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Sex
Sex is good!
God created sex as a wonderful gift to be enjoyed between a man and woman
in marriage. He intended it to be an intimate expression of
love exclusively between a husband and wife. This protects people from the harmful consequences of
illicit sex and provides an ideal environment for raising
children.
Sex creates a powerful bond between the
participants physically, emotionally and spiritually. When sex
is removed from the commitment of marriage, it easily becomes a lustful
and addictive activity. Pornography is a powerful tool that
promotes lust-based
sex (instead of love-based sex). It perverts sex and degrades
the human body, which is made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27).
As our Creator, God gives us clear
instructions regarding sex:
Sex is for marriage only:
Sex is a powerful activity that affects our body, soul and
spirits. It joins us as "one flesh" with our sexual partner.
Sex also allows us to share in the miracle of the creation of
life. Marriage provides the best environment in which to raise
children who will reach their fully created potential, emotionally,
spiritually and physically.
"Marriage should be honored
by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer
and all the sexually immoral." Hebrews 13:4 NIV
"May your fountain be
blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a
graceful deer--may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be
captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why
embrace the bosom of another man's wife?" Proverbs 5:18-20 NIV
1 Now
concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not
to touch a woman. 2Nevertheless, because of sexual
immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her
own husband. 1 Corinthians 7:2 NKJV
Sex unites a man and woman
physically, emotionally and spiritually
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."
Genesis 2:24 NIV
"Has not the LORD made them
one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was
seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do
not break faith with the wife of your youth." Malachi 2:15 NIV
"But at the beginning of
creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man
will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two
will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one."
Mark
10:6-8 NIV
We are called to "sexual
purity"
"It is
God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual
immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a
way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen,
who do not know God." 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 NIV
- For married people, this
is sex based on love and not lust
- For singles, this is
abstaining from sex and exercising control over our bodies and
thoughts
Why is our sexual behavior
important to God? Sex is
one of the most powerful ways we can honor or dishonor God. The
creation of life is perhaps the greatest gift God has given us outside of
Christ's payment of our sin. Sex enables us to greatly influence our
mate's and our potential children's lives. The moment we introduce
sin into sexual activity, we open the door to evil spirits and curses that
could affect current and future generations. Honoring God's commands
with our sexuality is a form of worship from the deepest part of our
being. Here are some points that reveal the basis for this
worship:
By accepting Jesus
sacrifice for our sin, our bodies become God's property:
"Do you not
know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?" 1 Corinthians 6:15 NIV and "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord,
and the Lord for the body." 1 Corinthians
6:13 NIV
Our bodies are literally
temples of the Holy Spirit: "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and
that God's Spirit lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16
NIV). The notion of God's Spirit living in us
should bring us to a renewed sense of awe and reverent fear, as we
consider that sexual activity joins us with whatever we're having sex
with.
Sexual sin defiles God's
temple (our bodies) and the special union we have with God in spirit:
"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?
Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a
prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a
prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become
one flesh." But he who unites himself with the Lord is one
with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a
man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against
his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the
Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?"
1 Corinthians
6:15-19
NIV
We are called to honor God
with our bodies: "You are not your own; you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:20 NIV
See God Owns Us for more
insight
What kind sex is
wrong? God makes it very
clear what kinds of sex are wrong. As a rule of thumb, any sex
outside of marriage is sin. We've listed a few of the many
Bible references for each form of sex sin below.
Adultery: Sex
outside of one's marriage (Deuteronomy 22:22, Galatians
5:19; Hebrews 13:4; Genesis 39:6-12, 1 Corinthians 7:2-3)
Bestiality: Sex with
animals (Exodus
22:19, Leviticus 18:23; Leviticus 20:15-16)
Incest: Sex between
family members (Leviticus
18:6,7,10,22; 2 Samuel 13:2-22, Deuteronomy 22:13-30)
Fornication: Sex where at
least one of the participants is not married; sex outside of
marriage (Genesis 34:1-7; Deuteronomy
22:13-28; 2 Samuel 13:2-22; 1
Corinthians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19; Hebrews 13:4;
Colossians 3:5; 1 Corinthians 7:2,8-9)
Homosexuality: Sex
with member of same sex (1
Corinthians 6:9; Leviticus 20:13, Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-32,
1
Corinthians 7:2-3, 1
Timothy 1:8-11) (see homosexual
page)
"Mental sex" sin: Jesus
equated thinking about sexual sin with the act of committing the
sin. Jesus said, "But I tell you that anyone
who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her
in his heart" Matthew 5:28 NIV. This notion of "thought sin" not only
applies to sexual fantasy, but also to other forms of sin, like anger
and murder (Matthew
5:21-22; Mark
7:20-22). Pornography powerfully promotes mental sex
sin.
Pedophilia: Sex with children; a form of fornication. (Mark
9:42; Luke 17:1-2;
2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Hebrews 13:4; Colossians 3:5;
1
Corinthians 6:9 (see Strong's
#3120 for effeminate))
Rape: Sex forced against
the will (Deuteronomy
22:24-25, 2 Samuel 13:12-22)
God prohibited the above activities so that
future generations would be conceived and raised in the best possible
environment characterized by love and fidelity. When God's commands
are broken through sex sin, pain and destruction result. Visit
our pages, Bible
examples of sex sin and Consequences of Sex
Sin for more information.
Gray Areas of Sexuality? There
are some other forms of sexual activity that may seem to be "gray" areas
because the scriptures may not specifically address them. These
typically are the "hot potatoes" of sexuality that are not typically
discussed in church teachings. Pornography often goes to great
lengths to exploit and promote these forms of sexual expression, and many
people fantasize about these practices. It makes good sense to see
what God has to say about these issues, so we've assembled the following
pages to help you determine what God's will is for you concerning these
practices:
Home Consequences
of Sex Sin Sex in the
Bible |