Sunshine's Resources - Is Your Birth Control Biblical?

All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. -Proverbs 16:2 KJV-

The Sin of Onan - The Doctrine of Modern Day Birth Control

Genesis 38: 8 - 10 KJV - And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

I'm constantly amazed to see just how thorough our Bible is when it comes to dealing with the modern day problems that arise in these last days. The subject that I will be dealing with in this brief study is one that I myself was thrown into by a personal family question posed to my oldest daughter when she was making preparations for her wedding.

Last year, while preparing to take the required blood test for marriage, my daughter was confronted with a question that, frankly, neither her, her husband to be, nor I had considered at that time. The question was, "Will you be using birth control?" Upon arriving from the doctor's office, my daughter asked, "Daddy, is there anything wrong with taking birth control?" Having never really studied it, I said, "Well, I really haven't thought about it, but let me study a while and see."

The more I thought about it, the more I was reminded of my own decision some fifteen years ago to use the birth control option in my own marriage. I guess the only time I had mentioned it since that time was in an occasional reference from the pulpit about the mistake my wife and I felt we had made after our fourth child was born.

Then of course it was off to the Bible to see if God had anything to say about the subject. Just as I thought. There was a strange silence in the Scriptures for any such teaching. That is, the approval of the Scriptures concerning this idea that man is to in any way attempt to control the natural, God-given order of human birth.

My thoughts went immediately to the fact that birth control use was so common. Even among God's people it seemed as if it was just something that we, as Christians, had simply assumed was alright with God. But is it? I also was reminded of all the arguments and ideology which I had succumbed to as a young, married man. Arguments and ideology used to persuade me that it was the obvious thing to do for the best interest of my family's future. I began to recall the rational reasoning for birth control at that time in my own life and have since found that the reasons are still basically the same.

Let's look at some of the most common reasons given to use birth control, then and now:

The above are just a few, but probably the most common, so called justifications for the birth control movement of today. I'm sure that there are many other similar, and some even well intended, arguments for this last days doctrine.

I will address this subject in three ways in this short booklet. First of all, in part one, we will take the above reasons for supporting birth control and look at them in the light of God's word. Secondly, in part two, we will bring a Biblical outline from Genesis chapter 38, which was first preached to my own congregation. This is the clearest text in the Bible concerning this issue. In the third and final part will be some closing remarks regarding my own personal dealings with those who support and teach this heresy.

Part 1 - Reasons Given For Using Birth Control

Do you remember when there was very little difference, if any, between common sense and what the Bible had to say? Well, today the phrase "common sense" seems to be a means of justifying ourselves in satisfying our own selfish plans and living a lifestyle contrary to the life of faith!

The above statement at face value is innocent. As a matter of fact, it is very true in some areas of our lives. There are many things in life for which we should certainly plan, and I believe the Scriptures would even support us in doing so. However, there are also some things in life which God wants us to trust Him with totally. His plan for bringing human life into this world would certainly be placed in this category, if anything would.

Now, let's think for a moment about this thing called birth control. Even the term itself sounds odd to the ear. Birth control, controlling birth, no matter how you say it, the key word is still control. You will find as we continue on with this study that, Scripturally, the only control that God gives a man or woman concerning birth is the decision to marry or not to marry. Beyond that, the Bible teaches that birth control belongs to God.

I challenge you to search the Scriptures for this ideology that man is to control birth. The only person who ever made an attempt in the Scriptures to control birth was judged in doing so. Other than that one example, the Bible is silent concerning others who held this belief.

In the Bible, children were considered a blessing, not a burden. As a matter of fact, Psalms 127: 1 3 teaches us that: "A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward". In other words, children are a gift from God. How do you plan for a gift unless you simply plan to receive it or reject it?

There was a time when people understood that when you got married, you expected children to be the normal, natural result of this union. As a matter of fact, marriage itself was considered by most people to be "starting a family". So, yes, plan, if you are a Christian! Plan to get married and receive God's gift of children. Or, on the other hand, plan to stay single if you do not desire children at this time. As far as I see in the Bible, there is no other legitimate way of controlling birth.

(Ecclesiastes 7:29 KJV) Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

Reason # 2 "Since the Bible is silent, it must be in the realm of personal liberty."

