Does God Care About Sex?

Over the spring semester, we had the opportunity to see how God addresses the whole issue of human sexuality – a topic of no small interest to young adults.  My hopes are that this series of Bible studies were interesting, relevant, and helpful.  From understanding why the Bible takes the stand that it does on sexuality to redeeming singleness, from combating pornography and immodesty to reclaiming our biblical roles as men and women – there were lots of topics covered. 

The point in all of our grand discussions can be boiled down to this: if we are indeed Christians, Christ’s blood is not intended simply to save us “when we die,” but to make us “holy” now.  Or, to coin a term, to holify us.  This doesn’t happen all at once – it is a growing process.  Some of us will be further down the road in this than others.  If we are, this is no cause for pride, because it is God who has worked this into our lives.  Rather, we should gladly pass on whatever we might for the building up of our brothers and sisters. 

The Bible is clear; if we claim the redeeming merits of Christ’s atoning blood – this should have an evident impact on the way that we live.  1 Thessalonians 4:13 is unambiguous: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality . . .”

Likewise, Paul elsewhere states his disbelief at the Corinthians celebration of immorality.  All throughout 1 Corinthians 5-6, Paul admonishes the Corinthian church to deal with one of it’s more prominent cases.  If you stop to think about this, it sounds horribly counter-cultural.  After all, isn’t our sexuality a matter of private interest?  Not for a Christian!  The church (i.e., a public community of persons) is told to deal with a man’s sexual issues.  If you are willing to consider the weakness of your own faith, your own flesh’s ability to entice you, your utter inability to resist your own sinful desires – isn’t it a relief to know that one of God’s ordained means to help you grow and fight temptation is other Christians? 

There are some who would claim that our view of sexuality is repressive; that we are sub-human because we do not glory in an unfettered and unhindered approach to sexuality.  But that is just the opposite of the truth.  We value sexuality and hold it high as one of God’s good gifts.  The sexually promiscuous person is the one who is most lonely – hopping from bed to bed in search of God knows what.  Yet the faithful Christian can rest in embracing not just God’s gift, but His sanctions for the gifts use. 

A married couple, joined in both body and soul, is perhaps the best defense for what we mean.  My ultimate fulfillment comes not from an antiseptic hookup in which I get sexual favors.  It comes from being a husband and father the way God intended – and enjoying sex in that environment.  THAT is where the greatest blessings come from – God has granted to me the tremendous privilege of loving and enjoying my wife and kids.  Sexual fulfillment is the dessert.  Heaven forbid that I ever become like the kid who always wants to eat dessert and never wants the main course that God has cooked up for me.