WEBVTT

00:00:10.836 --> 00:00:12.329
Ok, No. 4, Allen

00:00:12.329 --> 00:00:14.485
"Is birth control Biblical?

00:00:14.485 --> 00:00:17.057
I mean, if we should 
trust God in all things,

00:00:17.057 --> 00:00:18.904
isn't it kind of wrong to say,

00:00:18.904 --> 00:00:20.790
'Hey, God, I don't want you to bless us

00:00:20.790 --> 00:00:23.424
with a kid, so we're 
going to use birth control.'

00:00:23.424 --> 00:00:26.760
I'm very confused about 
which way to go with this.

00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:30.964
My wife and I."

00:00:30.964 --> 00:00:36.123
You guys want my take on it?

00:00:36.123 --> 00:00:40.804
Here it is.

00:00:40.804 --> 00:00:44.693
This is an important 
hermeneutical principal.

00:00:44.693 --> 00:00:47.792
If you're not familiar 
with what hermeneutics is,

00:00:47.792 --> 00:00:51.335
basically it's the study 
of Biblical interpretation.

00:00:51.335 --> 00:00:53.920
You want to know about proper

00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:55.139
Biblical interpretation?

00:00:55.139 --> 00:00:56.391
And this is my take.

00:00:56.391 --> 00:00:58.196
Especially as a pastor at the church.

00:00:58.196 --> 00:00:59.546
When the Bible is dogmatic

00:00:59.546 --> 00:01:01.787
about something and gives clear examples

00:01:01.787 --> 00:01:02.912
and clear commandments

00:01:02.912 --> 00:01:04.040
and clear principles,

00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:05.692
I am going to be clear;

00:01:05.692 --> 00:01:06.844
as clear as I can be,

00:01:06.844 --> 00:01:08.708
as clear as God 
gives me grace to be.

00:01:08.708 --> 00:01:11.099
And when it's dogmatic, 
I'm going to be dogmatic.

00:01:11.099 --> 00:01:12.663
When things seem to be obscure,

00:01:12.663 --> 00:01:15.106
when things are not so clearly dealt with,

00:01:15.106 --> 00:01:17.452
then I am not going to be as dogmatic.

00:01:17.452 --> 00:01:19.486
I am going to back away.

00:01:19.486 --> 00:01:20.936
I may give some opinions;

00:01:20.936 --> 00:01:23.397
I will point out some principles

00:01:23.397 --> 00:01:24.565
to be considered

00:01:24.565 --> 00:01:26.829
where God's Word gives plain commandments,

00:01:26.829 --> 00:01:29.294
I am going to insist upon it.

00:01:29.294 --> 00:01:30.927
But where it is vague,

00:01:30.927 --> 00:01:34.401
I am not going to be overly dogmatic.

00:01:34.401 --> 00:01:37.441
And so, folks,

00:01:37.441 --> 00:01:41.607
is there a Bible verse in all the Bible

00:01:41.607 --> 00:01:45.893
that speaks clearly about birth control.

00:01:45.893 --> 00:01:47.087
There is not.

00:01:47.087 --> 00:01:49.286
Now, some people will 
argue and say there is.

00:01:49.286 --> 00:01:54.067
Let me tell you the verse that 
they typically argue from.

00:01:54.067 --> 00:01:57.679
"Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn,

00:01:57.679 --> 00:01:59.594
and her name was Tamar.

00:01:59.594 --> 00:02:01.742
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked

00:02:01.742 --> 00:02:03.262
in the sight of the Lord,

00:02:03.262 --> 00:02:05.704
and the Lord put Him to death.

00:02:05.704 --> 00:02:09.343
Then Judah said to Onan,

00:02:09.343 --> 00:02:11.457
(Onan was Er's brother)

00:02:11.457 --> 00:02:13.299
Go into your brother's wife

00:02:13.299 --> 00:02:16.886
and perform the duty 
of a brother-in-law to her

00:02:16.886 --> 00:02:20.065
and raise up offspring for your brother.