Much has been said recently about personal liberty. It seems that about everything that we can't find spelled out as sin in the Bible falls under this category. I would remind my readers that personal liberty always dealt with subjects that usually fell under a general guideline in the Bible. Never do we have liberty to do things that are contrary to the light already given us in the word of God.

For example, if the Bible teaches that it is right to tithe, then can we not tithe and do so in the name of personal liberty? In other words, can we claim personal liberty as a legitimate reason to disobey something that we already have clear light on?

So then, if the Bible teaches us that children are a gift from God, and a reward from Heaven; and if we know that God killed the only Scriptural example of those who support this heresy. And if we also understand the fact that if a man knoweth to do good and doeth it not, it is a sin unto him. James 4:17, KJV "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin". Then based on the above argument alone, can we honestly say that birth control falls under the realm of personal liberty? Please explain how and where, by any stretch of the imagination, that any Christian can use the Bible to justify birth prevention as a personal liberty that is acceptable to God.

I guess the first verse in the Bible that comes to my mind when I hear this excuse is Romans 1:17, which teaches us that "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith". Let's look at just the population in Bible times and apply this argument there. If it's a good argument for today, then it should be valid in any given era.

Do you really think that people in those days actually sat down to count the cost before they got married? Or before they had relations with their husband or wife? Doesn't it seem, by reading the Bible, that people back then just trusted God and left that decision to the One who knew best?

(Philippians 4:6 KJV) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It's funny to me that most of the people who use this argument never bother calculating until children are mentioned. They never mention affording it when they buy their new four-wheeler, their new deer rifle, their new golf clubs, or any of the other items that fill their wish list.

On the other hand, why is it that we can trust God for the new car, for the insurance, the groceries, and even trust Him to clothe us adults, but then wonder if God will be concerned enough to meet the needs of a child that He is responsible for giving life to in the first place? Can you imagine discussing pills or condoms with any real Christian in the Bible?

What about the millions of children born during famine and war? What about those born during the great depression in our own country? Most of these people were lost, but God obviously cared for them. How much more is God concerned with those who are of the household of faith?

Last of all, the simple fact remains that most of the expenditures a young couple have are the same with or without children. There is usually a lot of other areas we could cut out of our budget without taking the blame for our financial woes out on the children.

Before we go much further, maybe those of you who believe in this heresy should ask yourself a question. If children are a blessing from the Lord, then why are they not a blessing to me? Well, let's continue on with our next reason.

Yes, believe it or not, that is one of the common statements made by the modern day birth control advocates. However, this statement is actually a copout for not talking about the real issue regarding a lot of the welfare problems, which is abstinence. A good portion of those people should not be having sexual relationships anyhow! Sex, in the Bible, was reserved for those who were legally married. All other sexual behavior was, and still is, forbidden by the Scriptures.

(Hebrews 13:4 KJV) Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

We are so used to implementing our "plan B", while knowingly disobeying God's "plan A". So, instead of using man made birth control to solve the unwanted expense of unwanted children across this country, we should repent of the fornication and adultery that refers us to our "plan B" in the first place. That, my friend, will drastically reduce the dollars spent on those who don't want to take responsibility for their lifestyles.

But to blame the welfare problem on those who let God decide how many children they have in a responsible Christian way is at best ridiculous! This is the same argument used for fixing your pet!

I guess I could probably answer this one with one simple word. Why? Why would God say that children were given as a gift from Him, and then lead you to try and prevent them from being conceived? Why would God teach us to trust Him for our needs, and then warn us against having children? Maybe it's just me, but the more I think about this whole pro-birth control argument, the more absurd it sounds. By the way, even in birth control you're either pro-life or pro-choice! Which are you?

As a matter of fact, this is the type behavior the Lord had in mind when He told the Apostle Paul to pen down the following words: II Timothy 3:3 - 5 KJV "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away". The spirit that motivates the birth control movement is a selfish, humanistic spirit, and not the Holy Ghost. I often hear people say, "No, we're not going to have children for a couple of years so we can get to know each other better, and spend some time alone." What are these young couples so afraid of? I look back now, after twenty-two years of marriage, and realize that our children were a great blessing to us as a young married couple. Actually, they brought us closer together.

