The topic of sex crosses so many avenues in our human experience. Sex is a currency to sell consumer products. Sex is an arsenal for 4th Wave Feminists to wield their individual expression. Sex in culture is a leisure activity. And, sex has close ties with the spiritual and moral realities. To the Christian, sex is a sacred act that demonstrates the symbol of intimacy of the trinity and covenant. Our own view and practice of sex is a direct juxtaposition of where our culture defines and practice sex. And that is okay…
Sex in the Bible
Fundamentally, gender roles in the Bible are as they intended- to be different and unique. It is important to grasp that God intended while creating humanity that there are distinctfuly male and female (Genesis 1-2). This belief on gender must be accepted but how a couple defines their role can be tailored to their own unique, marriage experience.
The first act of sex by humans was between a male and a female (Genesis 3).We are created as sexual beings in the image of God and must search scripture to flesh out the meaning of what this means. Sex in the Bible is an act of mutuality, a symbol of submitting one to another (1 Cor 7:4-6). Sex builds love, attraction and bond (friendship) to the other (Song of Songs). Our sexuality encompasses more than our genitalia; it includes biology, gender, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, attitudes and values (p 214 Boswick).
Sexuality as Formational
Boswick claims that our emergence as sexual being is a multidimensional developmental process. We are not in full bloom all at once, rather, we grow and our formed by biological, psychological and experiential factors. There is also an interplay of both biological and sociocultural factors that influence our development of sexuality.
The Enduring Problem: How to be Christ-like in Modern Culture in Regard to Sex
God created sex to benefit the human race, both in bringing more created beings into the word in the image of God and as a practice to maintain and build new life in the image of God. With whom we have sex with and why we have sex with that person reveals, theologically where we are theologically. If we are living to please God, we will honor and seek out what and how we should be, do and believe. Sex is an act that should go beyond the pleasure of one self. Sex is intimacy that can be pleasurable. Intimacy is to be shared between two, committed people in covenantal love. What defines intimacy from friends and spouse is sex. Sex promotes righteousness as it is near impossible to have great sex without being in right relation with each other.
Henry Nowen challenges Christians to be irrelevant in culture. It would make sense then to hold our beliefs about sex to be different- like a light bulb in a dark room. Each culture and generation will have to wrestle the conditions and meaning of sexuality. The Bible and discussion among Christians will always offer the truth on why God made us Sexual beings. We display where we stand in reverence to God in our attitude and practice of sex.
Sex in the Bible
Fundamentally, gender roles in the Bible are as they intended- to be different and unique. It is important to grasp that God intended while creating humanity that there are distinctfuly male and female (Genesis 1-2). This belief on gender must be accepted but how a couple defines their role can be tailored to their own unique, marriage experience.
The first act of sex by humans was between a male and a female (Genesis 3).We are created as sexual beings in the image of God and must search scripture to flesh out the meaning of what this means. Sex in the Bible is an act of mutuality, a symbol of submitting one to another (1 Cor 7:4-6). Sex builds love, attraction and bond (friendship) to the other (Song of Songs). Our sexuality encompasses more than our genitalia; it includes biology, gender, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, attitudes and values (p 214 Boswick).
Sexuality as Formational
Boswick claims that our emergence as sexual being is a multidimensional developmental process. We are not in full bloom all at once, rather, we grow and our formed by biological, psychological and experiential factors. There is also an interplay of both biological and sociocultural factors that influence our development of sexuality.
The Enduring Problem: How to be Christ-like in Modern Culture in Regard to Sex
God created sex to benefit the human race, both in bringing more created beings into the word in the image of God and as a practice to maintain and build new life in the image of God. With whom we have sex with and why we have sex with that person reveals, theologically where we are theologically. If we are living to please God, we will honor and seek out what and how we should be, do and believe. Sex is an act that should go beyond the pleasure of one self. Sex is intimacy that can be pleasurable. Intimacy is to be shared between two, committed people in covenantal love. What defines intimacy from friends and spouse is sex. Sex promotes righteousness as it is near impossible to have great sex without being in right relation with each other.
Henry Nowen challenges Christians to be irrelevant in culture. It would make sense then to hold our beliefs about sex to be different- like a light bulb in a dark room. Each culture and generation will have to wrestle the conditions and meaning of sexuality. The Bible and discussion among Christians will always offer the truth on why God made us Sexual beings. We display where we stand in reverence to God in our attitude and practice of sex.