In Love for Life
Building or Rebuilding a Great Marriage
Holy Sex
Part 1
Teaching Strategy
The focus of this lesson is to examine God's original purpose for sexual union. Of special note is how God's plan was designed for marriage. There is further examination on the spiritual nature of sex and how this leads to full satisfaction within the marriage relationship.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Know: Understand God’s plan for marriage.
- Feel: Commit to following God’s plan for marriage.
- Do: Apply the concepts for building a lasting and loving marriage relationship.
Body of the Lesson
Discussion Questions
Below are suggested questions to use during the guided discussion portion of the lesson. There are also suggested responses to questions to help students grasp the various concepts. These are provided to assist the discussion and are not considered as “right or wrong” responses.
See text for more information.
- Sex was seen as a necessary evil necessary for procreation (Genesis 1:22)
- Over time, the pleasure of sex was seen as God-given and blessed by Him in marriage.
- A modern view is that since God created sex, we should use every tool and technology to embrace it and maximize its pleasure.
- Current thinking is summarized by the expressions, "meta-sex" meaning beyond the usual experience of sex.
Sex was created by God for the purpose of procreation. It was also created to provide completeness and unity with our spouse. It fulfills God's design for marriage between a man and a woman. When we experience the sexual relationship as God designed it, we are further expressing faithfulness to His plan and will.
- It was created by God before sin entered the world and corrupted it. (Genesis 2:24-25)
- It was designed by God to be one of His special experiences. It has a spiritual component that man-made actions do not have. - It is set apart for a specific purpose (To be made holy means to set apart therefore, sex is considered holy).
- To become one flesh is to experience the holy oneness designed by God (Genesis 1:24)
- Sex was designed by God as a unique experience in marriage, thus any other practice is not acceptable to God.
- Used to represent the relationship between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:31-32) Just as God created many different symbols and ceremonies to show man His work with Christ, sex represents the intimate and exclusive relationship between Christ and His Church.
- Procreation (Genesis 1:28) Conceiving children is a direct result of the experience of sex within a marriage. Other ways of procreation do not reflect God's original design. For worship (I Thessalonians 5:18) The oneness experienced through God's design for sex can lead to a heartfelt sense of gratitude and praise for God for this wonderful gift.
- Oneness (unity) is the image of God (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
- Sex represents oneness in marriage.
- Sex, therefore, (oneness in marriage) represents the image of oneness of God.
God created Adam and Eve to become one (2 in 1) just as God is 3 in 1. The combination of oneness by Adam and Eve mirrors God's oneness.
Note: The underlined words are the one to provide to complete the statement.
God designed human sexuality in marriage to create oneness .
Sex in marriage is God given .
A complete person is one who is complete in Christ . (Colossians 1:28).
We should understand that God gives good gifts (Matthew 7:11). The sexual relationship between a husband and wife represents just one such gift. We must practice it as God desires, thus expressing obedience and faithfulness to Him. Further, in doing so, we grow spiritually as we praise and honor Him through our sexual lives within marriage.