(I Corinthians 2:11 16 KJV) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

There is a certain joy that is brought into a home by a baby that nothing else could ever match. In Bible days a woman prayed for children. They wanted to be fruitful. And they actually mourned because of a barren womb. These were not the modern day mothers who hope and pray that they are not pregnant, but women who were led by the Holy Ghost.

To me, that's like saying, "I'm going to plant a tomato plant, but I only want it to produce three tomatoes." Maybe you should either not plant it at all (not get married) , or plant it and let God decide what He wants you to have. Of course, when it comes to the garden, we would be upset if God didn't make us fruitful! God said in Psalm 127, "happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them".

What was his quiver full of? "Children of the youth." You see, the whole question revolves around one decision: who will decide when, and how many, children you have? You or God? God said in Romans 12:1 that we are to present our bodies to Him a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable service. So, to answer your question, I propose to you another: what if the number God wants is different from the number you want? That's the real question!

The appropriate prayer for children should be as follows: Matthew 26:39 "nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Note 1 Tim 5:14: "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."

I guess this would be the easiest statement to respond to. It actually proves my point! If one believes that God is going to give them children regardless of what they do, then why would they try to interfere in the first place? You do know, however, that many of God's richest blessings are conditional. Many of the Christians who would be quick to make the above statement would also be the first to tell you that a man has a choice in salvation. Likewise, I believe that God is sovereign in bringing children into this world. But just as a man can reject God's plan for salvation, man can also reject God's plan for children.

To say that we can't stop God, and then attempt to do so, is nothing short of tempting God! Don't they understand that when they admit that God can overrule them, they are also confessing that they are wrong? This example goes back to my original point that many do not want God's will to be done concerning the size of their family in the first place!

The abortion crowd, or any murderer, could simply use the same argument. But the fact is that God puts many important decisions in our hands. So, if you really believe that God is a sovereign God, why not do away with all forms of birth control and let God have His perfect way? It is called faith.

Matthew 13:58 KJV) And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

(James 1:22 KJV) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Now we really begin to see the thinking behind the birth control movement. If this statement sounds all too familiar, it is because you've heard it before from the abortion crowd. You see, the driving force behind the abortion proponents is this humanistic idea that we are our own gods and that we have the right to make our own decisions about our life and how we use our body. However, as Christians, our attitude should be that we are not our own, but that we have been bought with a price. I Corinthians 6:20 "For ye are bought with a price:". The rest of that verse says "therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's". Preventing children can never glorify God!

Now, please tell me how birth control, by any stretch of the imagination, can glorify God? You will say, "But preacher, we're not talking about a baby, but a seed!" Exactly! But, did you know that the Greek word from which we get the word seed is the word sperma? This is where we get our word sperm. So, if the baby is a gift from God, according to Psalms 127, then the sperm also is God's gift. God gave you the sperm to be used to bring offspring into the world. Now, we do know that there is a difference between the sperm and the baby after conception. But we must also realize that the potential for life is found in the God-given seed. Therefore, this shows that it is a very serious thing to interfere with His seed in any way.

I challenge you Christians to use the same argument against birth control that you use against abortion. You will see that the debate is basically the same. You are not your own! You have no scriptural right to use God's seed as you please.

(I Corinthians 10:31 KJV) Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

To start with, there are a couple of questions that I would use to answer that question. First of all, is the doctor who is giving the advice a Christian? Secondly, does this particular doctor have a large family? And thirdly, does this doctor believe in abortion under any circumstances whatsoever? It seems that Christians have simply assumed over the years that we should believe what any doctor prescribes solely because he or she has a medical degree, and a license to practice medicine. Let us not forget that this is the same profession that recommends and performs the murderous act of abortion thousands of times each day.

What if a doctor told you, like others have been told, that you need to drink a couple of beers each day for your health? Would you begin to drink beer against your conviction because a doctor said you should? My argument against birth control would be the same as when abortion is recommended for the sake of the mother's health. If it is wrong, it is wrong. However, in situations where the couple has normal relations but health problems on the part of either partner prevent them from having children, then this would be the providence of God. In such acts of providence there would be no need for birth control.

I wonder what would happen if we put as much confidence in the word of God as we did in the medical profession?

(Psalm 1:1 KJV) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

(Proverbs 3: 5, 6 KJV) Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Reason #10 "There's a big difference between what Onan did and birth control."

