SEX!!!!!!!!!!

In one of my first times in reading through the Bible, the Book of Proverbs especially stood out to me. Even early in the Book, the picturesque images of godly wisdom really hit home in my teenage mind.

At the same time, the contrasting images of a foolish person were just as vivid:

So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed;
Proverbs 2:16‭-‬18 ESV
For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
Proverbs 5:3‭-‬4 ESV
Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?
Proverbs 6:25‭-‬27 ESV

Again, this is a recurring theme: A promiscuous person is the epitome of a fool. As in most areas, the Bible’s teaching on this topic will be very countercultural. As you read this message, a quote often attributed to C.S. Lewis’ is helpful to keep in mind: “When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.”

Of course, destructive sexual practices are nothing new. The key difference is how society views them. Things that were once seen as shameful are now seen as mainstream and are even celebrated. Today’s postmodern worldview has created an ever-changing and expanding barrage of sexual paradigms. In light of this, I would like to discuss the destructive nature of sexual libertinism as a whole, and its impact on society has been devastating. For all of the talk about “liberation,” what do we really have to show for the sexual revolution?

36 million people (and counting) dead from AIDS,
Cases of other sexually transmitted diseases at an all time high
60 million (and counting) dead from abortion
Well over half of American children living in broken homes.

Unfortunately, the Church’s response has not always been effective. For example, the Purity Culture movement in decades past may have been well intended but certain excesses sometimes did more harm than good.

Nonetheless, many of those who accuse Christians and conservatives of “trying to take us back to the dark ages” are, in reality, trying to take us back much further than that. The pre-Christian world was one of tremendous debauchery. Fornication, adultery, homosexuality, group sex, beastiality and even child sacrifice were common. In ancient Rome, a “woman’s right to choose” meant leaving an unwanted baby on the city wall to die of starvation or exposure. The spread of Christianity is largely what wiped that out.¹

Some vital research in this area has been done by historian Tom Holland, a self described atheist. In reviewing Holland’s work, Jonathon Van Maren writes:

While studying the ancient world, Holland writes, he realized something. Simply, the ancients were cruel, and their values utterly foreign to him. The Spartans routinely murdered “imperfect” children. The bodies of slaves were treated like outlets for the physical pleasure of those with power. Infanticide was common. The poor and the weak had no rights.

How did we get from there to here? It was Christianity, Holland writes. “Christianity revolutionized sex and marriage, demanding that men control themselves and prohibiting all forms of rape. Christianity confined sexuality within monogamy. now the very standards for which Christianity is derided.) Christianity elevated women. In short, Christianity utterly transformed the world. ²

Sexuality is a powerful thing. Is it that unreasonable that God would have guidelines on how to use it? Part of trusting God is trusting that He knows what is best for us and when He tells us to do or not to do something, it is for our own good.

Sexuality has been compared to fire. Within the confines of a fireplace, it provides tremendous warmth and comfort. When removed from those confines, however, it becomes dangerous and destructive. The confines that God has given us for this purpose is marriage, a lifetime covenant between a man and a woman. In the words of early church father John Chrysostom:

The love of husband and wife is the force that welds society together. Men will take up arms and even sacrifice their lives for the sake of this love….when harmony prevails, the children are raised well, the household is kept in order, and neighbors, friends, and relatives praise the result. Great benefits, both of families and states, are thus produced. When it is otherwise, however, everything is thrown into confusion and turned ³ upside-down.

For those who still claim that the Bible’s teaching on marriage sexuality is prudish or regressive, I would refer you to the Magnum Opus on the topic, the Book of Canticles, otherwise known as the Song of Solomon.

This book is a very explicit, and very beautiful celebration of the sexual relations between King Solomon and his wife Shulimit. Again it is very graphic and because of that, some scholars who blush when they hear the word “sex” have tried to explain it away. Orthodox Rabbis would not allow anyone to study the Book before they turned thirty. In the first seventeen hundred years of Christianity, over 500 commentaries were written about it.

It became common to interpret the Song of Solomon as an allegory of Christ’s love for the
church. I am not denying that there might be some crossover application. Husbands are told
to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25-29). Nonetheless, there are parts of the book in which that interpretation simply does not fit.

Even though the flowery King James English glosses over some of it, there are references to
sexual acts between the king and his wife that would shock many of you. As we look at these verses, please understand that I am trying to be as “PG-13” as possible while making the point. Nonetheless, we gain nothing by ignoring or downplaying the explicitness of the language.

2:3 The wife declared that the husband’s “fruit” is “sweet to her taste.” I will leave you to draw your own conclusions as to what is being described
4:5 The wife’s breasts are compared to young animals to be fondled and played with.
4:12-15: The wife’s genitalia are compared to a fragrant garden. In other words, he likes the way they smell and taste.
6:13 refers to something called the “Dance of Mahanaim” which is describing her doing an ancient striptease for her husband.
7:2 Her “navel” is described as a glass of choice wine. Since the navel does not contain liquid, this is likely a euphemism for another body part that does!

Yes, these things really are in the Bible! In other words, there is tremendous freedom for Christians to enjoy the gift of sexuality within the guidelines that God has established. Could it be that maybe, just maybe, God knew what He was talking about all along?

Keep It Real,

James

NOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY:

2. Van Maren, Jonathan. Atheists In Praise of Christianity. Stream.org. May 19, 2020.

3. Crysostom, John. On Marriage

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