I felt like that was so important because this is an issue that can get very emotional because a change of belief on this may cause significant inconveniences in our lives. But we must always be willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of God's glory and our own holiness.
In this post I'll do my best to answer the question, Does the Bible permit the use of contraception and/or family planning?
Children are a Blessing
One of the most important things to note on how the Bible informs our decisions regarding contraception is to understand that children are a blessing.
The rise in contraception use in the world over the last forty years has much to do with the sexual revolution of the 1960's and 70's. While God, in his wisdom, made children the natural consequence of sexual activity, our culture has consistently sought to divorce sex from children in all the ways that it can. The reason is because we've made an idol out of sex. Our culture wants sex with no strings attached and will literally do anything to get it and keep it - including killing some of the babies that result from sex acts (otherwise known as abortion).
In the Bible, however, God consistently tells us that children are a blessing. (See Psalm 127:3; Psalm 128:3, Psalm 128:6, etc.)
We also see in the Bible that God's people grieved, not celebrated, when they were unable to have children. (See Gen. 30:1; Gen. 16:2; 1 Samuel 1:5-6; etc.)
Indeed, as I studied this topic for my seminary thesis I found that while God may call some people to lifelong singleness, foster care, or other lifestyles, his intended norm for most human beings is to be married and have children.
The Purpose of Sex
We also must consider God's purpose for sex as laid out in the Bible, because the main question here is, is it a sin for a married couple to have sex where they have deliberately blocked the possibility of conceiving a child?
The Bible presents numerous purposes for sex. The first and most obvious is procreation. (See Gen. 1:28; Mal. 2:15)
But there are others as well! The poetic book Song of Solomon shows very clear that one of the God-given purposes for sex is pleasure. (See Song of Solomon 5:1; also Proverbs 5:19)
Other purposes include marital unity between the husband and wife (Gen. 2:24), comfort in times of heartache (1 Sam. 12:24), and protection from sexual sin (1 Cor. 7:5; 1 Cor. 7:9).
Do all purposes have to be fulfilled each time a married couple has sex? Of course not. Rather all are legitimate reasons for a married couple to pursue sexual intercourse.
An Answer to Our Question
So where does that leave us? Well we know at least three things.
First, children are a blessing and most married couples should pursue the goal of having children over the course of their marriage.
Second, God presents numerous legitimate purposes for sex in the Bible.
Third, there are no texts in the Bible that explicitly prohibit contraception. (Yes, I am aware of Gen. 38:9-10 and it is poor biblical interpretation to conclude from this text that the Bible prohibits contraception. Please e-mail me if you would like further explanation on this)
Therefore I take the position that the Bible does permit the use of contraception.
I also believe it also allows for family planning - a husband and a wife deciding when to have children. Having said that I also believe every couple should spend significant time in prayer from the beginning of their marriage seeking God's specific will for them on this issue.
In Part 3, Lord willing, I will seek to answer the question, Which forms of contraception are acceptable and which are not? (SPOILER ALERT: Not all methods of birth control that claim they are "contraceptive" always work by preventing conception)
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