Sunday, February 3, 2013

The Bible’s Cohesive Portrait of Sexuality


  1. Our physical bodies are good.  God made us as physical beings.  We do not just have bodies, we are bodies, though we are more than just bodies.  
  2. God made us sexual beings, male and female, and our sexuality is good.  Genesis 1-2 depicts God creating two types of human beings, male and female, both made in the image of God and both declared to be very good.  
  3. We are made for relationship; in Genesis 2:15-24 we learn that even the perfect man is insufficient by himself, even in the perfect environment and in perfect relationship with God himself.  God declares that it is not good that the man be alone; human beings are made for relationship with a complementary version of human being, a man for a woman and a woman for a man.  
  4. Humans are created capable of “becoming one flesh: through the joining of their bodies, and the resulting capacity for reproduction in marriage is blessed by God and a blessings from God.
  5. Humanity rebelled against God, and in the process broke God’s beautiful gift of sexuality, along with all of his other gifts to us.  As a result, we are rebellious, broken, twisted.
  6. God is at work redeeming our sexuality in two crucial ways:  God has revealed his standards or rules for how we are to conduct our sexual lives (and his laws are for our own good; Deut 10:12-13).  God has also offered us a living relationship with him through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, so that we are actually capable of living our lives in a way that gives him pleasure and moves us toward the blessedness he intended for us. 
  7. The scriptures reveal to us that sexual intercourse has a meaning fixed and determined by God:  it creates a one flesh union between a man and a woman, a union that is to knit them together in a way that’s supposed to remain permanent through life (and thus this teaching is the foundation for Jesus’ condemnation of divorce in Matthew 19 and Paul’s condemnation of sexual immorality in 1 Corinthians 6).  
I highlighted the parts that really stuck me, personally.  First, human beings are made for RELATIONSHIP!  We are not meant to be alone.  Because of this, I believe that God has picked my future husband and is currently molding him for the day we meet. God's timing is perfect, and I have learned not to rush God.  "He's Got This!"  

Second is that I do feel BROKEN sexually after having been deceived so deeply.  I often wonder how I will ever trust enough to give myself fully to anyone again.  But in the next part, it mentions that God is at work to redeem our sexuality.  This does offer hope that next time will be different, and maybe I will one day heal completely.  This is not easy for me to believe, but that’s what faith is all about.  I am still learning.  What seems impossible to us, comes easily to God.  I must confess, I’m still working on that one.

As a single woman, I will follow the scriptures and keep myself pure for my husband.  I believe what the Bible says about two becoming one flesh to be bound PERMANENTLY.  I get that!  I’ve been told that no man will wait for me.  Well, so be it!  Then I will never marry again.  If I’m not worth waiting for, then he’s not worth marrying.  To me, this is a small sacrifice for your bride.  Besides, I’d love to find a man who shares the same ideals, who also desires to wait.  I want to find a man who is a strong believer, a man of faith, a man already mature in Godly things.  This is another situation I am weak in faith.  It is very difficult to imagine finding a man like that, although I’ve been told they are out there. 

Some tell me I am too picky.  They tell me my standards are too high, that I’m looking for Jesus himself!  Well, so what!  I want to see Jesus in my husband.  What’s wrong with that?  I realize that compromises must be made, and there is no such thing as perfection.  But there are certain standards that I simply think are important, and I should have to waver.  My standards are based on Scripture, too, mostly.  

I am looking for a spiritual leader.  I want someone more mature in Christ than I am.  I’ve been criticized for this, since I have gotten my Master’s degree in Christian counseling, which automatically makes me a little more Bible-wise than the average person, maybe.  Is my standard set to high?  I’ve also been told that it’s ok to entertain the thought of dating a non-Christian in hopes of converting him.  Well, I’ve already been in a marriage where I tried to change my husband.  That obviously didn’t go well.  I want someone strong enough in their faith to have proper morals instilled in him.  

I could go on, but I think I’ll save it for another blog….

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