Sex is a gift from God...when you're married.
The god of sex promised us satisfaction, yet he left us lonely and ashamed.
He lured and enticed us by distorting what was designed to be a gift and a blessing. He made it seem as if nothing could be more satisfying than the quick release of physical urges. Yet nothing could have left us feeling smaller and weaker - as if those urges defined who we were, as if we were beasts of the field and no more.
Then we came to Jesus, who offers the greatest joy imaginable - so much greater and fuller than any physical impulse. We could see for the first time that the pursuit of the god of sex was never about love at all. It reduced others to mere objects to be used for our personal pleasure. But the love of Jesus finds its greatest satisfaction in service rather than use of others. It exalts them. It affirms them as Children of God. It connects them in body, soul, mind, and spirit, rather than simple base instinct.
Jesus is our satisfaction. All along, it was intimacy we really wanted, and he gives us that. When we have a love relationship with him, an unending honeymoon commences. Christ grows more wonderful to us every day.
Not that sex is put aside. On the contrary, it takes on a beauty and resonance we never could have imagined- the opposite of shame. We have been designed so that the level of intimacy we can have with our spouse is directly related to the depth of intimacy we have with Christ. Sexual intimacy as God designed it takes a human relationship to a whole new level, because we're not using one another; we're delighting in one another. The god of sex dehumanized us; Christ restores our wholeness and makes the two of us one flesh - so much the greater than the sum of our parts - as we seek him together.
The god of sex offers a counterfeit joy that becomes more elusive through time, ever harder to please, ever closer to emptiness. But the love of Christ only opens up to deeper joys, becoming ever greater.
Sexual pleasure, rightly viewed, is a rich gift that shows how much God loves us. But its ecstasy is only a foretaste of divine glory, a hint of the eternal pleasure of knowing, loving, and serving Christ. He is our true satisfaction.
-Adapted from "gods at war" by Kyle Idleman
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