Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Sex: God's Beautiful Design

Why is it that in our society, sex is often approached as a tool and a cheap act? I read just recently a couple comments from teenagers about sex. Both of these comments were in regards to abstinence. One of the teens said that those who speak about abstinence don’t remember what was like to be a teenager and the other said that teaching about how to protect yourself over abstinence is just “the ways of life.” My first thought in response to these comments was, “Why is sex so cheapened in our society?” Is it really just “the ways of life” and a casual act of teens, and for that matter, adults?

You can’t watch TV without finding a sitcom or a talk show focused sex. Sex is no big deal. Just do it. Do it cause it feels good. Sex is nothing but an act and a tool to feeling good. It means nothing deeper than this. If that is the message being sent to people in our society, then why not have sex when and where you want? It’s just like doing anything else that fulfills your desire.

But consider this: Animals have sex whenever the desire takes them. Are we no better than animals? Are we just beasts, slaves to our lust? Is sex just a natural, cheap act?

I submit that we need to recapture the true purpose and meaning of sex and to do this we have to go back to the beginning and remember how we were made. We were created by the hand of God and we were fashioned differently than all other creations: We are made in God’s image. In making man in His image, Genesis 1:27 states that He made them “male and female.” And right after this statement, God says, “Be fruitful and increase in number.” Male and female increase in number as children are produced. Sex is part of God’s divine plan.

But is sex then just for producing children? It is also for enjoyment. Proverbs 5:18-19 encourages men to “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.” Also, one whole book of the Bible is dedicated to the passions of love and the joys of sex, Song of Songs.

So then, the purpose of sex is both the producing of children and to enjoy each other in a marriage relationship. Yet, this last fact is what our society disputes. In general, our society views sex as a normal and common act outside of marital bonds. It is this very belief that turns sex into cheapness.

Let’s go back to Genesis. In making them male and female, God made the woman out of the man’s rib. Then the Bible states, “The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Genesis 1:23-24). When do the man and woman become one flesh? When the man leaves his own family and cleaves to his wife. They become one, a reflection of the image of God, male and female joined.

The meaning of sex is to reflect God. Just as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit take joy in the intimacy of the Trinity, so men and women take joy in their intimacy with each other. Sex is a godly act. If sex is simply a tool to fulfill my lusts, it is not reflective of God. If sex is committed between men and women who are not united, it denies God’s own nature, the oneness and union of the Trinity. Sex is deep, beautiful and profound. It’s an expression of our own Maker.

Our society will never understand the precious beauty in sex until it finds its Creator. For people who believe they are nothing but evolved animals, sex will always be a beastly, lustful act. A cheap act. But I believe deep in the heart of man is knowledge that sex is to be more than this. Why are people so offended when left by someone after sex? Why do they look for someone who isn’t just a one-night stand? Because God’s law written on their hearts cries out for real sex, a meaningful act of purpose. This desire is built into human nature.

May we recapture sex from our society! As Christians, let us proclaim the beauty of the intimacy, union and joy of our Creator through sex!

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