Friday, October 9, 2009

Stand for Life, Part 5

When God created human beings he gave them a blessing in the form of a command: "Be fruitful and multiply," God said. There is a reason why we are created as male and female. Nature itself should teach us that man and woman were made for each other, not man and man, nor woman and woman. We were designed in a wonderful way to enjoy the intimacy of the sexual union in marriage and to produce children as a result of it. To take a stand for life is to take a stand for children, for something more than zero population growth. Today's Western Civilization views children as a burden, not a blessing. In the recent past the campaign for zero population growth focused on world food supplies. Today it's the "carbon footprint" we leave behind that they say might threaten to destroy our planet.

But what has God commanded? God has commanded you to "be fruitful and multiply." Solomon said,

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127: 3--5).

Why did Christianity win out over paganism in ancient Rome? One reason was sheer attrition. Christians, following biblical principles, had large families. Abortion was against Roman law, but it was routine for unwanted children to be "exposed", or left in the open at night for wild animals to find and feast upon. Christian women went through the towns in their areas every evening looking for these unwanted children, collecting them and placing them in Christian homes. In short, because of a different worldview, the Christians eventually came to outnumber their pagan counterparts. They took a stand for life in very practical terms, and it paid off.

Today most Christians are so compromised by the prevailing worldview that they have bought into the birth control mentality. Many have only two children, if that many. We are called to obey God and accept his blessing. Why refuse the blessing of a child that God sends? Christian couples should have families and accept the hard responsibility of rearing godly children who will be able to stand up and lead in the next generation. Don't be afraid of the large family. Older siblings help with younger ones. Yes, it gets messy. It's a lot harder to keep a clean house when you have five kids running around (I know). But the joy I receive from being with my five is worth all the toil and stress. Don't be afraid to adopt or be a foster parent either. Look around and see where you can make a difference in a child's life. Be a Scout leader. Be a mentor. Be a children's Sunday School teacher. Find a way to make a difference and take a stand for life.

2 comments:

  1. Psalm 127:5
    Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
    In this translation, the man is blessed not just from accepting children, but making an actual effort to fill his quiver.

    Jonathan (leader of the Great Awakening) and Sarah Edwards had 11 children and 1400 descendants. Over 100 were missionaries and others served on mission boards. There were many professors, college presidents, deans, judges and holders of public office. Imagine if they had just stopped at 2. The impact on the Kingdom would not have been the same.

    Voddie Baucham has a saying that he thinks sums up the current view of children in the SBC and I agree. He says "a boy for me, a girl for you, praise the Lord, now were through."

    I think this is a sad state, especially in the church. Also, there are many wives out there that would love to submit to God in this area, but their husbands refuse. The church should be teaching the truth about children and birth control and families and multigenerational vision. Alas, I think many leaders in the church today have fallen pray to a secular worldview.

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