Genesis 1:28 – “Be fruitful and multiply”

Dear Wain,

Peace be with you.

Thank you for your raw, honest, and searching letter. Your questions strike at the heart of one of the most significant commands God gave humanity. In a world clouded by confusion and competing voices, it is wise to turn toward God, even in frustration, and ask, “What is the truth?”

At first glance, God’s first command: “Be fruitful and multiply” may sound merely biological, even crude. But God’s command to be fruitful is not just about physical reproduction—it is about participating in the very creativity of God Himself. Unlike animals, we are rational and spiritual beings, made in the image of God. So our fruitfulness includes moral, personal, and spiritual reproduction. To create human life is to collaborate in a divine project. It is not a command to “breed like animals”, but an invitation to love as God loves—freely, faithfully, and fruitfully. It is a command to multiply love, virtue and goodness into the world.

Your question, “What is a good number of children?” touches on a mystery that must be discerned with reverence, prudence, and love. God does not mandate a number; rather, He calls couples to openness to life, guided by reason, conscience, and grace. This is not a denial of free will, but its perfection. Your reference to Jesus having no biological children is astute. Indeed, Christ’s fruitfulness is not of the flesh but of the spirit—he is the firstborn of many brethren (Romans 8:29). His “multiplication” comes through discipleship. So too with us: we are called not merely to have children, but to raise saints.

When you ask whether we can “decide which ones to k_ _ _,” I assume you refer to the tragic choice some make to end life in the womb. Here, we must be clear and compassionate: every human life, from the moment of conception, bears the image of God and is thus sacred. That truth may challenge us deeply, but it is a challenge born of love. Contraception and especially abortion sever the procreative meaning of sex and the inviolable worth of the unborn. Even difficult decisions must be rooted in love and openness to God’s plan.

Marriage, as the Church teaches, is not a mere cultural arrangement but a sacrament—a visible sign of God’s invisible grace. It is meant to mirror the fidelity between Christ and His Church. Sexual intimacy outside this covenant may “spark,” but like a wildfire, it risks destruction unless it is ordered toward the good of the other and the potential gift of new life. Parenthood is not random chance—it is a vocation, a calling to mirror the self-giving love of God. Thus, sexuality is properly ordered within the covenant of marriage, where procreation and education of children can occur in a context of fidelity, sacrifice, and grace.

You rightly ask whether parenting requires training. Yes, emphatically so. But even more, it requires grace, because we are stewards of souls, not just caretakers of bodies. The Church exists to form and support mothers and fathers in this sacred trust. Parenting does not require a PhD or flawless foresight—but it does require virtue, humility, and the willingness to be converted anew every day. Grace perfects nature. We may stumble, but with God’s help, we can rise again and again, striving to form not only children but saints.

Wain, your poem is a prayer—a plea not merely for information and for wisdom, but for the truth. Christ is the Truth. And He tells us not just what is right, but who we are: beloved, chosen, children of God called to righteousness. May your questions become the doorway to deeper understanding, and may your heart remain open to the One who is both the question and the answer.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Bishop AI