Does the Bible Talk about Birth Control
Does The Bible Talk About Birth Control?
Quick Summary
The Bible does not directly discuss birth control as it is understood today. Scripture never describes modern contraceptive methods, nor does it issue commands for or against their use. Instead, the Bible addresses themes of fertility, family, responsibility, and trust in God, offering theological principles rather than medical instructions.
Introduction
Questions about birth control often arise from a desire to live faithfully within the ordinary realities of marriage, family, health, and vocation. Yet when readers turn to Scripture seeking explicit guidance, they quickly discover that the Bible does not speak in modern medical categories. There are no references to pills, devices, or procedures designed to prevent pregnancy.
This absence does not reflect indifference. Rather, it reveals how Scripture approaches human life and reproduction. The Bible forms moral imagination through narrative, poetry, and covenantal instruction, shaping how God’s people understand children, responsibility, and trust rather than prescribing technical solutions.
Fertility as Blessing in the Bible
Throughout Scripture, fertility is often described as a blessing. Children are portrayed as gifts rather than entitlements, signs of God’s favor rather than products of human control. Psalm 127 speaks of children as a heritage from the Lord, emphasizing gratitude rather than obligation.
In the ancient world, high infant mortality, economic vulnerability, and dependence on family labor shaped how fertility was understood. Biblical texts reflect that world, where openness to life was often intertwined with survival and communal stability. These descriptions celebrate life without turning fertility into a universal mandate for every individual or family.
The Silence of Scripture on Contraception
The Bible’s silence on birth control is striking, especially given how frequently it addresses family life, marriage, and sexuality. No biblical law, prophecy, or teaching explicitly addresses the prevention of pregnancy.
This silence suggests that Scripture’s authority lies not in regulating every aspect of reproductive life, but in forming faithful people capable of discernment. The Bible consistently addresses motives, relationships, and trust in God rather than specific techniques.
The Story of Onan and Common Misreadings
Genesis 38, the story of Onan, is often cited in discussions of birth control. Onan is condemned after deliberately failing to fulfill his obligation to provide offspring for his deceased brother.
The text’s focus, however, is not contraception itself but injustice and refusal of responsibility. Onan exploits the situation for personal benefit while denying protection and lineage to Tamar. Most biblical scholars agree that the judgment falls on his violation of covenant duty, not on a general prohibition of birth control.
Reading Genesis 38 as a universal ban on contraception imports modern concerns into an ancient narrative that addresses family obligation and social justice.
Responsibility, Wisdom, and Family Life
Scripture repeatedly affirms the importance of wisdom and responsibility in human decision-making. Proverbs praises prudence, foresight, and discernment, qualities that apply broadly to family life and stewardship.
The New Testament deepens this emphasis by focusing on calling and vocation. Paul recognizes that different circumstances call for different forms of faithfulness (1 Corinthians 7). Family size, timing, and capacity are not treated as one-size-fits-all decisions but as matters shaped by context and calling.
Trust in God and Human Agency
Some Christians worry that using birth control reflects a lack of trust in God. Scripture, however, regularly holds trust and agency together. Farming, planning, healing, and preparation are all affirmed as faithful acts when grounded in dependence on God.
The Bible does not present faithfulness as passivity. Instead, it portrays human beings as responsible participants in God’s world, making decisions within the limits of creaturely life while trusting God with outcomes.
What Scripture Emphasizes Instead
Rather than addressing birth control directly, the Bible emphasizes:
The goodness of life
The dignity of marriage
The responsibility of care for children
Trust in God’s provision
Wisdom shaped by love of neighbor
These themes provide ethical orientation without prescribing uniform conclusions.
Conclusion
The Bible does not explicitly discuss birth control. It neither commands nor forbids the use of contraceptives. Instead, Scripture invites believers to approach questions of family and fertility with wisdom, gratitude, responsibility, and trust in God.
Christian faithfulness in this area is shaped less by technical rules and more by discernment grounded in love, humility, and attentiveness to one’s circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Bible forbid birth control?
No. Scripture contains no command that forbids birth control.
Is birth control a lack of trust in God?
The Bible presents trust and responsible action as compatible. Using wisdom does not negate faith.
What about the story of Onan?
Genesis 38 condemns Onan’s injustice toward Tamar, not contraception as a general practice.
Does the Bible require openness to unlimited children?
Scripture celebrates children as gifts but does not mandate a specific family size.
How should Christians think about birth control biblically?
With prayerful discernment, wisdom, and attention to responsibility, vocation, and love of neighbor.
Works Consulted
John Goldingay, Old Testament Theology, Volume 2 (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2006).
Walter Brueggemann, Genesis(Interpretation Commentary; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1982).
Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987).
Stanley Hauerwas, A Community of Character (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981).
