God's will for mankind (before and after the fall) is to be “fruitful and to multiply".
Gen 1:28
28 God blessed them and
said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue
it.
NIV
Gen 9:1
9:1 Then God blessed
Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number
and fill the earth.
NIV
Cruel as it may seem, barrenness is a curse and Scriptural evidence supporting this statement can be deduced from the following verses, viz,
Ex 23:25-26
Worship the LORD your
God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away
sickness from among you, 26 and none will miscarry OR BE BARREN IN YOUR
LAND. I will give you a full life span.
NIV (Emphasis Mine-barrenness
is a curse by inference from the above verses)
Job 15:34
34 For the company of
the godless will be barren,
NIV
Gen 20:17-18
17 Then Abraham prayed
to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they
could have children again, 18 for the LORD had closed up every womb in
Abimelech's household because of Abraham's wife Sarah.
NIV
[Abimelech had taken Sarah, Abraham’s wife, possibly intending to add her
to his harem, for he thought that she was his (Abraham’s) sister. For this
‘act of presumption’, Abimelech’s family was stricken with barrenness].
2 Sam 6:20-23
20 When David returned
home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him
and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing
in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
21 David said to Michal,
"It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone
from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel-I
will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified
than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave
girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."
23 And Michal daughter
of Saul HAD NO CHILDREN to the day of her death.
NIV Emphasis Mine (God’s
curse of barrenness on Michal for not honoring His anointed)
Matt 21:19
19 Seeing a fig tree
by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then
he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.
NIV
The verses below from Hosea Chapter 9 speak for themselves..
Hos 9:14-15
14 Give them, O LORD-
what will you give them?
Give them wombs that
miscarry
and breasts that are
dry.
15 "Because of all their
wickedness in Gilgal,
I hated them there.
Because of their sinful
deeds,
I will drive them out
of my house.
I will no longer love
them;
all their leaders are
rebellious.
NIV Emphasis Mine (Gilgal
was a place infamous for idolatry; because of their sinful deeds God cursed
the Israelites with wombs that miscarry i.e. barrenness)
Take a look also at this verse from the Book of Psalms..…
Ps 127:3
Sons are a heritage from
the LORD,
children a reward from
him.
NIV
If
sons are an inheritance and children a reward from the Lord, then conversely,
‘childlessness’ would be a situation devoid of God’s blessings (a cursed
situation).
Medical
conditions such as fibroids, blocked fallopian tubes in the female and
insufficient sperm count in the male, contribute to infertility and are
pathological or ‘cursed’ conditions which run contrary to God’s command
or blessing to be fruitful. There is a relationship between sin and sickness
and the reader is advised to read my book “Man’s Life Span According to
God’s Word” for an in-depth study on this topic (available
at my web page at /Athens/Troy/9519).
Having
said all this, let me now proceed to the next stage, viz,
What
if the Christian couple is already infertile? Do we just let this be?
The
answer, of course, is an emphatic No! There is nothing in the Bible that
forbids us from reversing some of the consequences of the Fall or of sin
(but these must be done within the context of God’s Word and Will). For
example, as a result of the Fall, God has declared that women shall have
pain in childbearing (Gen 3:16) but the Bible does not forbid women delivering
their babies under spinal anaesthesia to alleviate pain when indicated.
So medical procedures to reverse infertility are allowed with the very
important proviso that in so doing, the life of the embryo is not compromised.
Do take a look at the following verse before proceeding further…
Jer 1:5
5 "Before I formed you
in the womb I knew you,
before you were born
I set you apart;
I appointed you as a
prophet to the nations."
NIV
Jeremiah
Chapter One verse five states explicitly that the fertilised egg or embryo
is already a full-fledged human being in God’s eyes with a future ‘calling’
and ministry. Taking away human life is a terrible sin and only legitimate
governing authorities can do this with a just cause (Romans 13:3-5).
Therefore, any kind of induced abortion including therapeutic abortions
essentially destroy that which has been created in the image of God ……..
Gen 9:6
6 "Whoever sheds the
blood of man,
by man shall his blood
be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man.
