Posts Tagged ‘chris’
A Personal or Larger Calling
By MamaArcher on 4th February, 2009 | 7 Comments
About a year ago I had a real life friend email me with some questions concerning some of the convictions lived out within our family. Since they are questions that are often posed to my husband and me, I thought I would share my response to her with you today.
Dear ______,I will gladly share with you my beliefs and convictions. I am often asked these questions. To be honest, in most cases the way they are asked is often in a negative tone and I try to answer them positively. I will share with you where I am at concerning these issues and my scriptural support.I am curious if you perceive having a large family as your personal calling or a larger calling to all Christian people. Do you consider the use of birth control a sin? Would this include attempts to manipulate family size through methods such as natural family planning?My beliefs really do not focus around a number or a particular size. There are many who hold the same doctrines concerning “family planning” or lack thereof and do not have large families. I know several of these people. It is not the size or number but it is about submitting to the Sovereign Lord in this area of our lives.I will say that these are difficult questions to answer simply because many get offended when people attempt to answer these questions. I will answer by stating that I believe the Bible teaches against using birth control. Not explicitly though, in other words, there is no place that we are told out right not to do so.But I believe there is an implicit teaching (combining the whole of Scripture on the matter).Those things being:
- We are told to be fruitful and multiply. This is the first commandment ever given and it has never been rescinded but instead reiterated. Gen 1:28, Gen. 9:1, Gen. 35:11
- Children are a gift and a heritage unto the Lord. Psalm 127: 1, 3-5, Psalm 128:3
- God knows us before we are even formed. Psalm 139:16, Jeremiah 1:5, Hebrews 7:9-10
- Onan was killed for being disobedient in fathering a child and spilling his seed rather than instead passing his kinsman duties on to another. Genesis 38:8-10, Ruth 4:5-7
- God desires a godly seed and that the design for marriage is to bring forth that Godly seed. Malachi 2:15, 1 Corin. 7:2-5
- God is the one who is sovereign over the womb, He opens and closes the womb. Gen 29:31, Gen. 30:22, 1 Samuel 1:19-20
- We are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1-2
This is a just a brief summary. It is not that we are not capable of making these decisions, it is a question of if it is indeed a decision that was meant for us to make. It is a question of do I see God’s blessing as working in spite of my actions or in response of my submission to his sovereignty.
Filed under Christianity, Conviction, Family, Quiverfull, Quiverfull Carnival, Train Up a Child, Uncategorized, children, marriage
