The Bible & Contraception

If someone ever says "Where does the Bible say contraception is wrong?".....

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First it is necessary to start from the beginning.

Sex and marriage.


I will define each, and state what the Bible has to say about each, and then go on to have a look at how this relates specifically to contraception.

Firstly, marriage...

Gen 1:27 -- God made humanity specifically male and female in 'his own image and likeness'. This means that somehow in the complementarily of the sexes, we image God. As male and female we make visible God's invisible mystery.

So what is God's invisible mystery? John tell us that it is love (1Jn 4:8).

Part of this is God's love for us, but even before that, God is love itself. He is love in himself, in the relationship of the three Persons of the Trinity.
God is in Himself a Communion of Persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in a relationship of love so real and profound that it sustains and creates life.

So among other things, this is what our 'being made in the image and likeness of God' reveals; we're called to love as God loves, in a life-giving communion of persons.

and we do this specifically as male and female. The love between male and females can be so real and so profound that, God willing, it can even become another person. A baby is an icon of the love that its parents have for one another.

(note that God of course, is not sexual. The fact that our sexuality reveals something of the mystery of the Trinity does not mean that the Trinity is sexual. God is not made in our image and likeness, but rather we are made in His. God's mystery remains infinitely beyond any human imagination or analogy and we must remember never to make the serious error of reducing the infinite God to our finite human concepts).

So God made us male and female and he allowed us to imitate and express His own free, total, faithful and fruitful love via our own sexual intercourse.

This idea is further strengthen in the New Testament when Christ is called the heavenly Bridegroom and the Church is called His Bride.
Christ gave up His very body, His very self, entirely and totally for love of His Bride. He gave up Himself, holding nothing back, every ounce of Himself for us was poured out for love of us.

Ephesians 5 very clearly tells us how this relates to husbands and wives...

"22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour."
and:

" 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"

Husbands and wives are called to imitate the love between Christ & His Church in a way that is fully self-giving and fully self-sacrificing.

It is meant to be full pure love poured out for each other and expressing the love they have for one another.

It is not self-seeking or self-interested. It is not about ME, but about YOU.

It must be fully self-giving.


So when, according to the Bible, is this sexual love allowed to be expressed between a man and woman?
Any time two people feel like it?

No..

Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis show clearly how God made ONE man, for ONE woman.

Jesus Himself says in Mt 19:6 that ONE man will be united to his ONE wife and the two will become one flesh.

He then adds..."therefore what God has separated, let man not separate":

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'[a] 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'[b]? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

There are two levels of understanding to what he says...

1. God is the one who joins a man and a woman in marriage. Therefore, what God has joined together in marriage, no man can separate (i.e. Divorce is not only not allowed, but even more fundamentally, not possible).

2. "What God has joined, let no man separate". It was God Himself who joined sex & babies and it is the right of no man to separate these two acts.
Sex ==> babies.

Contraception has the specific aim of separating these two processes that God Himself has joined together.

In Mt19:8 Jesus then continues to go on and say how "For your hardness of heart [i.e. sin] Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning [before sin] it was not so."

This further shows the importance from the beginning of a marital union between one man and one woman.


So, we have established that males and females are made in the image and likeness of God, and are called to expressed this image in (amongst other ways) their spousal love for one another via an undissolvable marital union and sexual relations between one man and one woman.
These sexual unions are also meant to imitate the heavenly bridegroom and His bride (i.e. Christ & the Church) -- they are meant to be entirely infused with love for the other, and those involved are meant to express their full self-giving love, holding nothing back.


Okay, so we have established a little of what the Bible tells us marriage is supposed to be about.

I now want to look in a bit more detail at sex, and what the Bible says the point of sex is.

Gen 1:28, 9:1,7; 35:11

In each of these verses the Lord commands us to be 'fruitful' (fertile) and to multiply. As established before, the only way to 'multiply' is to have sex.
Gen. 28:3 - Isaac's prayer over Jacob shows that fertility and procreation are considered blessings from God.

Exodus 23:25-26; Deut. 7:13-14 - God promises blessings which include no miscarriages or barrenness. This shows that children are blessings from God.

Psalm 127:3-5 - children are a gift of favour from God and blessed is a full quiver

1 Chron. 25:5 - God exalts His people by blessing them with many children.

So one very central and pivotal purpose of sex is to have children, and these are a gift and blessing from God.

