Ben Patterson wrote a chapter entitled The Goodness of Sex and the Glory of God in Sex and the Supremacy of Christ. He starts by talking about our cultures obsession with sex, relating some graffiti: “Sex makes free” and “Copulo, ergo sum” or “I copulate, therefore I am”.
Sex is certainly over-rated in our culture. People on TV make it sound like the end all & be all of life. It seems to be the great pursuit. This is, as Patterson reminds us of C.S. Lewis’ ideas, the Enemy’s plan, to encourage us to twist and misuse pleasure.
God is not against pleasure- He created it. He made our bodies in such a way that sex brings great pleasure to us. God is pro-pleasure, including sexual pleasure. Since Satan can’t remove the pleasure from sex, he will twist it and prompt us to mis-use it through immorality, perversion and abuse. As Screwtape says “An ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure is the formula.” What an apt description of addiction.
Patterson moves on to trace the idea of the Bible as a Book about Marriage and Sex. It begins and ends with marriages. In Genesis 2 we see Adam and Eve marrying. In Revelation we see the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. Marriage metaphors run thru many of the main themes of the Bible. He notes Hosea’s marriage from Hades as a picture of God’s marriage with Israel.
Beyond that, the Bible is clear that sex is an area devastated by sin, and one which Jesus came to redeem. Jesus is not out to destroy our sex lives, but to redeem them for His purposes & glory, and our greater pleasure.
Lastly, The Song of Songs is about the joy of married sex. It is filled with numerous metaphors describing its joys and satisfaction.
But we need to build our theology of sex on solid ground. We can quickly go off track if we don’t remain firmly grounded in what the Bible does say (and many a Christian group has gone in wrong directions).
1. Creation is good (well, until Adam rebelled anyway). But our sexuality is part of the goodness. Sex and sexuality are good, but have been marred by the Fall. We corrupt them, often by making an idol of sex. Patterson notes the significant difference between the Bible’s account of creation and the pagan myths of creation. In the myths, the gods were forced to use pre-existing material and creation was less than good. Humans, too, are often seen negatively. They may be viewed as slaves or playthings of the gods, not made as God’s image serving as stewards.
2. The reality of the Incarnation. Jesus did not come as some androgenus, non-sexual being. He was a male, and was circumcised. He was not a eunuch. He was tempted in every way, including sexually, but was without sin (so much for The Last Temptation). That means Jesus didn’t have blinders on. He found woman attractive. He just didn’t lust after them. He didn’t gather groupies for His pleasure either.
3. We were made as sexual beings. We cannot separate our sex from our identity. I see life, and experience life, as a man. Cavwife? As a woman. It is different. There are things I cannot experience simply because I am a man, and not a woman. Our sex is more than just a functional way to make new people. Rather is shapes our experience and callings.
4. We were made to be together. God said it was not good for Adam to be alone. He made Eve for him, to complement him- to be both what he was (human) and what he wasn’t (female). Together they are God’s image. This is part of the reality of the one-fleshness of marriage.
5. We find ourselves as we give ourselves away. Here is where Patterson makes a great, powerful observation: “the quality of life does not consist in the number of experiences one has, but in the depth of commitment.” When I was a single man, I had lots of great experiences, but in many ways life was shallow due to a lack of commitments. I was committed to Jesus. But I could flitter through life in other ways. As a married man, and a father, I am called to a greater quality of life (character). Life is no longer a series of experiences, but now something is required of me. People depend on me. As a friend said about himself recently, “I have to be a man.”
This chapter suffers the misfortune of being sandwiched between the chapters John Piper wrote, and the one David Powlison wrote (an awesome chapter, alone worth the price of the book). It is a good chapter in the midst of GREAT chapters.
If true that Jesus was married , he will not be able to run His Father’s mission to save human from sin. Be married and have children to care is a hard responsibilities. We know by ourselves. It is hard too be the Anointed One if Jesus given a resposibility to get married. About Mary Magdalene , yes , I agree and believe that whereever , whatever and whenever Jesus went , I can notice her appearence. But doesn’t mean she is Jesus’s girlfriend on Jesus wife or what so ever! She was once a prostitute but she repent. She follow Jesus to show how she believe in salvation. How do I know? Why ? Because Mary Magdalene was just a symbol of how we should be gentle , strong and have high quality of faith.
My friends , its up to you to choose , either Jesus is married or not married. But Jesus is the Lord and He was born not…Not..NOT WITH SPERM OF MARY AND JOSEPH BUT BY THE HOLY GHOST OF THE POWERFUL FATHER AND GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH..EVEN THE MOSLEM SAY THIS TO DESCRIBE THE EXISTENCE OF JESUS….
My friends , I know I am not worthy to say this. I am just like u all. A human being…not perfect..just a simple man with simple dreams and simple imagination. But all these comes from my heart based on my experience to know Jesus. O yes.. I am a Catholic and I am from Sabah , in state of Malaysia. I don’t judge Dan Brown. He is just a human. He thinks as a human and some other human will either support this latest fact and some who wise simply ignore his writings. Well , it doesn’t matter. As long as I and other wise Catholic or non-Catholic or Moslem are wise to choose which one the true path, there should not be any forces to like ‘ you must choose that or choose this’. Its up to u and me to think professionaly and wisely. But for me , Jesus will be only He and the Father and the Holy Spirit until the end of time.
Gerald,
I finally realized why you were saying the things you were when I saw “Dan Brown”. This post has NOTHING to do with Dan Brown. I don’t believe the fiction Dan Brown has written. Search this blog and you will see proof of that. But you seem to have other issues as well. There is only one path to walk. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except thru Him. You cannot have the Father if you reject the Son according to John’s 1st letter.
You too think like a human and are not submitting yourself to God & His revelation.