Some say that being gay is wrong because there is no way to procreate. If that is so, then sex between a sterile man and/or a barren woman can't be justified either since there is no way for them to procreate. The sex for procreation only argument is unscriptural. Let's look at the two examples in the Bible where sex took place for procreation only:

1. Abraham and Hagar

In Genesis chapter 16 we find the story of Abraham and Sarah. God had promised Abraham a son but Sarah was barren. After trying with no success Sarah decided to take matters into her own hands and in Genesis 16:1,2 she tells Abraham to sleep with her handmaiden so that he could build a family through her.

                    Genesis 16:1-2

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

I don't think Sarah really meant for her husband to just sleep with the maid since that's not how you make babies. She was telling him to have sex with her. The sex for procreation only between Abraham and Hagar was not what God wanted. The child, Ishmael, was born from that union God blessed him but made it very clear that he was not the son of the promise. In fact, at one point God didn't even recognize Ishmael once Isaac was born from Sarah about 14 years later. (Genesis 22:1,2). Ishmael ended up being the father of the Arabs. Because of this union of sex for procreation only, there continues to be animosity between Arabs and Jews who are indeed brothers!!

2. Lot and His Daughters

In this account Lot's daughters feel an urgency to procreate. The only available man is their father. They decided to get their father drunk so they could get pregnant by him.

                    Genesis 19:30-38

Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father." That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let's get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father." So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. (NIV)

The oldest daughter gave birth to the Moabites and the youngest gave birth to the Ammonites. These tribes became idol worshiping enemies of Israel. One of their gods was Molech to whom they offered human sacrifices. (You can read about this throughout the Old Testament.)

What does the Bible say about sex as an expression of love between two people in covenant relationship? There are several barren women in the Bible who were favored by their husbands. These couples continued to have sex knowing that they could not conceive under normal circumstances. They were Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth. Sarah and Elizabeth were still having sex with their husbands past child bearing years! Was it for procreation or as an expression of love? Each of these women were greatly blessed even though they had sex when procreation was not physically possible. You can read about Sarah and Rachel in Genesis 18:9-12 and 30:22-24, about Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:1-20, and about Elizabeth in Luke 1:6,7.

A final example of sex as an expression of love is found in the Song of Solomon. This book of the Bible is a collection of love poems between two people that are in covenant relationship. When you read this book of the Bible you will not find the words children, offspring or family. You will find the word lover mentioned 28 times, darling mentioned 19 times and the bride's breasts are complimented 8 times.