Secondly, sex is a unifying experience. It is physically pleasurable and one can not give any more of themselves physically to another person. We don't really need a Bible verse to support this because it is a biological fact. It's like saying we need the Bible to say we have a liver in order to say that the liver control blood glucose levels. The Bible doesn't have to say everything single thing that is true if our bodies express that truth biologically...(which they do regarding the emotional bond formed and strengthen via sexual union.)

What more can you physically and intimately give someone than your very body?

So we have established that sex is an expression of love between two people who are married and that sex is the gateway for procreation and for greater unity between these two people.

The Bible shows us that to desire physical pleasure alone from sexual acts is not right.
I will now discuss a few examples from the Bible which clearly indicate that using sexual acts to obtain only the pleasure, but not the procreative side, is morally wrong.

1. Masturbation is physically pleasurable but the Bible is pretty explicit in numerous places about what it thinks of masturbation.

2. Genesis 38:8-10

Onan is killed by God for practicing contraception (in this case, withdrawal) and spilling his semen on the ground.

Some people say that Onan was not killed for spilling his seed, but rather because he refused to fulfill his duty and obey God's command to have a child with his brother's wife. After reading a number of commentaries, I would disagree with this interpretation for 3 reasons...

a- Gen 38:11-26 Judah, like Onan, also rejected God's command to keep up the family lineage, but he was not killed. This was because he didn't 'spill his seed'.

b- Deut. 25:7-10 - the penalty for refusing to keep up a family lineage is not death, like Onan received, but rather a mere public humiliation.

c- Gen. 38:9 - also, the author's usage of the graphic word "seed," which is very uncharacteristic for Hebrew writing, I believe further highlights the reason for Onan's death.

So I would say that Onan was killed, rather than just being punished, specifically because he spilt his seed (i.e. basically the withdrawal method of contraception). He tried to get the physical satisfaction of sex, while purposefully blocking out the procreative side.


3. More evidence showing that physical pleasure alone from sexual intercourse is not permitted:
Lev.18:22-23

22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
23 " 'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

Lev.20:13

13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.


These clearly show that homosexual acts and bestiality are morally corrupted behaviours, but they also show how God doesn't like 'wasting seed' with non-generative sexual acts.

That is, these are sexual acts which have been so twisted that their only goal is self-seeking pleasure.


4.
Lev. 21:17,20 - crushed testicles are called a defect and a blemish before God.

Deut. 23:1 - whoever has crushed testicles or is castrated cannot enter the assembly.

Deut. 25:11-12 - there is punishment for potential damage to the testicles


The only purpose of a man's testicles is to produce sperm.
Damaged testicles have only one consequence for a man....he is infertile and will not be able to have children.

The fact that damaged testicles are so clearly stated as being a 'blemish' , and attempting to damage someone's testicles is also a punishable offence, is a clear indication that it is not good for something to purposefully prevent procreation.

This is therefore directly applicable to vasectomies and condoms as these both have the same biological effect as 'crushed or damaged testicles' as mentioned in Deut & Lev. above.

5. Finally to end off this section indicating why it is wrong to desire pleasure alone from sex (which is the effect of contraception) I want to briefly go over a bit of the psychology.

Desiring pleasure alone when engaging in sexual intercourse means that you are effectively using someone's body in order to experience physical pleasure yourself.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul responds to reports of sexual immorality in the church at Corinth. He specifically uses the example of prostitution, which, in Corinth at the time, would have been both heterosexual and homosexual. Paul’s preaching about sexual morality (1 Corinthians 6:12–20) points to the fact that, whereas most sins are “outside the body”—that is, they are offences against charity to other persons—sexual sins are also sins against one’s own body. Paul reminds the Corinthians here that they are “members of Christ,” and tells them that “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own” (6:19–20).

Seeking sexual physical pleasure by using someone else's body means one does not respect either their own body as a temple of the Holy Spirit nor that of the person they are with.

Lust over someone is basically desiring them physically, and when one engages in sex simply because one wants, above all else the pleasure derived from the sex, they are definitely committing sins of lust (Mt. 5:28, Mt 5:29-30).


Okay, so I hope I have shed some light on the Bible's perspective regarding the desire to obtain pleasure alone from sexual intercourse.