Some would say that God judged Onan for disobeying Him and not for the act of birth control. But you cannot separate the two. Onan disobeyed God by using the original and most primitive act of birth control. Notice that Onan, like all other birth control advocates, enjoyed the pleasure of the sex act, but did not want the responsibility for it. If that's not the case, then why didn't he just refuse to have relations with the woman? Because, like all who use birth control, he wanted the pleasure but not the baby.

Onan forever stands as a reminder of God's displeasure with those who choose birth control over His will for their lives. I'm sure that if Onan could have used a condom, or some other form of modern day birth control, he would have! Thank God for His mercy and longsuffering toward the modern day Onan's of Christianity.

It is obvious to any honest reader of this Bible story that there is no difference between what Onan did and what they are doing, if they are practicing modern day birth control. The choice is not yours, but God's!

(James 4:17 KJV) Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

I thought it might be interesting at this point to show you a small chart I drew up which shows some of the basic differences between God's birth control and man's birth control.

God's Birth Control	Man's Birth Control
Blessing	Judgement
Life	No Life
God's Perfect Choice	Man's Choice
Natural	Unnatural
Biblical	Unbiblical
Faith	Works
Prayer	No Prayer
Spiritual	Carnal
Christian	Worldly
Children	No Children
Responsibility	Pleasure
Will of God	Will of Man
God's Body	Your Body
Right!!	Wrong!!

Part 2 - Message that I preached to my congregation on Modern Day Birth Control

Birth control, or conception control, is a man made doctrine which is totally contrary to the clear teaching of the Bible concerning God's orderly method of giving children. It is also contrary to His way of propagating the human race and subsequently His divine will for reproduction. (2-4-99 B.B.)

(Genesis 38:1- 10 KJV) And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her. And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did. . .

His name means "effort, ability, or power". How fitting that name is for this man because the definition of his name is basically what birth control is all about! Man, in his own effort, ability, and power, trying to thwart the plan of God. For a better understanding of the following message I suggest reading the entire thirty-eighth chapter of the book of Genesis.

We will look at three aspects of the story in this passage of Genesis that will give us a better understanding of the situation at hand.

The word displeased here means "to spoil, make good for nothing, or to be physically, socially, or morally bad". You see, Onan's sin was the intentional disobedience of God's commandment. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what all sin is: knowing to do good and doing it not.

I know that the Bible teaches that to the married the "bed is undefiled". However, that does not mean we could perform an abortion in the privacy of our bedroom just because we are married. This verse does not give us liberty to commit sin in the name of marriage. You know what's right, you know what God wants. But, like Onan, you're going to do things your way. This is nothing else but willful, premeditated sin. By the way, Onan was apparently killed in the privacy of his bedroom. (Gen 38:9 KJV) And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

Normally, a woman, despite all of the pain and hardship she must bear, wants the children and is willing to pay the price to bring them into the world. But daddy, who should lead the way by faith, is afraid to trust God concerning His gift of children. Your unwillingness, sir, to allow God to have His way in this matter causes others to mark you as a real hypocrite when it comes to talking about and teaching about faith!

Little did Onan know that what he thought was a private matter of personal liberty, would be revealed to the world as a faithless act of selfish disobedience.

Onan missed the opportunity to see God's will carried out in his life through his seed line, which, we see, eventually brought to us our Lord. God wanted to use him and bless him in ways that he could not possibly perceive! However, he became an example of God's judgement upon the sin of disobedience. I wonder what God had in store for all of us who took this matter of controlling birth into our own hands? I wonder what blessings we have forfeited by going our own way instead of trusting God with our lives? How has God judged us?

(3) The Seed of Onan - "He spilled it (the seed) upon the ground, lest he should give seed unto his brother"

The word seed is very important here in this story. This is the issue of the entire text. Onan wasted the God-given seed which was meant to continue his family and literally threw it away. His idea was, "It belongs to me so I can do what I wish with it." This is the same argument that the abortion proponents use.

If the Bible teaches that children are given by God, then we must conclude that seed is also the gift of God. If you will study the many times that the word seed is mentioned in the Bible, you will find that God must bless the seed in order for a man to be able to bring forth children into the world. God must also open the woman's womb in order for her to conceive. Remember back when we didn't have to be told this kind of thing? We've come a long way, haven't we? It was God who would make Abraham's seed as the stars in Heaven.

