What do you know about sex? Greetings to all, one more video of the “Vai na Bíblia” channel, and today we are going to talk about sex. Based on worldly concepts, the earlier the “experience” with sex begins, the greater will be the understanding of the subject, and the better will be the sexual performance in the future.
But is this really true? Would surrendering yourself to sex, without really knowing its purpose and power and, oftentimes, without having the required responsibility to deal with its consequences, would it really be the best option? Well, the only trustworthy source we have to answer these questions is the Bible, after all, no one better to teach us about sex than the one who created it.
Sex is capable of generating one of the greatest pleasures we can experience in life. It is something that influences one’s feelings, emotions and deepest desires. The big issue is that this can happen both positively and negatively; even though sex was created by God as something good, pure and perfect, after the entrance of sin into the world, man has acquired the capacity of using it for evil as well.
The only way to enjoy all the benefits provided by sex, without being dominated and imprisoned by it, is to turn ourselves to God and to what He teaches us about sex. God not only created sex, but he also made it a commandment. In the first time he spoke to the man, the order was: “Be fruitful and multiply”, something that is only possible through sex.
Another direction God gave to man concerning sex, was that in a given moment of his life he should leave his father and mother and be united to a woman. While sex has the power to multiply and generate new lives, it also has the power to unite two people in one flesh. Sex requires responsibility and understanding.
For this reason, it is fundamental to comprehend not only the power that exists in sex, but especially the purposes and principles by which God created it. The first of these is to form families, not only to generate children. After all, the life of a child depends on care; it needs love, affection, support.
It is the parents’ responsibility to raise and shape the character of a child. Simply “putting children in the world” without worrying about it, is to deviate from the main purpose of sex. And to prevent this from happening, another principle established by God for sex is commitment, that is, marriage.
The Bible does not consider sex alone as marriage, it teaches that before sexual intercourse, a public testimony about the commitment between the man and the woman must take place. However, once this commitment is established before the law and the men, it is the sexual relation that consummates the marriage before God. From that moment, they become one flesh.
The Bible teaches that now the man’s body belongs to his wife, and the wife’s body belongs to the husband, and that they should not deprive each other of sexual relations. So now it is possible to understand other important purpose of sex: to provide pleasure to the other, to the “owner” of your body. Sex is to give the other what belongs to him.
For this reason, self-pleasure, fruit of masturbation, is a misrepresentation of sex. The biblical principle of sexual pleasure is to provide it not to yourself, but to your spouse. Any sexual relation outside marriage, regardless of the context, is sexual immorality, considered by God as prostitution.
The Greek word used to illicit sexual intercourse is porneia. It can be manifested through adultery, when one of the parts is married, fornication, if the sexual relation occurs between single people, incest, when it involves close relatives, homosexuality, when it involves people of the same sex, pedophilia, involving children, and bestiality, if it involves a human being and an animal. The consequences for those who practice sexual immorality are almost always destructive, especially for a Christian, who defiles his body which is temple of the Holy Spirit, and makes an alliance with prostitution.
But is the sexual sin only related to the physical act, or does it begin before that? Jesus said that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. This passage reveals that the sexual sin begins much earlier than one usually imagines.
But of course, it is not about a simple glance, it goes beyond the appreciation of beauty or natural attraction, the sin resides in wanting sexually someone who does not belong to you. And often, this sinful sexual desire acts in a woman in a different way than it acts in a man. While for men it is usually related to the desire in the gaze, for women it normally resides in the sensual behaviour and in the exposure of her body with the intention of being desired by someone.
The Greek word used by the Bible to refer to this type of sin is aselgeia and it is associated with a series of sinful sexual desires. It can be translated as lasciviousness, lust, sensuality or pornography, but it is also related with complete debauchery and indecency, when there is no longer concern about one’s testimony before people. The desire for sex and the pursuit of satisfaction have already become far more important that the obedience and the fear of the Lord.
The danger of this type of sin is that it almost always begins harmlessly, sometimes it is only about a photo you have posted or a profile you have started following on social networks. The point is that over time, those things that once were casual, may become a habit, and the habit may become an utterly destructive vice, to the point of Jesus giving one of the most radical statements against sin found in the Bible, where He says: If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. "It is better for you to lose one part of your body that for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. " Apart from being capable of completely compromising a person’s sentimental, social and psychological life, the sexual sin can have a much worse consequence: eternal damnation.
For this reason, the Bible is categorical in affirming that the attitude against sin must be radical, and that walking in holiness is not an option, but a commandment. Anyone who lives in impurity, practicing sexual immorality or feeding illicit sexual desires, inside himself or in others, will not inherit the kingdom of God. The only alternative is repentance.
Jesus Christ is ready to forgive and purify all who repent of sin and decide to live a new life. It takes a decision followed by a change of behaviour. Jesus is the only one who can transform our minds and restore our lives completely, regardless of what we had experienced in this area in the past.
In Christ we are new creatures and everything becomes new, including our sexuality. God’s will is that both man and woman keep themselves from having sexual relations until marriage. Accordingly, God’s order for a couple who is having trouble controlling themselves is not to surrender to sex, but to assume a commitment through marriage.
Of course, to remain a virgin until marriage is a very big challenge, mainly because of the pressure from society, which increasingly encourages the early involvement with sex. But the truth is that not only the Bible, but even scientific studies, reveal that sexual anticipation generates insecurity feelings, emotional instability, jealousy, and it also develops a predisposition to conjugal infidelity. It takes faith, wisdom and patience to wait on God, that is, to rule out any loving relationship outside the proper time, purpose or necessary conditions for a marriage.
Meanwhile, it is ideal to get to know God and people better. Many ignore the fact that God has established friendship and commitment as the main points of a relationship, not sex. Besides the fact that one should not be carried away just by physical attraction, it is essential to know one’s true motivations, ideals, dreams and, above all, his relationship with God.
If the simple physical contact in a relationship already makes everything more difficult, imagine the sex! Sex is the highest level of intimacy between two people and, because of that, it should never happen before friendship and commitment. It is not worth the risk of sinning by going beyond what is appropriate.
In a relationship, for example, limit yourself to what can be done in front of other people, without causing any kind of embarrassment. In a marriage, on the other hand, be completely free to enjoy sex. Just be careful not to introduce to the relationship external elements that are fruit of pornography.
God’s will is for you to have a full sex life and to provide all pleasure to your spouse. There is no fault in this, after all, in marriage it is the absence of sex that is considered sin. Just as the Bible prohibits sex outside marriage, it commands sex within marriage.
The only exception is if there is a mutual consent between the couple to devote themselves to prayer, but this is only for a short period of time, otherwise they must supply each other’s needs. Enjoying the pleasure and sexual intimacy with someone you love, within a context where God’s blessings are present, goes far far beyond the extremely limited and narrow vision the world has about sex. "Vai na Bíblia" ends here.