NIV
Let
me move on from induced abortions, which strictly do not fall under the
category of “infertility”. What about the modern methods of “pregnancy”
induction practised today like In-vitro fertilisation and the use of fertility
pills?
In-vitro-fertilisation
is basically inducing fertilisation outside the womb and this procedure
has four initial steps, viz,
Egg
Stimulation (usually through the use of an egg stimulation drug like clomiphene)
Egg
Retrieval
Fertilization
Transfer
of embryo
In
step three (Fertilization), ova (eggs) from the female are mixed with sperms
from the male in a dish. The result is many fertilised embryos (essentially
human beings in God’s eyes). One of the fertilised embryos is implanted
into the uterus whilst the remainder are discarded. There is destruction
of life in God’s eyes in this process and Christians are advised to refrain
from participating in this procedure. Another method of ‘overcoming infertility’
is the process of artificial insemination. There are basically two types,
viz, use of the husband’s sperm or use of a donor’s sperm. In cases where
the husband is impotent
Sperm
is taken from the husband and introduced into the womb of the wife. Although
this is far from the ideal, I do not see any violation of the marriage
covenant in this process. However, in cases in which a donor sperm is used
(when the husband has no sperm or insufficient sperm or when there is a
fear of transmitting hereditary disorders) there is a definite violation
of the marriage covenant as God did not join them (wife and donor sperm)
together……
Matt 19:5-6
5 and 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'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one.
Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
NIV
Use of a donor sperm in artificial insemination is therefore contra-indicated for a Christian.
What about fertility pills that induce ovulation? We must first understand that in a normal menstrual cycle only one ovum (egg) is released at mid cycle and when fertilised by a sperm develops into an embryo. When the ovary is artificially stimulated directly or indirectly (by a drug) there is the possibility of multiple ova (eggs) being released at mid cycle all at the same time, resulting in a greater chance of multiple pregnancies (with increased risk of complications). What is more serious is the possibility of eggs being fertilised and being aborted resulting in intrauterine deaths of the so-called “unsuccessful” embryos. I would tread with great caution when contemplating using fertility drugs for this reason.
In concluding this article, I would like to bring up one unrelated issue. I have come across Christians who have chosen to either hasten their delivery (induced labour) so as to have a baby on a particular date or to elect for a Caesarean section for cosmetic reasons. Some will accuse me of treading on ‘grey’ areas but my personal view is that any kind of induction of labour without just medical indications is an abuse of a scientific procedure. Caesarean section for cosmetic reasons not only puts the mother under an additional anaesthetic risk but also exposes her to unnecessary surgery. Abusing a medical procedure is like abusing the use of legitimate drugs. There are consequences for our actions and some of these are in the realm of the spiritual…
Gal 6:7
7 Do not be deceived:
God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
NIV
I would like to end with a word of caution. Professing Christians today are taking God’s Word too lightly. They do not live the life of God-fearing Christians, honouring His Word at all times. Christians live like pagans from Monday to Saturday and make it up to God by going to church on Sundays. Most pastors are pleased by this, but God calls them ‘men of corrupt minds’…….
2 Tim 3:1, 4 and 8
But know this,
that in the last days perilous times will come:
………traitors, headstrong,
haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
………Now as Jannes and
Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt
minds, disapproved concerning the faith;
NKJV
Mark my words, there will definitely be no ‘Sunday’ Christians in heaven. Biblical Christianity is a way of life (to be lived in accordance with God’s Word and God’s Will) and not a one-way ticket to paradise!
APPENDIX:
Question: What about
Zechariah in the New Testament (who with his wife Elizabeth) were infertile
yet blameless?
Luke 1:5-7
5 In the time of Herod
king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly
division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.
6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's
commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because
Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
NIV
The difficulty arises because the Bible (and not a commentator) says that “Both of them were upright in the sight of God.” As in the case of Job, there are rules and there are exceptions and God makes them both. The Bible does not provide all the details of Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s lives or the lives of their immediate ancestors and it would not be in our best interest to speculate on this save to say that…
Deut 29:29-30:1
29 The secret things belong
to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children
forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
NIV