(Genesis 15: 1 - 6 KJV) After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Jacob knew this in Genesis 30:1 when he answered his desperate wife with a question, "And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?" He knew that unless God bestowed, there would be no children. One of the things that is so disturbing is while some couples are on birth control, the many others who are not on it desire children. But God has not blessed them in this area. If God has bestowed you seed, then He has a purpose for the children which He will give you. If He doesn't want you to have children, don't worry, you will not. But shouldn't He decide?

When you think about your own family tree and the limb you find yourself on, don't forget that this was no accident. What it is, however, is a sovereign God building a people who would be used to carry out His divine purpose. After Noah had finished his journey, God used his seed to populate the new world. We later would identify them as the primary races of the earth. Galatians 4:4 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law". We see that God brought forth His Son in the fullness of time. Though He was not born of the seed of man spiritually, God used the seed of man to bring us to the fullness of time.

The Greek word for seed is the word sperma, where we get our English word sperm. It means something sown, offspring, or remnant. It comes from the word spiero, which means to sow. The word sow comes from the word spao and means to draw out. Did you know that when the seed is planted within that it literally races to fertilize the waiting egg? That is because it has God given life which our Creator used to build the human race. You say, "Preacher, aren't you going a little to far?" No my friend. You who defend birth control are the ones who are going too far.

Now they say, "Well, we're going to wait a couple of years before having children, and then maybe after we've prepared a few things we're going to have a baby." Is that right? Well, what if God decides to remove the blessing from the seed? Remember, children are an heritage (gift) of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is (His) reward. Since when does man decide whether he will be fruitful or not?

I would encourage you young couples to decide this issue before marriage, and decide to let God control when and how many children you have. You can trust Him! He will not do you wrong. I promise you, according to God's word, that every child He gives you will be a blessing from God. A child will make your life richer and fuller, and will become as arrows in the hand of a mighty man. Present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God and let Him use your family for His glory. Please don't commit the sin of Onan.

I know that there will be many who disagree with the contents of this booklet. However, as with any literature which I have written, I challenge any and all to take a King James Bible and Scripturally refute it. I'm still waiting!

In these last days, I have come to the place where my best response is that of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth. 1 Corinthians 14:38 "If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant". It is disturbing to see the extent to which humanism has entered into our congregations. The sad part is, however, that many so called preachers will simply discount this teaching as "much to do about nothing."

Anytime some of these hirelings are confronted with new light from God's word, they use the standard procedure of putting a finger in the wind and then following the path of least resistance. But for those of you who are willing to be led by the Spirit and to "let every man be a liar and God be the truth", maybe this message will open the door for the Holy Spirit to give you some very important direction for your life. Or maybe you can help someone like my daughter who really wants to know God's will for their life.

Finally, let me say that our church and my family have personally suffered for our stand on this clearly taught Bible issue. We know, however, that sound doctrine is about the only thing some men will not endure in these last days.

In closing, I would like to dedicate this booklet to all those Christian couples who are willing to trust God to bless and build their families according to His will rather than bowing to the self god of humanism. I would also like to dedicate it to those preachers who, after reading it, will know deep down in their heart that it is right, but don't have the guts to preach it! My message to you, sir, is summed up in this verse: "The hireling fleeth because he is a hireling and careth not for the sheep". John 10:13 KJV

(John 7:17 KJV) If any man will do His will, He shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

The Normal Thing

A Mother's Testimony About Her Journey With Birth Control

As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a mother. I just always remember having this very strong desire to get married, stay home, keep house, and raise children. Unlike most little girls I knew, I never put a limit on the number of children I would like to have. This is even before I came to know Jesus Christ as my Savior. Oh, yes, I believed in God and I believed in His Son. I was taken to church as a child and for most of my growing up years. At 9 years of age, I was baptized. Unfortunately I had no clue as to what was going on. I was 22 years old before I was truly born-again. Now, you may be wondering what all this has to do with a study on Biblical birth control. Well, I'll tell you this about myself. Even during the time that I did not know Christ and was lost in my sin, I was always sensitive to the things of God. How that was, I do not know. Except that maybe it was a God-given gift and one that could not be properly used until I was born again. During the time that I was lost, I used that sensitivity towards the things of God in such a way that I thought by doing them, I could appease God, be okay enough with Him because of it, and maybe, just maybe, reach Heaven when I die. I was living a life of works! Praise God that He saved me from dead works to serve the living God!

