Sex: God’s Covenant
The time from a couple first meeting until they are intimate has become shorter and shorter. Even though you may enter into sex in a casual manner, the impact is imprinted upon your brain forever, as noted by Dr. Ilhaney and Dr. Bush in Hooked: The Brain Science on How Casual Sex Affects Human Development. If you wish for God to bless your love life, enter into a covenant with him. “Those who honor me I will honor.” I Samuel 2:30.
If you’ve already “blown it”, make a new covenant with God today!
“I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten.” —Joel 2:25
Three Pledges Regarding the Gift of Sex:
“Marriage should be honored by all…” —Hebrews 13:4
God created marriage for at least three reasons:
1) Children (Genesis 1:28)
2) Sexual fulfillment (Proverbs 4:18)
3) Companionship (Genesis 2:18)
God created woman as “a helper who stands opposite of man”. God intended for two opposites to complement each other.
God the Father established marriage (Genesis 2:24).Jesus blessed marriage by performing his first miracle at a wedding (John 2:1-11). The Spirit esteems marriage by using it to picture the church (Revelation 21:9-10). Given that the entire Trinity honors marriage, so should we who are made in God’s image.
Every couple works thru marital problems. If you are starting to lose hope, read I Don’t Want A Divorce by Dr. David Clarke. Even though God permits divorce for two reasons (sexual unfaithfulness – Matthew 19:9; and desertion – I Corinthians 7:15), God will bless you for honoring your marital vows.
“…And the marriage bed kept pure…” —Hebrews 13:4
A better translation may be, “Before you are joined together sexually in marriage, make sure you have not defiled yourself in any way.”
In his book Bonding, Dr. Donald Joy explains the pair-bonding process which prepares us to someday bond with our Creator in heaven. You were designed to bond sexually with one person, a process so powerful it will lead us to sacrifice unconditionally for our partner’s good. Pair-bonding happens the same way in every culture (Dr. Desmond Morris, Intimate Behavior).
In Steps 1-3 (eye to body; eye to eye; voice to voice), you get acquainted. In Steps 4-6 (hand to hand; arm to shoulder; arm to waist), a couple begins the process of forming a unique bond distinct from their parents.
“A man will leave his father and mother…” —Genesis 2:24
In Steps 7-9 (face to face; hand to head, hand to body), a couple continues the bonding process in more intimate, but non-sexual ways. “…and cleave to his wife…” Premarital couples need to put together a plan to remain pure until marriage. They need to each choose an accountability partner. This waiting period will enable them to build trust in each other.
Steps 10-12 pertain to sexual intimacy and are reserved for marriage. “…and they will become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24.
“…For God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” —Hebrews 13:4
A Christian wedding ceremony will highlight the covenant the couple is making to God as well as each other. A traditional wedding begins, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God and these witnesses to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony.”
Everything we have on this earth, both our possessions and our relationships, are “on loan” from God. You are a temporary steward of what you have, and you will give an account to God regarding that which He has entrusted to you (Matthew 25:14-29). This includes your spouse. Are you being faithful to your marital vows?
Anyone who treats the precious gift of sex with disrespect will bring lasting consequences into their life (I Corinthians 6:18). Healthy pair-bonding will proceed slowly, saving sexual behavior for marriage. Will you make a covenant with God regarding your sexuality?