Ephesians 5:29-32 - Sex and the Metaphor
BIG IDEA: Marital intimacy serves as a metaphor which illustrates the UNITY that Christians (the Church) experience in COVENANT with God
*A covenant is a sacred agreement or divinely-instituted bond between two parties
“For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”—Ephesians 5:29–32
Sex is God’s idea…
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. ” —Genesis 2:24–25
… and an incredibly effective tool for Satan
“While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. ” —Numbers 25:1–2
NEGLECTING intimacy INSIDE marriage preaches that unity with God does not exist INSIDE covenantal relationship with Him, while effectively incubating rejection and temptation.
“The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” —1 Corinthians 7:3–5
PRACTICING intimacy OUTSIDE marriage preaches that unity with God is possible OUTSIDE of a covenantal relationship with Him. This makes you a false teacher.
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” —1 Corinthians 6:9–11
WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS INFORMATION?
ALREADY MARRIED? You must address the elephant in the room before a successful pivot. You are not going to succeed in restructuring your marriage without addressing a precedent of dismissing God. You need to confess your sin to God and receive His forgiveness through Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9). You then need to verbally confess your sin to your spouse (James 5:16) and ask his/her forgiveness for defiling him/her (Ezekiel 23:7–8) and leading him/her into temptation (Matthew 18:7).
PARENT/GRANDPARENT? Do you love your children/grandchildren enough to let them learn from both your successes and your failures? Saying “I was wrong” gives children the opportunity to break the power of generational sin. Conversely, self-justification significantly increases the likelihood that they will experience the same unnecessary pain. (Exodus 20:5; Psalm 78:5–8)
DATING? YOU. ARE. SETTING. PRECEDENT. Your beliefs and behaviors during dating are seeds that grow bigger and stronger after wedding day. Controlling yourselves for a 6-18 month courtship in order to (#1) establish your mutual humble submission before God (Galatians 5:9 Ephesians 4:17–19), (#2) keep a clear mind in assessing the relationship (1 Thessalonians 5:6–8; 1 Peter 5:8), and (#3) test whether or not your potential spouse can keep their pants on (1 Thessalonians 5:21), is an unparalleled advantage in a world of relational wreckage.
NOT A CHRISTIAN? It’s time to enter covenant with God by receiving His Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This should be your top priority and warrants a conversation investigating what the Bible says, which is often dismissed and distorted. You can use a digital or physical Connect Card to initiate this conversation.
How do I give to 1MSO?
The people of One Missoula Church give tangible resources back to God in order to suffocate greed in our own lives and amplify the impact of the Gospel in the lives of others. We’ve removed every barrier and inconvenience to make this sacrificial act as accessible and simple as possible. At present, here are the avenues for this act of devotion:
- Sunday Morning – offering boxes on the communion tables at the back
- Snail Mail – postage-paid envelopes available
- Text “1MSO” to 406-631-3323
- Online at https://onemissoulachurch.com/give
- Via the One Missoula App under the “Giving” tab