I believe that the strong desire I had even as a child to be a wife, mother, and keeper at home is one that God gives to every female baby born. God created woman and put in her a desire to be a help to her husband, bear children, and be the nurturer of children. But, because of our rebellion and sinful nature, many women, and men for that matter, do not recognize that getting married, bearing children, and keeping a home is our God-given role in this world. Nowadays, it seems folks have this idea that if a young woman gets married before going to college, she's throwing her life away. If she has a child nine months after getting married, there is something shocking about it. Why is it that God's way has fallen by the way side, even with Christians? Where has our natural affection gone? The general idea is that birth control is the norm, is our right, and if you do not follow along with the norm, there is something really, really strange about you.

The word normal, according to Webster's dictionary, means conforming with an accepted standard model or pattern; natural; standard; regular. If you conform to something, you have the same form or become similar; are in accord or agreement with; adapt; submit. Most folks are of the persuasion that the normal thing is also the right thing. However, in the life of a Christian, what is the accepted and normal thing for the world may not always line up with the Bible. What we conform to does not always necessarily agree with God's word. Note that God said: (Rom 12:2 KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. If your way is of one accord with the world, and is not in agreement with God's will, then it is sin.

In my own life, I have seen evidence of this ideology that we can do what is the normal and accepted thing without regards to God's design. That we are to control our bodies with no thought, nor teaching, that God may have something to say about it.

By the way . . . my husband and I are the parents of 5 children, ranging in age from 10 down to nearly 5. In the middle of our oldest and youngest are a set of twin boys and another little girl. Yes, if you add it all up, that means that God blessed us with five children in just about five years time. Now, I guess that most folks look at a situation like that and see nothing but work, work, work. I won't lie and say it was a breeze. But I won't go a gripping and complaining about it either! If others could know all the ways that our children came to us, how God was working in our lives and answering prayers, then they would see why I count them each a jewel and a joy! I could never imagine how different our lives would be without any of them.

One of the most common comments we received during the time that our children were very young was something along these lines: "Well, will y'all be having any more? Or is this it?" Not that it was any of their business in the first place, but I suppose it's the normal thing for people to ask today! Concerning themselves with how many children other people have and making rude comments about the gifts God has so mercifully bestowed on us!

When my last child was born, to be honest, I was quite tired of being pregnant, and I could not imagine ever having to do it again. Never mind that I knew my grandmother had done it 15 times in her life! And all of her children were born at home! Anyway, from the beginning of the pregnancy I thought that having surgery to keep from conceiving again would probably be the normal thing to do at this point. I went so far as to convince myself that it would be okay with God since I already had five children, and, hey, that was a lot more than most folks I knew. It wasn't like I wasn't going to have any! We had a good sized family . . . in fact, we had a over-sized family by today's standards. We were way beyond being normal by the world's standards.

So, after the baby was born, I had the surgery. And even though my flesh knew it was the normal thing to do, my heart wasn't so sure. I wish that I had had faith enough in God to let Him control what is truly a normal function of a woman's body! What rewards have I missed?

I could go on and on about all of the things that seemed to be the normal thing to do. I'm sure that you see my point. There are many, many things that Christians participate in today, just because it's the normal thing to do. Often you hear folks say, "Well, so-and-so does it, and I know he/she is really a Godly person, so it has got to be okay." It's just another normal thing I guess, doing things just because other Christians are doing them! The danger of this is that we never stop to consider that God just might have something to say to us about it!

So, here we are, living our lives according to what everyone else is doing, not taking the time to pray, or search the Scriptures on the matter. Then, suddenly, we begin to hear things about what we are doing. "What's that? You say that what I'm doing is contrary to God's will? Contrary to God's design for my body?" We just can't believe it! And because we are so comfortable doing our own thing, we reject what the man of God, or some other Godly saint, is saying.

Brothers and sisters, let me just share with you what I think happens to us when we walk in the world's ways. The way I understand it, when we are living in sin, God calls it walking in darkness.

