For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. - 1 Corinthians 15:22

Decent Sex [Part 1 - The Word on Sex: God's and Man's]

Pastor Robert Diener, Reprinted with Permission

This article is part 1 of a 5-part series entitled, "Decent Sex."

Part 1: Man's Word on Sex

The words people use to describe sex and sexual activity already betray much about the way they feel. On the one hand are words that reveal ignorance, confusion and hurt. We hear words like "dirty," "filthy," "disgusting," "sick," and the like. Or we hear the cutesy words embarrassed parents use to describe body parts and functions.

We also hear the "mask-words," terms used by people with attitudes at the opposite end of the sexual spectrum. The words cover the reality of what really is happening. Words with pretty sounds and meanings mask the ugliness of what really is there; the homosexual lifestyle is "gay," adultery is "having an affair," promiscuity is "living together," pornography is "adult" entertainment, etc. Images are projected which are 180 degrees from the truth.

There is a great polarization of attitudes on sexuality evident today -- as there always has been! Both extremes challenge the other to prove their claims.

Man's Perception of God's Word

To reinforce their particular views, people inevitably turn to the Bible and attempt to make it Bible say what they want it to say. People with libertarian views will try to convince us that God's message to the world on sex is one word: "YES!" Others, with equal vehemence, will try to reduce all of the things God says about sex to one big "NO!" Both are in error.

Like many other areas of human life, God's will is neither absolute, but a "yes" and a "no." Just as absolute obedience to human authority is not commanded and all taking of human life is not forbidden, so in sexual matters God's Word is neither absolute. It certainly is not an unqualified "YES!" It is much, much more than "NO!"

God's Word on Sex

From the opening chapter, the Bible speaks openly -- often casually -- about sex. It flatly states that our sexuality is part of God's creating activity:

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Human reproduction is part of the first blessing spoken on Adam and Eve:

Genesis l:28a - God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."

The concluding remark describing the untainted perfection of life in the Garden of Eden is this:

Genesis 2:25 - The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

The Bible is "shame-less" about sex. In fact, God uses what we might consider very "sexy" expressions when describing His loving relationship with us. The love between a husband and wife (including physical love) as a metaphor for God's love for His people is a common theme in the Scriptures, especially in the writings of Solomon (Proverbs, Song of Songs). Old Testament prophets in their many calls to repentance, urged people to "circumcise" their hearts (cf Jeremiah 4). A nursing mother's care for her child also is a frequent analogy:

Isaiah 49:15 - "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I will not forget you."

It was with the coming of sin that human beings began to associate shame and guilt with sexuality -- after Eve and Adam had eaten of the forbidden fruit:

Genesis 3:7 - Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

When he is confronted with his sin, Adam answers God:

Genesis 3:10 - "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

The effects of sin did impact on human sexuality:

Genesis 3:16 - To the woman He (God) said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

However, sex is not only associated with the evil side of human existence in God's Word. Sex figured prominently in God's promise of a Savior. God promised Satan:

Genesis 3:15 - "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring (or, seed) and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel."

Through a most unusual birth -- "The seed of a woman," not a man! -- God will rescue the world. So it happened thousands of years later that an angel of the Lord tells a young woman she will give birth to the Son of God. Mary, startled at the announcement, asks:

Luke 1:34,35 - "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."

Mary's fiancee, Joseph, was naturally distraught at the discovery of his intended bride's pregnancy, and considered divorcing her -- the custom of that day. Reassured by an angel of her Child's divine origin:

Matthew l:24b,25 - "He did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave Him the name Jesus."
Luke gives added details to the naming of, Jesus, including reference to a custom involving the human reproductive system:

Luke 2:21 - "On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise Him, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived."

Circumcision, the removal of the foreskin from the penis of a male child, was a most graphic "prophecy" of the coming Messiah: the male child, the birth process, the shedding of blood.

Conclusion

So, it is not sex but sin that produces shame and guilt. Human society, with its extreme mood swings on sex, fails to grasp this fundamental distinction, and with it fails to appreciate one of the greatest gifts God has given.

Next: Part 2: Sexual Roles and Stereotypes

Article Shortcut: http://www.christianliferesources.com?5274

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