00:02:20.065 --> 00:02:22.311
But Onan knew that the offspring

00:02:22.311 --> 00:02:23.905
would not be his,

00:02:23.905 --> 00:02:26.925
so whenever he went 
in to his brother's wife,

00:02:26.925 --> 00:02:29.614
he would waste the semen on the ground,

00:02:29.614 --> 00:02:32.317
so as not to give 
offspring to his brother.

00:02:32.317 --> 00:02:34.807
And what he did was 
wicked in the sight of the Lord

00:02:34.807 --> 00:02:37.819
and the Lord put him to death."

00:02:37.819 --> 00:02:39.792
So people look at that and they say,

00:02:39.792 --> 00:02:41.632
See?

00:02:41.632 --> 00:02:43.119
That's a form of birth control

00:02:43.119 --> 00:02:45.601
and God put him to death.

00:02:45.601 --> 00:02:48.035
But look,

00:02:48.035 --> 00:02:54.737
God doesn't say that the 
sin of Onan was birth control.

00:02:54.737 --> 00:02:57.813
There was a law in Israel.

00:02:57.813 --> 00:02:59.285
Listen to what the law said:

00:02:59.285 --> 00:03:00.812
Deuteronomy 25:5

00:03:00.812 --> 00:03:02.161
"If brothers dwell together

00:03:02.161 --> 00:03:03.249
and one of them dies

00:03:03.249 --> 00:03:04.505
and has no son,

00:03:04.505 --> 00:03:06.120
the wife of the dead man

00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:08.098
shall not be married outside the family

00:03:08.098 --> 00:03:09.154
to a stranger.

00:03:09.154 --> 00:03:11.643
Her husband's brother shall go in to her

00:03:11.643 --> 00:03:13.230
and take her as his wife

00:03:13.230 --> 00:03:15.502
and perform the duty 
of a husband's brother

00:03:15.502 --> 00:03:17.835
to her, and the first son whom she bears

00:03:17.835 --> 00:03:21.071
will succeed to the 
name of his dead brother

00:03:21.071 --> 00:03:24.577
that his name may 
not be blotted out of Israel."

00:03:24.577 --> 00:03:27.731
Folks, as far as birth 
control is concerned,

00:03:27.731 --> 00:03:30.993
the Bible nowhere seems to forbid it,

00:03:30.993 --> 00:03:33.281
neither does it endorse it, by the way.

00:03:33.281 --> 00:03:35.705
But that text right there is not saying

00:03:35.705 --> 00:03:37.995
that Onan committed birth control

00:03:37.995 --> 00:03:39.745
and God killed him.

00:03:39.745 --> 00:03:41.714
The problem was that Onan knew

00:03:41.714 --> 00:03:45.724
that the firstborn child 
would not be his own.

00:03:45.724 --> 00:03:48.188
It would be his brothers.

00:03:48.188 --> 00:03:49.863
That's why he didn't want to do it.

00:03:49.863 --> 00:03:51.923
God killed him because he wickedly refused

00:03:51.923 --> 00:03:57.140
to do what was a law in Israel to be done.

00:03:57.140 --> 00:04:00.927
What a brother should 
have done to another brother.

00:04:00.927 --> 00:04:04.501
But here, I want to tell you 
what the Bible does say.

00:04:04.501 --> 00:04:08.650
The Bible says that you 
are not to commit murder.

00:04:08.650 --> 00:04:10.239
Listen to me.

00:04:10.239 --> 00:04:12.299
If any member of our church

00:04:12.299 --> 00:04:14.476
uses a form of birth control

00:04:14.476 --> 00:04:16.640
that is abortive in nature

00:04:16.640 --> 00:04:18.374
and I were to find that out,

00:04:18.374 --> 00:04:20.834
and they were not to 
repent of that immediately,

00:04:20.834 --> 00:04:23.775
they would be disciplined 
out of the church promptly.

