The topic of surrogacy is not directly addressed in the Bible. However, there are some principles from Scripture that can provide wisdom for Christians considering surrogacy arrangements. Here is an overview of 9000 words on what the Bible teaches related to being or using a surrogate mother:
God is the Author of Life
The Bible teaches that God is the author and sustainer of all human life. Human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). As the creator of life, God cares deeply about how children come into this world and how they are treated. Any decisions about surrogacy should be considered prayerfully, with a desire to honor God’s purposes.
Children are a Blessing from the Lord
Children are portrayed as gifts from the Lord in Scripture (Psalm 127:3-5). The miraculous conception and birth of a child is a cause for rejoicing. Surrogacy arrangements should reflect an appreciation for the sacredness of human life. The birth of any child should be celebrated as evidence of God’s grace.
The Dignity and Value of Motherhood
Motherhood is presented as a noble calling in the Bible (Proverbs 31:28). Christians considering surrogacy should think carefully about upholding the dignity of all the women involved. The unique emotional and physical bonds mothers form with children knit together in their wombs point to God’s wisdom in biological mothering. Surrogacy arrangements should honor the deep significance of carrying and birthing a child.
The Importance of Healthy Family Relationships
According to Scripture, children thrive in the context of stable, loving families grounded in the covenant of marriage between a husband and wife (Proverbs 4:1-4). Christians should prayerfully consider how surrogacy arrangements impact family bonding and child wellbeing. It is wise to ensure surrogacy agreements promote healthy family relationships and bonding.
Concerns about Exploitation of the Vulnerable
The Bible speaks frequently about God’s care for oppressed and vulnerable people groups (Psalm 146:7-9). Since surrogacy often involves significant economic and power differences between the surrogate mother and the intended parents, Christians should ensure ethical standards are in place to prevent exploitation or abuse. Free and informed consent is essential.
The Complexities of Redefining Motherhood
The Bible assumes the woman who gives birth to a child is that child’s mother (Genesis 30:3, Luke 1:57). Though surrogacy redefines motherhood, women who carry a surrogate pregnancy make a significant emotional and physical investment in the process. Christians considering surrogacy should reflect carefully on how traditional notions of motherhood and family are challenged through this practice.
The Desire for Children is Natural and Good
Scripture presents desiring and welcoming children as natural, good, and part of God’s plan for marriage (Genesis 1:28). If infertility issues drive interest in surrogacy, Christians can be encouraged that wanting children pleases God. However, all decisions about building families should be weighed carefully in light of Biblical principles for marriage and parenting.
Be Guided by Ethical Wisdom, Not Just Technological Ability
Advances in modern reproductive technology do not inherently mean these technologies should be utilized without careful ethics evaluations. Christians acknowledge God’s wisdom by considering not just what can be done through technology but what should be done (Proverbs 3:5-7). Prayerful reflection is needed to assess the complex ethical dimensions of surrogacy arrangements.
Focus on Unity and Self-Giving Love
The Bible emphasizes that followers of Christ are one body: when one part suffers, all suffer (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). This ideal of mutual care and unity should motivate Christians in any surrogacy agreement to look not only to their own interests but also to the interests of the other parties involved (Philippians 2:1-4). Agape love guided by the Holy Spirit seeks the good of others.
Overall, while Scripture does not directly address the issue of surrogacy, some key Biblical principles can guide Christians in evaluating this complex issue: honoring the sanctity of life, upholding the dignity of motherhood, protecting children and the vulnerable, promoting healthy family bonds, avoiding exploitation, proceeding cautiously with new technologies, and above all, acting in love. Christians considering surrogacy should seek much prayer, wise counsel, and discernment through the Holy Spirit.
Genesis 1:27-28: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth 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.”
Psalm 127:3-5: Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Proverbs 31:28: Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
Genesis 30:3: Then she said, “Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.”
Luke 1:57: Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.
Proverbs 4:1-4: Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.”
Psalm 146:7-9: who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Proverbs 3:5-7: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26: For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Philippians 2:1-4: So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
In summary, while the Bible does not directly address surrogacy, it does provide wisdom on key issues related to life, children, motherhood, family, vulnerability, technology, and love that should guide Christian perspectives on this complex issue. Christians considering being or using a surrogate mother are called to earnest prayer, ethical reflection, and Spirit-led discernment. Above all, reverence for God and sacrificial love for others should motivate any decisions on surrogacy arrangements.