The Gift of Sex

You shall not commit adultery.
—Exodus 20:14

God loves sex. He absolutely loves it. Now, if that seems a little bit sacrilegious to you, I want you to think about this: Who invented sex? Where did it come from? I mean, can’t you just picture God in heaven one day thinking, You know, I’ve got a great idea for what would be really fun. And He dreams up this idea. Wouldn’t it be fun if . . . Then not only did God dream up the idea of sex, but He also designed the equipment for sex. Sex is not the result of man’s fall; it’s the result of God’s creativity. God did not design sex primarily for procreation, as the Puritans would have you believe. The primary reason God created sex was for pleasure.

God created sex so there could be a oneness between man and woman. Sex is not a curse that is a result of the Fall. Sex is a gift. It is a marvelous gift from God that comes with only one instruction: use as directed. And the only direction God gives us about sex is this: sex is to occur only within the marriage relationship. That’s the only restriction God gives about sex. Have all the fun you want, but sex is reserved for the marriage relationship.

And that instruction is the basis for the Seventh Commandment. This is a very short commandment. It simply says, “No adultery.” Or as we have expanded it, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Why did God give this commandment? This commandment is not for God’s benefit; it’s for our benefit.

What do we mean by adultery? In in the strictest sense, adultery occurs when a married person has sex with anyone other than his spouse. Now, when an unmarried person has sex outside marriage, the Bible calls that fornication. But adultery occurs when a married person has sex outside the marriage relationship.

Why does the Bible speak so vehemently against adultery? One reason is, there is probably no relationship that mirrors our relationship with God any more than our relationship with our mate. How you treat your mate in many ways, especially in your fidelity, will determine how you treat God. Marriage is a covenant. It is a sacred relationship.

In the Old Testament, Malachi prophesied against the Israelites after they returned from exile. Even though they had a spiritual revival with the new temple, they quickly backslid into their old ways. And God refused to accept their sacrifices because of their rebellious hearts. Look at God’s charge against the Israelites: “You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:13–14). For a person to divorce a spouse for another person is to break a covenant relationship. And God treats that very, very seriously. He said to Israel, “I will no longer hear your prayers. I will no longer receive your offering because you have dealt with your mate, your covenant partner in life, in a treacherous way.” For a Christian spouse to leave his or her mate is an unspeakable act. Unless there are two extenuating circumstances, which we will see later this week.

To say, “I’m no longer happy. I’m no longer fulfilled. I don’t think God wants me to be miserable, so I’m leaving this relationship” is to deal treacherously with your mate. And it is an affront against Almighty God. God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). God doesn’t hate divorced people. But He hates divorce because He knows what it does to people. God says sex is for the marriage relationship alone.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Safe Sex,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2008.
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.