The world would have us believe that children are a nuisance, a burden, and an unnecessary financial drain. The voices of secular society encourage men and women to pursue successful careers and a carefree lifestyle, and not be hampered by the responsibilities that come with having children. As a result, birth control and contraception are promoted as the solution to maintaining this ideal. And when unwanted pregnancies occur anyway, abortion clinics are always available to handle the "problem". 

 

But these voices are in direct opposition to God's established design and His purpose for creating marriage and sexual intercourse. God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and He did so again with Noah (Genesis 1:28; 9:1). His purpose for creating marriage is clearly expressed in Malachi 2:14-15: 

​

"Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth... And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed." 

 

Clearly, God was looking to marriage as a means for procuring a godly lineage within the human race. And therefore Christian marriages where godly offspring exist are important because they directly fulfill God's desire for "godly seed". Satan, however, knows this and would like to influence not only secular society, but also the thinking of the Church on this matter. He would like to discourage godly couples from choosing to have too many children that might then be trained in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). So how can we combat the devil's plan to destroy "godly seed"? 

 

To combat this problem, we must first take a look at the biblical attitude towards children.

Borrowed from an online source (in blue).

The Bible does have quite a lot to say about children. It presents them as a gift from God (Genesis 4:1; Genesis 33:5), a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3-5), a blessing from God (Luke 1:42), and a crown to the aged (Proverbs 17:6). God sometimes blesses barren women with children (Psalm 113:9; Genesis 21:1-3; 25:21-22; 30:1-2; 1 Samuel 1:6-8; Luke 1:7, 24-25). God forms children in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16). And God knows children before their birth (Jeremiah 1:5; Galatians 1:15).

 

In Genesis chapter 38, we find the account of Judah's two sons Er and Onan. Er married a woman named Tamar, but he was wicked and the Lord put him to death, leaving Tamar with no husband or children. Tamar was given in marriage to Er's brother, Onan, in accordance with the law of levirate marriage in Deuteronomy 25:5-6. Onan did not want to split his inheritance with any child that he might produce on his brother's behalf, so he practiced the oldest form of birth control—withdrawal. Genesis 38:10 says, “What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so He put him to death also.”

 

Now whether or not we take the story of Onan as an indictment against contraception, it is clear that the Bible promotes the idea of conception. Yet contraception is the opposite of conception. Additionally, none of the godly men and women of the Bible were ever known to practice birth control. On the contrary, they viewed children as a blessing from God and the man with his “quiver” full was a happy one (Psalm 127:5).

 

The Bible also teaches that the more children we have, the more honor and responsibility we are given. The best example of this is in the list of qualifications pertaining to elders and deacons. All elders are to be tested for service based on their children’s conduct and example of submission. This means that without children elders are simply disqualified from Church oversight (1Tim. 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-9).

​

In conclusion, birth control is simply not promoted in the Bible. While the world pressures couples to have fewer and fewer children or to avoid them altogether, Christians should resist conforming to this pressure. Jesus taught that to accept “one such little child in my name”, is akin to accepting Him. This is how we participate in the privilege of placing one more soul in God’s Kingdom (if we shepherd them faithfully).

 

"And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me" (Mat. 18:5).