Quite where the view came from that Christians don’t know anything about sex is a mystery, given that the Bible is not at all reticent in talking about this subject! The Song of Songs is an erotic love poem; there are numerous narratives about love, betrothal, marriage, adultery, rape and prostitution in the Old Testament and both Jesus and other New Testament writers address the subject (see Matthew 19:1-12, Hebrews 13:4, Eph 5:21-31, 1 Cor 5-7, 1 Pet 3:1-7, to name just a few passages).

It is fashionable nowadays to redefine our understanding of sex as though we have the last word on the subject and all who have gone before us knew nothing of jealousy, passion, lust, sacrificial love or undying commitment. Such an arrogant and short-term view is detrimental to us, for we can learn much from those who have gone before us, in this area as in so many others.

“Have you not read,” says Jesus, “that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?'” (Matthew 19:4-5; quoting from Genesis 1:27, 2:24). In this passage Scripture clearly states that sex is for marriage and marriage is for sex. Sex is not just a pleasurable way of expressing mutual love. It’s a question of two people becoming one flesh.

The Biblical view of sex is that it is God’s gift to us, His idea, and this gift is exclusively for marriage. It is:

• created by God
• intended to be part of a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman, a commitment publicly recognised through marriage
• a union dissolved only through death
• a picture of God’s relationship with humanity

‘Chastity before marriage, faithfulness within marriage’ is the Biblical way of living. This ideal may well not always occur and Jesus demonstrates to us the power of forgiveness (see John 8:1-11). His acceptance of those who had not lived sexually pure lives (as we read in Luke 7:36-50) shows us that there is no room for rejection of anyone; He is able to forgive, cleanse and restore, even when we stumble and fall; we must not fall under the devil’s lie that we are condemned because of our sin, for repentance will always bring us back to the mercy and grace of God. Nonetheless, Christians are called to ‘walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God’ (Eph 5:2), which involves a life of holiness (1 Pet 1:15-16), recognising that our whole lives belong to God who has redeemed us at the price of Christ’s blood (1 Cor 6:19-20). Paul is adamant that we must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. (Eph 4:17) He goes on to say ‘You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.’ (Eph 4:22-24) We are called to ‘walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh’ (Gal 5:16), called to a completely different standard of living than that practised by the rest of the world.

Difficult? Definitely. Impossible? Not if the Spirit of God lives in us.

Modern society laughs at the Biblical attitude to sex. Marilyn Monroe said, ‘Sex is part of nature. I go along with nature’, and Western culture in particular endorses the view that there are no longer any moral absolutes to follow regarding sexual behaviour. Robert Heinlein’s view that ‘sex without love is merely healthy exercise’ might not be everyone’s opinion, but the prevailing attitude is that we are free to do as we please and that sex is an appetite, just like eating or drinking. Cohabitation (living together without marriage) is the new family norm in the UK (‘the fastest growing family type’, according to the Office for National Statistics[1], with 2,893,000 heterosexual couples recorded as living together in the UK in the 2012 census compared to 1,459,000 in 1996[2].) How, then, can Christians swim against this tide? Why do we even try?

Paul’s teaching in 1 Cor 6:12-20 is fundamental to the traditional Christian view of sex. Sex is a gift from God, but as the giver of all gifts, He also has the right to set the boundaries for it. When God created the first man, Adam, and brought to him the first woman, Eve, He joined them together in marriage and pronounced it very good (see Gen 1:31, Gen 2:18, Gen 2:24). Sex in the Bible always comes back to this creation account (see also Matt 19:6, Mark 10:8). Paul, in warning the Corinthians against sexual immorality, does not cite sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, or unwanted pregnancies as reasons to refrain from sex outside of marriage (valid though these reasons may be). Instead, he refers to the sacredness of sex within marriage (as the Message version puts it, ‘There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact’) and reminds the Corinthians that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, indwelt by God Himself, and therefore we have a duty, a responsibility and an obligation to live in such a way as honours and pleases God. (1 Cor 6:19-20)

