The Bible offers guidance on relationships, marriage, and the family structure. It often emphasizes marriage as the foundation for raising children, reflecting cultural norms of the time. However, biblical stories also show that God values all lives and provides grace and redemption, regardless of the circumstances. By looking at these Scriptures, we can see how the Bible approaches unplanned pregnancy, offering wisdom for navigating challenges with love, support, and responsibility.
Also Read: What Does The Bible Say About Half Siblings
What Does The Bible Say About Getting Pregnant Before Marriage
Leviticus 21:14
A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people
This verse highlights the importance of purity and fidelity in marriage. It emphasizes that God’s design for marriage is between a man and a woman who have remained chaste before entering into the covenant of marriage.
1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
Paul admonishes believers to flee from sexual immorality, recognizing that it goes against God’s plan for sexual purity within the context of marriage. Engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage not only dishonors God but also brings harm to oneself.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.
God’s will for believers is to live lives of sanctification and sexual purity. In contrast to the passions of the world, Christians are called to exercise self-control over their bodies and to honor God by abstaining from sexual immorality.
Hebrews 13:4
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Marriage is to be revered and honored by all, with the marriage relationship and its intimate aspects considered sacred and untainted by sexual immorality. God, as the righteous judge, will hold accountable those who engage in sexual sin.
Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul warns against indulging in the works of the flesh, which include sexual immorality. Those who persist in such actions without repentance and turning to God will not inherit the eternal blessings of the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 7:2
But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
Paul teaches that one of the purposes of marriage is to provide a godly outlet for sexual desires. God’s design is for sexual intimacy to be enjoyed exclusively within the covenant of marriage to protect against the temptation of sexual immorality.
Ephesians 5:3
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
Believers are called to live lives that are distinct and pure, where sexual immorality and any form of impurity should not even be mentioned or associated with their identities as saints.
Matthew 5:27-28
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Jesus teaches that the commandment against adultery extends beyond the physical act to include the intentions of the heart. Adultery and sexual immorality begin with lustful thoughts, emphasizing the importance of guarding our hearts and minds from impure desires.
Colossians 3:5
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Believers are called to put to death worldly desires, including sexual immorality, impurity, and evil desires. Such actions are considered idolatry, as they prioritize the desires of the flesh over devotion to God.
Proverbs 5:18-19
Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.
This passage highlights the blessing and joy that comes from cherishing and rejoicing in one’s spouse within the context of marriage. Sexual satisfaction is meant to be found exclusively within the lifelong commitment of marriage.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Paul reminds the Corinthians that those who persist in a lifestyle of sexual immorality, among other sins, will not inherit the kingdom of God. However, through the transformative power of Christ, believers have been washed, sanctified, and justified to live in obedience to God’s commands.
1 Corinthians 10:8
We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.
Paul reminds the Corinthian believers of the consequences that can arise from engaging in sexual immorality by referencing the judgment that befell the Israelites who indulged in immorality. He urges believers to heed this example and flee from such sins.
Proverbs 6:32-33
He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
The act of adultery is portrayed as self-destructive and lacking wisdom. It brings dishonor, shame, and lasting consequences that cannot easily be erased.
1 Thessalonians 4:4-5
…that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
Believers are called to exercise self-control over their bodies, choosing holiness and honor over the passion of lust. This stands in contrast to the behavior of those who do not have a personal relationship with God.
2 Timothy 2:22
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Paul encourages believers to run away from youthful passions and instead actively pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace in the company of fellow believers who have pure hearts and honorable intentions.
Romans 6:12-14
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Believers are called to resist the reign of sin in their mortal bodies and not to use their physical bodies as tools for unrighteousness. Instead, they are to offer themselves to God, living as instruments of righteousness as a result of their new life in Christ.
1 Peter 2:11
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Peter encourages believers to abstain from the fleshly passions that wage war against their souls. As sojourners and exiles in this world, Christians are called to live in a manner that is distinct from the prevailing culture.
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Paul advises believers to live according to the leading of the Holy Spirit, which enables them to overcome and resist the desires of the flesh. Walking in the Spirit empowers believers to live lives of sexual purity.
Psalm 119:9
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
This verse highlights the importance of following and guarding one’s path according to God’s Word in order to maintain purity. The Bible contains principles and guidance that can help young people navigate the challenges and temptations related to sexual immorality.
Proverbs 5:3-5
For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol;
This passage serves as a warning against the alluring words and seductive ways of an immoral woman. Her path might seem desirable, but it ultimately leads to destruction and death.
1 Corinthians 7:8-9
To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Paul advises the unmarried and widows to consider remaining single, as it allows them to focus on serving the Lord wholeheartedly. However, if they struggle with self-control and the temptation of burning passion, it is better for them to pursue marriage.
Proverbs 6:25-29
Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.
This passage warns against allowing desire for someone who is not one’s spouse to take root in the heart. It emphasizes that the consequences of engaging in sexual sin are severe and will lead to punishment.
Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
The heart is the center of a person’s desires and intentions. Believers are instructed to diligently guard their hearts, recognizing that the decisions they make regarding sexual purity and all other aspects of life flow from the condition of their hearts.
Romans 13:14
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Believers are advised to clothe themselves with Jesus Christ, allowing His presence and influence to guide their thoughts, actions, and behaviors. They are also exhorted not to make any provision for the desires of the flesh, which may include sexual immorality.
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
This verse speaks to the divine institution of marriage, which involves leaving one’s parents and forming a lifelong bond with one’s spouse. It emphasizes the exclusive and intimate union between a husband and wife, where they become one flesh.