(1 John 1:6 KJV) If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

When we walk according to the world's standards, we are walking in darkness. Consider this. What happens when we are in a dark place with no light? Our eyes adjust to the darkness of the room and they accept it. In fact, they become quite comfortable after a spell in the darkness. Then, when light is let into the room, it's a shock to the eyes. We shield them, trying to block the light, not being able to withstand the brightness of it. In fact, sometimes the light even hurts our eyes and we fuss at whoever is responsible for bringing light into that dark room.

The same can be said when light is shed on the sin in our spiritual lives. Once we have been living in sin and by the darkness of the world's ways for a time, neglecting to seek light from the Bible, we just become accustomed to it. We accept that what we are doing is the normal thing, and become comfortable living by the world's customs. Ah, but what a shock to us when someone turns on some light from God's word! Just as our eyes want to reject the light and our eye lids close to shut it out, so our hearts will want to reject the light from Scripture on the matter of our sin and we try to shut it out! We cannot withstand the brightness of the light that we are receiving! In fact, just as the light hurts the eyes that have become accustomed to the darkness, the light of the Bible will often hurt our hearts! And then, we fuss at whoever it is that has turned on the light that we so needed! We know that light is good for us, and the darkness bad, but still we often reject it.

For all of my life I was not brought up to allow God to control my life. Even though I did want as many children as God would allow, still, I was taught that birth control was the normal thing to do. When light was first shed abroad in my heart concerning this matter, a shield went up over my heart. Eventually, I accepted some of the light, but not all of it. Some of that shield was still up. But then, one Saturday evening I attended a youth meeting at a local church. God had already been dealing with me about the decision I had made to alter the natural, God-given way my body worked and that night I finally accepted that what I had done was wrong, and against God's will. I had sinned, I had rejected the gifts that the Lord had prepared for me and my husband. The meeting had just started and the preacher was talking. I don't even remember what he was saying, but I do remember that he was talking. I just kept thinking about what I had done and thinking about the light that the Spirit of God had shed on my heart about what I had done. The only way I knew I would ever have peace in the matter was to accept responsibility for my decision by repenting, confessing my sin to Him, and seeking His forgiveness. God is so good! I knew that He saw my broken heart and He healed that broken heart. I felt comfort and peace knowing that God had forgiven me.

But what happened next will forever be engraved in my heart and mind. I cannot tell you how long it was, but a few minutes after I had sought God's forgiveness, the pastor announced what he would be preaching on the next morning for Sunday services: Biblical birth control! I could not believe what I was hearing! "Did he just say Biblical birth control?" Folks, God does not make mistakes! The church that I was at that night was not even my own, and yet here was God using him to preach the next day on what He had already dealt with me about. How good He truly is!

I believe that God used that man of God to confirm in my heart that what had just happened was truly Him working in my life and to dispel any doubt I may later have! And I believe that it happened in the right order as well. If I had known what he was preaching on the next morning and then repented after I heard it, then God would not have gotten the true honor and glory He deserved. As it is, I know that the convictions I now have concerning birth control are not because of man, but because of the goodness and mercy of God.

Please do not so easily disregard what Brother Ball has had to say on this matter of birth control. I pray that you will not put up a shield around your heart to shut out the light that been has shed on this subject. We have walked in spiritual darkness concerning this matter for far too many years. It is time that our faith in God and our trust in His perfect ways be restored.

I hope that my testimony has been a help and a blessing to you. It is never right to do something just because it seems the normal thing to do. That is, not if that normal thing to do requires that we reject the ways and the paths of God. Light has been shed on the ungodliness and evil of an accepted and normal thing to do. How will you respond to that light?

Did you know?

Facts about birth control that your doctor may never tell you

There are 3 major methods of artificial birth control: hormonal, barrier, and surgical. Within each method there are different forms. All three of these methods come with many side-effects. But more important are the spiritual implications. Whether one realizes it or not, all of the afore mentioned methods of controlling our body's natural functions have some serious problems. Maybe no one has ever told you of these things, and that is why we would like to share them with you today. It's possible, after reading the study by brother Ball, that you doubt what he says is the truth. Even so, I believe that once you read about the side-effects of artificial birth control and why they violate God's word, you may well have a change of heart. If, after reading this, you still doubt and insist on continuing to use any of the mentioned forms of birth control, please weigh carefully the consequences of using them. After all, one day we all must give account of himself to God (Romans 14:12).

