Postion Speech | Carter J. Knoll (10/06/2025)

Intro

In the past two decades, elective sterilization has become increasingly common as a means of “family planning,” especially in Western societies (Ward, 2022). Sterilization, defined as “surgery to make a person unable to produce offspring” (Oxford English Dictionary), is often viewed as a neutral medical decision. However, for Christians, this issue is far from neutral. It touches on core theological beliefs about God’s design for humanity, marriage, and the gift of children (Cherry, 2017). From the very beginning, Scripture commands humanity to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28), linking procreation with divine blessing and purpose. As cultural norms increasingly diverge from biblical principles, Christians must critically evaluate elective sterilization through the lens of Scripture and theology rather than secular reasoning. This speech will argue that elective sterilization violates the created order, rejects children as blessings, and compromises Christian witness.

The Lord created Man in his Image (v.26-27)

Genesis 1:26–27

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

The start of Gensis we see a intional statement: “Let us make man in our image”, This statment is not a throw away line or one we can just look over becuse we heard it 1000 times before, this is the very foundation of Chirstian anthropology or the study of the bible. This text show us both, the Lord inititve (Let us make..) and humans being diffrent (“in our image after our likeness”). Man purpose, physical desgh, and purpose all flow from this funditmital reality.

Theilogn Gregg Allison, reminds us that the human body, is not an accident; it was intionally part of the Lords desighn (Allsion, 2021). Gender are both created intentionally to reflect the Lords immage. This of course includes their reproductive capacties, which are clear sighns of divine intention.

Mark Cherry as well argues that within a Christain bioethics, they must be rooted in this idea of Imago Dei, or being created in the image of the Lord, a medical prodicer that disregard this foundation harms human dignity (Cherry, 2017). When one pursues elective sterilization, it removes a God-given capactiy that is inheritly tied to being made in the image of the Lord. It is a itsveyr core, a statemnt about who has authtoriy over the body: the Creator or the creature.

The Lord blessed his creation and commands Fruitfulness (v.28a)

Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth”

The very first wrods the Lords speak to man after creation is that of blessing and command. The Lord blesses man, then commands them to be fruitful and multiply. This fruitfulness is not present as optiona ; it is a fundamental part of humanity job in creation.

We see one commentary put it that this command is part of the Lords blessing, it is both a gift and repsonibilyes (Crossway 2008). Grudem similar shows that Genesis 1:28 sets a pattern for the families, combining procreation with obedience and joy (Grudem, 2020)

We see this echoes in Psalm 127:3 “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” Yet we see, the modern world, increasly views children as obstacles or commities rather then blessing. Alex Wards obersed that the rise of these eletive prociders, shows this shift in viewing children (Ward, 2022).

This prociders, when choosen for non-medical reasons, go against this divine blessing. It is fucintaly saying “no” to what the Lord has blessed us with. This doesnt ignore the realiy of infertilty or legitmate medical cases, but it does shine a light stragiht in the face of the mindset that treats this idea for fruitfulness as disposale. We see that the Word puts childbearing not soly as biological but theologcla- its a ful filling of the divine purpose.

God entruest man with stewardship (v. 28b)

“… Genesis 1:28 and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Finally in at the end of Genesis 1:28 we seeing the Lord giving the command to be stewards of his creation. Man is to subdue and show domion, not as dictorors, but as faithfull stewards under the auhtority ofthe Lord. This includes how we treat thevery bodies He has blessed us with.

Coope’s artical survied a group of belivers responces and warned against sterilization, notihng that most assume that there was nothing wrong to be netual (Coope, 1977)

We see in Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” as belivers we are called to be set apart from the world. This elective sterilization, shows a cultural mindest of ultimate autonomy, rather then biblical stewardship.

Gerald McKenny’s essay tries to defend sterilization in limited cases (Mckenny, 1998) but even his argument shos the tension between this medical autonomy adn divine aurhtory. The word frames our role as stewards, not sovereigns. WHen we purpsoly alter what The Lord has given us, for his glory we move from that stewardship to self-rule

Conclusion

Genesis 1:26–28 is not a secondary or obscure passage. It is the foundation for understanding what it means to be human. God created us in His image, blessed us with fruitfulness, and entrusted us with stewardship. Elective sterilization for non-medical reasons rejects this design at every level.

It rejects the Imago Dei by altering God’s good design for the body. It rejects God’s blessing by resisting His command to be fruitful and multiply. And it rejects God’s stewardship by placing personal autonomy above divine authority.

This issue is not merely about medicine—it is about theology. As Cherry notes, Christian ethics must place divine intent above human preference (Cherry, 2017). As Allison reminds us, our bodies are integral to our identity and mission (Allison, 2021).

As Christians, our task is not to conform to the patterns of this world but to live faithfully according to God’s Word. Elective sterilization is not morally neutral; it is a theological statement—one that stands in opposition to the Creator’s design.