a single man exemplifies. (Matt. 19:13–14; Mark 10:13–16)
With this Christian worldview in place, we are ready to examine the various options for a Christian couple considering birth control. Join us tomorrow for part 3.
Adapted from Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions
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You missed one: Lev. 21:5 that commands not to cut the flesh to please false gods. How is a vasectomy/tubal ligation not cutting the flesh to please false gods?
Think about it: there really is no difference.
Comment by RN — February 10, 2012 @ 11:33 am