Sex outside of marriage is not part of God’s best for us. The intimacy of sex reflects the intimacy of our relationship with God (see Eph 5:21-31) and those who wish to live holy lives, set apart for God, will not be swayed by today’s casual attitude to sex or indeed by today’s indifference to God’s rules. They will want, ultimately, to live in a way that pleases the Lord (see Eph 5:10). In many respects, things have not really changed at all, for Corinth was, in the words of Warren Wiersbe, ‘a permissive society with a philosophy similar to that which the world has today.’ (‘Be Wise’, P 78) The French proverb ‘Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose’ is true; things may well change in all kinds of ways, but actually, there’s very little change at all. Sinful people always want to do things their own way; the way of abstinence, self-denial and self-sacrifice is anathema to the natural mind (see 1 Cor 2:13-16). Only as we allow Christ to dwell in us and the fruit of the Spirit to grow within us can we receive the power to live holy lives, lives of sexual purity and not sexual immorality.

[1] http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/family-demography/families-and-households/2012/cohabitation-rpt.html

[2] http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/family-demography/families-and-households/2012/cohabitation-rpt.html#tab-Opposite-and-same-sex-cohabitation

Khloe Kardashian is reputed to have said ‘I went to Catholic school and they basically just said don’t have sex, but would never explain anything.’  The Bible is explicit in urging us to flee from sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:13, 18, Acts 15:20, 1 Cor 10:8, Eph 5:3, Col 3:5, 1 Thess 4:3), but it also explains the reasons behind this and is not shy in talking about sex.

Today’s society may well seem obsessed about sex, but this is no recent phenomenon; Corinth was in a similar position, declaring freedom from rules and a hedonistic lifestyle (‘I have the right to do anything’ (1 Cor 6:12)) and the fact that sex was merely a physical pleasure like eating (1 Cor 6:13). Paul refutes both arguments in 1 Cor 6:12-20, going back to God’s original purpose in creating male and female and arguing that as the One who created sex, He has the right to establish the rules for sex as well. Gen 2:24 is the key passage in showing us that sex is about more than physical union; it involves a ‘joining together’ (the word means ‘to glue’ or ‘cement’) which is both spiritual and physical, mirroring the relationship between God and people (see Ezek 23 & Rev 21 for the way God describes His union with people as marriage and spiritual idolatry as adultery; see also Eph 5:23-31 for Paul’s connection between earthly marriage and the church’s relationship as bride with Christ as bridegroom.)

Sexual union is not just about fulfilling a physical appetite. ‘There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact.’ (1 Cor 6:18, The Message) No matter how determined people are today to treat sex as a physical function or bodily appetite (the Marquis de Sade, whose contribution to the English language through the word sadism is hardly a recommendation for his views, said ‘Sex is as important as eating or drinking and we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint or false modesty as the other’), Paul teaches that sexual immorality cannot be equated with these things, but involves a spiritual oneness and goes on to declare that for the believer, our bodies are vitally important. Leon Morris says ‘The body cannot be disregarded as unimportant. The body is for the Lord. It is the instrument wherein a man serves God. It is the means by which man glorifies God.’ (Commentary on 1 Corinthians, P 100) Since God raised Christ’s body from the dead (a fact Paul will elaborate on in 1 Corinthians 15), we cannot treat our bodies as unimportant but as holy temples in which God the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Cor 6:19-20). Our bodies and whole lives belong to God, and therefore we have an obligation to flee from sexual immorality.

There’s also a wealth of online material suitable for use with children. Bible Society’s ‘Bible Bedtime’ encourages parents to read Bible stories to their children; the Bible apps tell fun, colourful cartoon Bible stories, complete with downloadable, printable images from the narratives.

‘The Bible For Kids’ is a selection of animated Bible stories, with games and activities to help children remember the story. Children can read along with the stories, thus fostering the skill of reading aloud.

