By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Sean Finnegan”]

Genesis 2:21–25   As Bible-believing Christians, we ground our understanding of sexuality in creation. Before the Fall, God gave Adam and Eve marriage as a beautiful gift. This is the standard or pattern for all of us who seek marriage. The three components are to leave parents, cling to your spouse (2 Sam 23:10; Ps 137:6), and become one flesh (1 Cor 6:16).

Malachi 2:14-15; Matthew 19:4-6   Marriage is a covenant relationship and not a consumer relationship, which has profound effects on how we view physical intimacy. Like a nuclear reaction, sex is powerful, but also damaging if taken outside its proper boundaries.

When we step outside the confines of loving sex within biblical marriage, we end up in a myriad of situations including cohabitation, testing positive for sexually transmitted diseases, prostitution, pornography, adultery, sexual harassment, sexual assault, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, single parenting, and homosexual activity. Some of these also can occur within marriage, but most of them are eliminated by sticking to God’s design for sex within the marriage covenant.

1 Corinthians 7:3-5   Within marriage, spouses should not deprive each other, nor should they engage in abuse or coercive sex, but instead recognize the mutuality God intended for healthy intimacy.

1 Corinthians 7:6-9, 32-34, 39-40   Sex isn’t everything. Singleness is awesome too as Jesus and