The High Cost of "Free" Birth Control vs. The Invaluable Worth of Obedience

There is lots of talk these days regarding “free birth control.” However, even that phrase “Free Birth Control” is the biggest oxymoron.  There is absolutely nothing free about sex, which is the primary reason for this "free" birth control. 

First we have to establish the value of sex as God intended. What is it worth? The act of making love between a husband and wife is invaluable. Priceless. It was intended by God to be the glue that holds them together. In addition to the spiritual bond, something chemical happens in your brain when that physical action takes place that bonds you to that person for life. For better or for worse. It is intimate. It is supposed to be. There is something amazing about knowing someone in a way that nobody on the planet has ever known or will ever know them, not to mention the possibility of partaking in the creation of a human being. What is that worth? In Mark 10: Jesus said  ⁶ But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ⁷ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, ⁸ and the two shall become one flesh’;  so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

If sex defined by God is priceless, then what is the true cost of so called "free sex"?

Imagine with me for a minute that you had the strongest glue in the world on the palm of your hand. And the next person with whom you held hands, you would be stuck to for life. But some people ran around saying this wasn't true. They said that you could hold any old hand, and it was no big deal. So you believed them. And gave it a try. And now you were stuck, bonded together with someone you hardly knew. Except this person didn't want to be with you anymore so they ripped away, leaving a raw, bloody mess.....until it eventually scabbed over. You found out the hard way that although those voices were partly right, they were mostly and painfully wrong. However, even though there was a scab, there was still some glue left on your hand. You were in pain, but the voices yelled all the louder. It's not true!! You can hold anyone's hand that you want! So you grabbed another hand. And found out yet again a bond had taken place. But this time you got scared and pulled away, leaving another awfully painful wound. The scab appeared once more, and while your hand felt increased pain, there were now some parts left completely numb. At this point there was very little stickiness left, and you were left to wander, wondering who to believe. The loudest voices....were they the truest voices? Noticeably, every time you tore away from someone there were pieces of them, stuck on your hand, and that, combined with the scabs and scars made it harder each time to stick with someone else. Until finally, you met that person, the one with whom you saw your future. You each looked down at your hands, and the mangled mess they had become, and despaired. There on your hands was the evidence that nothing is permanent. There on your hands were memories of bad choices. There on your hands was very little glue left. Now what?

Adolescents today have been lied to. Deceived. Confused. And my heart breaks for them.

I wonder if anyone remembers being a teenager. I do. I once had a conversation with an important adult in my life. It went like this:

Adult: Don't have sex until you are married, but if you do, please use protection

Me: blank stare

What did I hear? “Use protection.” That's it. What did I conclude? I concluded that this person was ok with me having sex as long as I used protection. The end.

Let's take a minute and see how this “be safe” logic sounds with other high risk activities.

“Don't get in the car with strangers, but if you really want to, take my cellphone, so you can call me. It's safer”

“Don't jump in the shark infested waters, but if you do!! Please take a spear gun with you! It's safer”

“Don't ever commit suicide, but if you want to, here is a gun, it's safer.”

“Don't eat 5000 calories a day, but if you are going to, just throw up! Then you won't gain weight! It's safer. After all, I don't expect anyone to be able to control their appetite.”

"Husband, please don't cheat on me, but here is some money for a hotel room in case you choose to, It's safer than a back alley"

All of these examples sound just as crazy as the mixed messages we are being fed my the world regarding sex. In my case, despite my confusing conversation as a teen, I waited. Why? Because that confused voice was only the minority voice in my life. Because I had a Sicilian/Polish mother who asked me embarrassing questions every time I came home from a date, and prayed for me the entire time I was on the date!  Because there was no “either or.” Because I grew up in an intact home, with regular church attendance, involvement in youth group, and friends that had the same goals. 

Let's be clear. There is nothing safe or free about sex outside of marriage as intended by God. Nothing.

However, the story of broken hearts and defiled bodies doesn't end there. There is good news. And it is this. The same God that healed the lepers, can heal a leprous heart. He makes all things new. And restores the years that the locusts have taken. He can do miracles. This is true.

This does not mean, however, that we are to test Him, or sin more because grace abounds. Because although the wounds heal, every act of disobedience has consequences. And contrary to what the world is preaching...The highest cost and consequence of “free sex” is not the possibility of a child, or even an STD. Believing that lie trivializes the act of disobedience to the very God of the universe. There should never be a time where we, as Christians, make disobeying God more user friendly. So what then is the highest consequence of sexual immorality? It is broken fellowship with God. It is forever uniting your soul with another soul with whom you do not have a God ordained covenant. Sex outside of marriage has emotional, spiritual, and physical consequences. Lowering the likelihood of a one or two of the myriad of consequences and hailing it a success is clearly a deception that we must dispute with the truth of God's word and the word of our testimony.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2.Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3.Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? .Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

12.Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13.And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14.For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.