Holiness of Sexual Intimacy
Dr. Richard Shropshire - The Barnabas Connection
What makes something "holy"?
- It is perfect and spiritually pure in its nature.
- It is designated by God as "holy".
- It is set apart by God and for God.
- It evokes a sense of worship and awe - even fear and trembling.
How can these concepts be applied to sexual intimacy?
1. Sexual intimacy was created by God to be perfect and spiritually pure.
- created before the Fall of Adam and Eve and designated by God as "good"
- damaged by the Fall, creating sexual selfishness and sexual abuse
2. Sexual intimacy was designed by God to be holy - given the divine, mysterious purpose of making two persons into an organic unity: oneness
3. Sexual intimacy is holy because it was set apart by God for a special purpose: to represent the intimacy between Christ and His bride, the Church
4. Sexual intimacy is a sacred and holy encounter because it can and should evoke a sense of worship: deep, soul-touching wonder at the magnificent Creator who designed such an experience for His children
The primary goal of sexual intimacy is not procreation or pleasure - it is oneness: to create a sacred physical and spiritual intimacy
1. With one's mate
And as we understand that oneness:
2. With God
Summary:
1. Sexual intimacy is to be a sacred and holy event.
2. Sexual intimacy is to be understood as both representing and celebrating the mysterious intimacy of Christ and the Church
3. Entering into sexual intercourse is a way to worship and celebrate God
4. The primary purpose of sexual intimacy is the creation and re-creation of marital oneness
5. Each act of sexual intimacy is an ongoing renewal of the marriage covenant.
6. Having a biblical theology of sexual intimacy:
- can make it a higher priority in our lives
- can cause us to sacrifice in other areas in order to reserve energy for a worshipful time with one's mate
- can moves us from an attitude of selfishness to an attitude of serving
- can cause us to see our mates, not as objects to satisfy ourselves, but rather as God's perfect gift with whom we have the privilege of entering into a mysterious oneness
Final Note: Adam's God-created loneliness was eliminated by the God-created intimacy between Adam and Eve. That process then becomes a visualization of his finding oneness with God.