00:04:23.775 --> 00:04:26.175
If you are using any 
sort of birth control,

00:04:26.175 --> 00:04:28.259
whether it's the pill or anything else,

00:04:28.259 --> 00:04:30.919
and I suggest you do the research.

00:04:30.919 --> 00:04:32.953
If you're going to use birth control,

00:04:32.953 --> 00:04:35.404
you have the obligation 
to live righteously

00:04:35.404 --> 00:04:37.119
before the Lord.

00:04:37.119 --> 00:04:39.496
And if you're using any type that possibly

00:04:39.496 --> 00:04:40.879
is abortive in nature,

00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:41.907
and what I mean is,

00:04:41.907 --> 00:04:44.439
there's a fertilized egg 
that is being put to death,

00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:47.484
you are committing murder.

00:04:47.484 --> 00:04:50.146
And be certain of it.

00:04:50.146 --> 00:04:52.819
That is forbidden.

00:04:52.819 --> 00:04:54.725
And I can be dogmatic about that.

00:04:54.725 --> 00:04:57.791
You are not to use abortive techniques

00:04:57.791 --> 00:04:59.996
in birth control.

00:04:59.996 --> 00:05:05.572
That is totally ruled out of Scripture.

00:05:05.572 --> 00:05:09.554
What else can I tell you dogmatically?

00:05:09.554 --> 00:05:11.870
I can tell you this.

00:05:11.870 --> 00:05:13.884
Children are a heritage from the Lord.

00:05:13.884 --> 00:05:15.503
The fruit of the womb is a reward.

00:05:15.513 --> 00:05:17.296
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

00:05:17.296 --> 00:05:18.826
are the children of one's youth.

00:05:18.826 --> 00:05:22.309
Blessed is the man who 
fills his quiver with them.

00:05:22.309 --> 00:05:23.911
He shall not be put to shame

00:05:23.911 --> 00:05:26.068
when he speaks with 
his enemies in the gate.

00:05:26.068 --> 00:05:27.779
I'll tell you this,

00:05:27.779 --> 00:05:30.488
having lots of children is a blessing.

00:05:30.488 --> 00:05:34.905
And I can tell you that dogmatically.

00:05:34.905 --> 00:05:37.575
You know what else I can tell you?

00:05:37.575 --> 00:05:42.027
God opens the womb and closes the womb.

00:05:42.027 --> 00:05:43.819
And the Bible tells us that.

00:05:43.819 --> 00:05:46.056
And you that think,

00:05:46.056 --> 00:05:48.783
you're just going to control this thing,

00:05:48.783 --> 00:05:51.174
and you're going to go on birth control

00:05:51.174 --> 00:05:52.182
at this time,

00:05:52.182 --> 00:05:53.699
and then you're going 
to get off of it,

00:05:53.699 --> 00:05:55.244
and then you're going 
to have your family.

00:05:55.244 --> 00:05:56.686
Let me tell you.

00:05:56.686 --> 00:05:58.451
God opens the womb.

00:05:58.451 --> 00:06:03.293
And just because you're 
trying to structure that,

00:06:03.293 --> 00:06:07.149
don't think that it lies in 
your power to make that happen.

00:06:07.149 --> 00:06:09.951
There's no guarantees 
you're going to have a baby

00:06:09.951 --> 00:06:11.740
when you want to have a baby.

00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:13.186
And, by the way,

00:06:13.186 --> 00:06:15.424
there's no guarantee 
that the birth control

00:06:15.424 --> 00:06:17.207
that you use may not be the reason

00:06:17.207 --> 00:06:19.940
you don't have children.

00:06:19.940 --> 00:06:25.200
Because birth control can mess ladies up.

00:06:25.200 --> 00:06:27.402
But that's something that you guys

00:06:27.402 --> 00:06:31.820
would want to research as well.

00:06:31.820 --> 00:06:34.074
Some other things I can 
tell you dogmatically.

00:06:34.074 --> 00:06:35.992
God says, Be fruitful and multiply

00:06:35.992 --> 00:06:37.945
and fill the waters in the seas,

00:06:37.945 --> 00:06:39.928
and let the birds multiply on the earth.