The following information is by no means an exhaustive list of the different kinds of birth control and their side-effects. However, it is provided so that you can see for yourself that the different birth control methods are not so innocent as we'd like to think they are. There are, I believe, severe consequences with each of these. Please read with a prayerful heart and if you still use some method of birth control, know, before you use it, what it can do to your body or the baby that has been conceived. For you will give an account of yourself to God one day.

The first, and probably most widely used, method of birth control is the one that uses hormones.

The second method of birth control is the barrier method. A barrier is an obstruction; anything which confines, or which hinders approach or advancement. So, we can know that barrier methods are used to hinder the advancement of something. In the case of birth control, it hinders the man's sperm. Some different forms of the barrier method include condoms, spermicides, sponges, diaphragms, IUD's, etc. While these may not seem so invasive, let's consider how they work and their side-effects.

Think about the word spermicide. What does it make you think of? I think of: homicide; suicide; pesticide; infanticide, etc. I started thinking about this one day and here is what I found out by studying. The word spermicide uses the same suffix used in many other words depicting the killing of something. The suffix is -icide and it comes from the word caedere, meaning to kill. So, spermicides work by killing the sperm. Now, if that isn't wrong, I do not know what is! Can we kill that which is not alive? No matter that a child has not been conceived . . . something is still being killed.

The IUD is a device inserted into a woman's body and can stay up to 10 years. Supposedly it works by prohibiting sperm from reaching a released egg. It blocks the sperm from getting through the cervix. However, a woman's body reacts to the foreign object in her body by causing the uterus wall to stay constantly, even if only slightly, inflamed. When this happens, should there be a conception, the fertilized egg cannot adhere to the mother's womb to be nourished. Thus, it is shortly aborted by the mother's body.

As far as the condom goes, while it does not cause any side effects, I believe that this is very much akin to the sin of Onan. That is, the seed being spilled on the ground. Even though the seed is not literally spilled on the ground, it is still being spilled in an inappropriate way. It is wasting that which God has given!

Lastly, we will consider the surgical method of birth control. This consists of only two forms: tubal ligation and vasectomy.

For the man, there is the vasectomy. It is a surgical procedure that involves the doctor cutting out a portion of both ducts by which the sperm pass from the testes. He will then tie or coagulate the ends, suturing the cut made in the scrotum in order to perform the surgery. What are the health risks of male sterilization? While there are no final verdicts as of yet, there are many questions arising as to the long term risks involved. One of the major risks involved for the man is to his immune system. There is not enough space in this booklet to explain in great detail what that means. However, in short, it involves the production in the man's body of anti-sperm auto-antibodies. This means that his body is destroying cells of it's own making, making his body allergic to itself. Some auto-immune diseases associated with this are diabetes mellitus, Addison's disease, multiple sclerosis, some forms of hepatitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. A healthy immune system is a must in our bodies daily fight against the threats of cancer. Thus, if a man's immune system is not in proper working order, there is a greater risk of cancers such as prostrate and testicular, and possibly other forms.

Now, I bet your doctor never mentioned these side-effects to you did he? You see, he doesn't really care about you and your health the way that God does! Even though we think we know so much, we still can never know all that God does. If being pregnant, or bearing another child, will not be good for you (or, if you're a man, for your wife), then I believe that God can take care of that if you have faith in and trust Him. But your doctor will not share with you the many lasting effects of surgical birth control methods because he does not care about you. Unless he is a bible-believing Christian, you can bet that he will counsel you by the world's standards.

As you can see, all of the forms of birth control available to us violate some principal in God's word. Even methods such as the so-called natural family planning can be unbiblical, as they require withholding of intimacy from one another. The Bible plainly states that the only time a man and wife are to be keep themselves from the other is during a time of prayer and fasting. To purposely keep themselves apart from one another intimately to avoid becoming pregnant is, I believe, a violation of God's word.

So, Christian, a final word for you. If you are still using birth control, and plan to keep on using it even after reading brother Ball's study on the subject because you don't see anything wrong with using birth control, then I urge you to consider what form you are using. Then seriously consider the lasting effects that it may have on your body and your health. After all, you will give an account to God some day.

Note: Most information concerning the hazards of the different forms of birth control were found via the Internet.

(1 Tim 2:9-10 KJV) In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.