A. From a scientific/medical point of view, this is a fairly common practice. The real question for Christians is whether Scripture says anything to indicate whether God finds it acceptable or not. Medical technology can be a wonderful and helpful thing. This writer’s parents were told when he was six years old that he would never live beyond his teen years because of diabetes. Advances in medical diagnosis and care have extended that deadline considerably! But the use of any medical technology has to be considered in light God’s Word. Just because we can invent something, doesn’t necessarily mean we should use it!

The often quoted passage, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) could be one possible guideline when deciding whether to use some form of medical technology or not. However, while Christians can be guided by such general Scriptural principles, we cannot let a general Biblical directive override a more specific instruction or comment from Scripture.

Knowing the technological facts about the in-vitro fertilization and implantation process raises some cautionary flags for the Christian. The process —as it currently stands— involves the fertilization of many eggs at once, because the chances of a single fertilized egg reaching the stage of implantation and gestation are so low as to make such an attempt financially and practically unfeasible. But according to Psalm 51:5 (“in sin did my mother conceive me”) human conception results immediately in a viable human being with a morally responsible eternal soul. The location of the conception makes no difference. Whether it takes place in a laboratory dish or the womb, conception is still the beginning of life. In essence, each time the process is done, as many as ten or more human lives are started, all the while knowing that probably one—at best—is going to survive so it can be born and then “born again” through baptism into a life of faith and eternal hope. It amounts to surrendering an uncertain number of human lives to never know Christ, because after their conception they will face certain death.

Our problem as human beings is not that we lack technical skills. The problem is that our technology has outpaced our ability to understand and apply godly wisdom to technologies which are not described or included anywhere in Scripture… we’re not smart enough properly to use some of our own inventions!

Couples in such a disappointing situation in their marriage might do well to remember that God has given one very clear instruction in the Bible that pertains here: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” (James 1:27). While it might not fulfill maternal desires as fully as giving birth one’s self, adoption is clearly a God pleasing activity for those who are not able to have biological children of their own.

Paul Zager is pastor of Holton Lutheran Church in Holton, Michigan and a member of the ELS Doctrine Committee.