00:06:39.928 --> 00:06:43.329
Be fruitful and multiply.

00:06:43.329 --> 00:06:47.290
Is that a forbidding of birth control?

00:06:47.290 --> 00:06:48.946
Not necessarily.

00:06:48.946 --> 00:06:51.283
No more than it's a 
forbidding of singleness.

00:06:51.283 --> 00:06:52.183
Right?

00:06:52.183 --> 00:06:53.911
Be fruitful and multiply...

00:06:53.911 --> 00:06:55.389
you might look at it and say,

00:06:55.389 --> 00:06:56.936
well then, we should be married,

00:06:56.936 --> 00:06:59.056
because you can't 
be fruitful and multiply,

00:06:59.056 --> 00:07:01.205
at least not in God's appointed means

00:07:01.205 --> 00:07:02.708
unless I'm married.

00:07:02.708 --> 00:07:04.546
And yet, we know singleness is

00:07:04.546 --> 00:07:06.138
advocated in Scripture.

00:07:06.138 --> 00:07:10.289
So that isn't necessary a 
dogmatic command either.

00:07:10.289 --> 00:07:13.474
But here's a text to 
consider on the other side.

00:07:13.474 --> 00:07:14.574
1 Timothy 5:8

00:07:14.574 --> 00:07:16.389
"If anyone does not 
provide for his relatives,

00:07:16.389 --> 00:07:18.521
especially for the 
members of his household,

00:07:18.521 --> 00:07:19.674
he has denied the faith

00:07:19.674 --> 00:07:21.561
and is worse than an unbeliever."

00:07:21.561 --> 00:07:24.165
Is there wisdom in 
dictating and determining

00:07:24.165 --> 00:07:26.478
and planning how many 
kids you're going to have?

00:07:26.478 --> 00:07:28.184
And trying to do it in a way that

00:07:28.184 --> 00:07:29.578
you can support your family?

00:07:29.578 --> 00:07:31.186
Obviously.

00:07:31.186 --> 00:07:33.893
Supporting the family is 
a very important thing.

00:07:33.893 --> 00:07:37.394
And so, that is another consideration.

00:07:37.394 --> 00:07:38.782
Bottom line,

00:07:38.782 --> 00:07:42.056
and this is how I'm going to end this one,

00:07:42.056 --> 00:07:44.965
Romans 14:23

00:07:44.965 --> 00:07:48.383
"Whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

00:07:48.383 --> 00:07:50.674
Let me tell you this.

00:07:50.674 --> 00:07:52.659
Every one of you has a responsibility

00:07:52.659 --> 00:07:54.908
to walk before God in faith.

00:07:54.908 --> 00:07:58.524
And that means that you are living a life

00:07:58.524 --> 00:08:02.169
the way you believe God 
would have you to do it.

00:08:02.169 --> 00:08:05.068
Not the way your friend 
thinks you ought to do it.

00:08:05.068 --> 00:08:08.043
Not the way your wife's girlfriend 
thinks you ought to do it.

00:08:08.043 --> 00:08:11.022
Not the way mom and dad 
think you need to do it.

00:08:11.022 --> 00:08:12.220
Bottom line is,

00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:15.533
you all have a responsibility 
to walk before God in faith.

00:08:15.533 --> 00:08:19.123
And that means believing 
that the path you're taking

00:08:19.123 --> 00:08:23.139
is the one that is most pleasing to Him.

00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:26.447
And if you are not convinced

00:08:26.447 --> 00:08:30.691
that any form of birth control

00:08:30.691 --> 00:08:32.761
is something that would please God,

00:08:32.761 --> 00:08:37.394
then you're in sin if 
you're walking that path,

00:08:37.394 --> 00:08:41.080
when you don't think you ought to be.

00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:45.990
Folks, you need to have a clear conscience

00:08:45.990 --> 00:08:47.294
before the Lord

00:08:47.294 --> 00:08:50.163
in anything you allow.