Okay, I will now attempt to tie in most of what I have said above to contraception.

To make this easy for myself I will divide contraception into barrier methods (e.g. condoms) and post-fertilisation methods (e.g. the pill, the intra-uterine device, the morning after pill).

The second group all work by preventing a fertilised egg (the embryo) from implanting into the womb.

Life can only start when a new life exists, and this occurs at the moment of fertilisation. Therefore, anything at all which aims to destroy a life after this point, regardless of why one is trying to end that life, is murder.
Murder is a deadly sin and related to countless times all over the Bible. So rather than list every supporting Bible verse, have a look at the Ten Commandments!! I don't think 'THOU SHALT NOT MURDER' could get any clearer!

Okay, now looking at the barrier methods of contraception.

I have thus far attempt to show that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. The deep, unbreakable bond of love between these two people is expressed by the act of sexual intercourse between them.

Sexual intercourse has 2 'purposes' ......the creation of new life, and strengthening the physical bond of love between the two spouses.

Children are a gift from God and are to be desired. The Bible clearly teaches that they are blessings.

Abusing the sexual act so that its only purpose becomes to derive physical pleasure is a sin of selfishness and lust and an insult to the Holy Spirit's fruits of chastity.

Masturbation, homosexuality and bestiality are, I would argue, all examples of when sex is used in a way it was not meant to and in a way that the Bible teaches is incorrect -- that is, purely to derive pleasure, with no interest whatsoever in the life-giving potential of sex.

and I would say that using contraception also falls under the same category.

Contraception was not invented to prevent pregnancy. There is already a perfectly infallible method for that--> it's called abstinence. Contraception was invented to allow people to indulge in their sexual instincts.

But what is so wrong with that if the two people involved are married?, I hear you cry!

well...

Spouses are meant to love one another as Christ loves His Church, as I mentioned before, in a fully self-giving way.

We are humans, and part of being human is our biological fertility. Our fertility is not a disease or a mistake but an integral part of our humanity.

Sex is an expression of the marriage commitment and it is all or nothing. You either give yourself FULLY to your spouse, or you do not.

Contraception sterilizes the act of sexual intercourse. You do not give yourself totally to the other person. You knowingly and intentionally hold back part of yourself from your spouse.

This is not an imitation of Christ's total self-giving to His Church, and it is not an imitation of the deep relationship of love between the persons of the Trinity.

The act of love becomes a lie, because it is not an exchange of self, but rather a sterilised introverted egotistical act.

why? Because you are not giving your whole self. You are intentionally holding something back which is totally integrated into you...your fertility.

Furthermore, if the husband is to be a true symbol of Christ in the "one flesh" union, then he must speak the language of Christ: 'This is my body which is given for you' (Lk 22:19). But the contracepted act of intercourse declares "This is my body, not given for you".

and if a wife is to be a true symbol of the Church in the "one flesh" union then she must speak to language of the Church (most perfectly modelled by Mar): "Let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). But a contracepted act of intercourse declares "Let it not be done to me according to your word".

So I would argue that an act of contracepted intercourse is not, and can never be, an authentic expression of love.

In true spousal love each member is called to give themselves away freely, totally, faithfully and fruitfully in an imitation of Christ Himself.

Contracepted intercourse contradicts each of these..

-Freedom: Because you are a slave to your own sexual desires and hormones. Those engaging in contracepted intercourse do not practice chastity or self control, but rather indulge in their own sexual urges while intentionally blocking out God's life-giving intention for that act.

- Totally: Because those engaging in sexual intercourse are holding something of themselves back; their own biological fertility.

-Faithfully: Wedding vows are an expression of God's love on earth. God's love is fully self-giving, and therefore if the expression of love in marriage is not fully self-giving, one is not being faithful to their own wedding vows.

-Fruitfully: The act of intercourse is not life-giving, but rather entirely self-seeking.


But don't just take my word for it, these Bible verses all support this....

Hosea 9:11; Jer. 18:21 - God punishes Israel by preventing pregnancy. Contraception is a curse, and married couples who use contraception are putting themselves under the same curse.

Mal. 2:14 - marriage is not a contract (which is a mere exchange of property or services). It is a covenant, which means a supernatural exchange of persons. Just as God is three in one, so are a husband and wife, who become one flesh and bring forth new life, three in one. Marital love is a reflection of the Blessed Trinity.