‘David vs Goliath – A Righteous Tale’ won last year’s Premier Digital award and offers a modern, child-friendly retelling of the story of David and Goliath (aimed at 7-11 year olds), including activities and online games.

‘Guardians of Ancora’ is a tablet game from Scripture Union aimed at 8-11 year olds which offers an interactive experience of the Bible. New stories are regularly added; this app is entirely free to download.

If teaching children God’s word is the aim, there are a number of useful websites which have games, activities and printable resources. ‘Incredible Islands’ has lessons suitable for use in church services or at home, with each lesson linking to more than 100 online games and activities (charges apply.) ‘Bible Buddies’ is a useful tool providing cut-out figures and backdrops to bring Bible stories to life. And for those of you who love Lego, ‘The Brick Testament’ brings Bible stories to life using Lego characters!

With such a plethora of resources available to us, we have no excuse for not engaging with the Bible. The youngest to the oldest can find something to engage us in such a variety of media that we can all find ways of reading the Bible. God’s Word is not chained; in our country, we have so many resources freely available to us that we should indeed be able to read, learn and inwardly digest this precious book. All that is required is our willingness to immerse ourselves in the world of the Bible.

Ps 119:11 says ‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.’ There are a number of online apps designed to help us do just that!

Remember Me is an app that helps you memorise Scripture, using audio as well as word puzzles. Another useful site is Fighter Verses, which focuses 1) the character and worth of our great God, 2) battling against our fleshly desires, and 3) the hope of the Gospel as they give specific verses to learn. Again, a variety of methods help you memorise Scripture, including songs and games.

The Verses Project is another useful website for learning Bible verses, using musical and visual art to help people meditate on and memorise Scripture. Music seems to be a great way of getting God’s Word into our hearts and minds, so this is a really helpful way of absorbing God’s word!

Got Questions? is a website which has 439,557 questions and answers about the Bible, so is really useful for answering questions such as ‘Who was Cain’s wife?’ or ‘What does the Bible say about gambling?’ Great for parents or anyone who really does have questions about the Bible!

There are a whole host of websites which have commentaries on the Bible for those wanting to study the Bible in more detail. Some useful ones are listed below:

1. Step Bible
2. Bible Hub
3. Blue Letter Bible
4. Bible Web App
5. ESword

There is also a lot of sophisticated Bible software available, but some of this is expensive.

There are a host of different apps, websites and games which are available online to help us engage with the Bible, and as we prepare for Bible Sunday on 25th October, it’s good to have a look at some of these for all of you out there who are tech savvy…

Bible Gateway is a fantastic website offering free access to the Bible in more than 70 languages and 200 different translations. It’s a great way to find passages, look up quotations and generally find out more about the Bible. This is the site I really miss when my Internet connection drops out!

Bible Companion is an app which is designed to ‘bring us back to what is most important every day’, helping to ‘build healthy Christian habits of Bible reading’. The Bible Companion App helps create and maintain good Bible reading habits by tracking your Bible readings with consistency meters, progress bars, and reading stats displayed within daily, weekly & monthly charts. Other tracking features include setting goals for prayer, reflection, community, Bible Study, and other readings. For those whose phones seem to control their lives, this is a great way of monitoring what you read!

Bible In One Year is an app which offers daily Old and New Testament readings (along with a reflection on these texts.) A great way to be disciplined about reading the whole of the Bible.

She Reads Truth & He Reads Truth give reading plans in ‘manageable lengths’ for men and women with beautiful text and imagery. They can be read online or on a phone or by email subscription. You’re encouraged to reflect on the passages read by asking the following 5 questions:

1. What does this teach me about God?
2. What does this teach me about man?
3. What does this teach me about the Gospel?
4. How will I respond?
5. How will I pray?

The whole point of all these tools is to get us engaged in actually reading God’s Word. It’s never been easier to do this, when we can carry the Bible with us on a phone or tablet wherever we go. Let’s make the most of technology and dive in!