Mal. 2:15 - What does God desire? Godly offspring. What is contraception? A deliberate act against God's will. With contraception, a couple declares, "God may want an eternal being created with our union, but we say no." Contraception is a grave act of selfishness.

Matt. 19:5-6 - Jesus said a husband and wife shall become one. They are no longer two, but one, just as God is three persons, yet one. The expression of authentic marital love reintegrates our bodies and souls to God, and restores us to our original virginal state (perfect integration of body and soul) before God.

Matt. 19:6; Eph. 5:31 - contraception prevents God's ability to "join" together. Just as Christ's love for the Church is selfless and sacrificial, and a husband and wife reflect this union, so a husband and wife's love for each other must also be selfless and sacrificial. This means being open to new life.

Acts 5:1-11 - Ananias and Sapphira were slain because they withheld part of a gift. Fertility is a gift from God and cannot be withheld.

Rom.1:26-27 - sexual acts without the possibility of procreation is sinful. Self-giving love is life-giving love, or the love is a lie. The unitive and procreative elements of marital love can never be divided, or the marital love is also divided, and God is left out of the marriage.

1 Cor. 6:19-20 - the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; thus, we must glorify God in our bodies by being open to His will.

1 Cor. 7:5 - this verse supports the practice of natural family planning ("NFP"). Married couples should not refuse each other except perhaps by agreement for a season, naturally.

Gal. 6:7-8 - God is not mocked for what a man sows. If to the flesh, corruption. If to the Spirit, eternal life.

Eph. 5:25 - Paul instructs husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, by giving his entire body to her and holding nothing back. With contraception, husbands tell their wives, I love you except your fertility, and you can have me except for my fertility. This love is a lie because it is self-centered, and not self-giving and life-giving.

Eph. 5:29-31; Phil. 3:2 - mutilating the flesh (e.g., surgery to prevent conception) is gravely sinful.

1 Tim. 2:15 - childbearing is considered a "work" through which women may be saved by God's grace.

Deut. 22:13-21 – these verses also show that God condemns pre-marital intercourse. The living expression of God’s creative love is reserved for a sacramental marriage between one man and one woman.

Rev. 9:21; 21:8; 22:15; Gal. 5:20 - these verses mention the word "sorcery." The Greek word is "pharmakeia" which includes abortifacient potions such as birth control pills. These pharmakeia are mortally sinful. Moreover, chemical contraception does not necessarily prevent conception, but may actually kill the child in the womb after conception has occurred (by preventing the baby from attaching to the uterine wall).



Contraception is a lie of love.



Natural Family Planning (NFP) is completely different from contraception.

God did not make women so that they are fertile every single day of their cycles. There is only a short window of fertility during which a woman can get pregnant. This a biological fact, and thus God-instated.

NFP works WITH this natural cycle of fertility-infertility each month.

If couples feel they can not afford etc a child at the given time, they abstain from intercourse during a woman's fertile period.

A couple is not obliged to have sex all the time, but in fact it is even said by Paul that they may abstain for a time (1 Chor 7:5). Therefore, during the time of fertility, the couple practices the virtue of self-control and chastity, spoken about by Paul. Self control is a gift of the Holy Spirit; the couple is not a slave to their sexual desires, but rather, they are in control of them.

When a woman is no longer in her fertile period a couple may have intercourse without contraception. They are working with what God has given them (that is, both their fertility and their current life circumstances) in a loving, integrated and full way, rather than in a selfish self-centred way.

Contraception and NFP are as alike as abortion and miscarriage, suicide and natural death.

The difference between sterilizing an act of intercourse yourself and accepting the God-given infertile time is one of cosmic dimensions.


Hope this helps show that the Bible DOES indicate that contraception is not part of God's plan for spouses, and it in fact an insult to the beauty of the act of sexual intercourse.

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Yes, I did actually write all this myself (except for a few paragraphs I stole from Christopher West's Book 'Good News about sex & marriage', and the list of Bible verses were from here.)

I know it may be a bit long, but I feel this is a vital topic and without a comprehensive set of arguments and ideas it is harder to convince others. Better over than under prepared when evangelizing!

Hope this is useful & of some help!

-x-

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