Sexuality as God I. Introduction A. Few issues are as complicated and fraught with difficulty as sexuality B. God in Christ through the Bible and the creation establish not only a healthy sexuality but also robust connections between theology and sexuality 1. Genesis 1:26-29, 2:24: God made man and woman in His image, commanded them to be fruitful and multiply 2. Romans 1:18-19: God’s divine nature manifest in the creation, thus, in man made in His image 3. God as one in relational unity (perichoresis; John 17:20-23) 4. What relationship most closely approximates that level of unity? When a man and a woman, being two, yet become one flesh (Matthew 19:4-6) 5. The analogy of sexual intimacy and spiritual intimacy is made explicit in Ephesians 5:31-32 in terms of Christ and the church 6. Human sexuality was created good, and still has its good purpose in the covenant of marriage of a man and woman becoming one flesh, a glimpse of perichoretic unity which reflects the relational unity within the Godhead (Genesis 1:26-31, 2:24, Matthew 19:6, John 17:20-23, Romans 1:20, Ephesians 5:32-33, Hebrews 13:4) 7. Procreation is a consequence of human sexuality, and children remain embodied representations of how the two have become one flesh, reflecting the characteristics of both mother and father, just as God shared in love and created “offspring” made in His image (Genesis 1:26-29, Acts 17:26-29) 8. The Bible thus has much to say about healthy sexuality, and connects it very powerfully to how we understand ourselves as made in God’s image! C. Our culture, meanwhile, espouses very different views about sexuality, considering less than healthy behavior as perfectly acceptable, glorying in brokenness: such is counterfeit sexuality, suggested to be good and beneficial and healthy, yet truly broken, degraded, and impoverished! D. One does not have to spend a lot of time in modern Western culture to notice its obsession with and saturation in sexuality 1. Movies and television shows always seem to feature sexual relationships 2. The media frequently discuss matters of sexuality 3. Everywhere you look it seems that people are trying to sell you things, from gum to cars, by “sex appeal” E. Why does so much seem to revolve around sexuality? 1. There is no doubt that sexually deviant behavior has been around for as long as there have been people 2. Until recently it mostly stayed in private; 1t is now aggressively publicized and promoted! F. Let us explore why sexuality has taken center stage in Western society and what God has to say about it II. A Godless Society A. What happens when a culture no longer honors God as Creator nor considers themselves made in God’s image (Romans 1:18-32)? 1. As Paul describes, such a culture, despite considering itself wise, becomes foolish, futile and darkened in thinking 2. They give the glory due to God to forces of nature, animals, humanistic divinities 3. God then gives them over to their lusts B. Thanks to the acceptance and promotion of the philosophical “perfect storm” of modernism, rationalism, scientism, Darwinism, Epicureanism, and consumerism, modern secular Western culture does not honor God as the Creator, nor considers its members made in His image C. Meanwhile, it is not as if people have actually ceased bearing the image of God; not a few still have an inkling that there should be more to life than this life and seek meaningful connections and relationships with others D. As noted, human sexuality was designed by God, in its purest form, to provide a glimpse of the perichoretic relational unity which exists within the Godhead and ought to exist among the people of God and God (Matthew 19:4-6, John 17:20-23, Ephesians 5:32-33) E. So what happens when people no longer honor God as their Creator, do not see themselves as made in His image, but still recognize the transcendental experience of relational unity inherent in human sexuality? They make a god out of sexuality! 1. One of the most powerful forces “divinized” by humanity has been fertility 2. Many of the earliest carvings are of female figures with exaggerated sexual characteristics (breasts and/or genitalia) 3. Ishtar was the goddess of love for the Sumerians and later Mesopotamian cultures; ritual sexual behavior in honor of the goddess was prominent 4. The same trend existed among the Canaanites a. Judah had presumed Tamar to be a “sacred prostitute” (Genesis 38:21) b. For good reason YHWH condemned any “sacred prostitution” among men or women in Israel (Deuteronomy 23:17-18) c. A priest of Baal would participate in ritual sex with a priestess of Astarte to encourage fertility and fecundity for the year 5. The cult surrounding Aphrodite/Venus in Greco-Roman culture was legendary F. And so it is today: our culture no longer honors God as our creator, no longer sees humanity as made in His image, but recognizes the mystical, transcendental experience inherent in human sexuality; people today thus make a god of sexuality (Romans 1:24-28) III. Manifestations of Worship of Sexuality A. Obsession, Norming of Sexuality 1. Perhaps the plainest manifestation of the deep devotion to sexuality in Western culture is the level of its obsession and norming 2. In Western culture sexuality is no longer a privilege but an unalienable right and one expected to be exercised frequently 3. The pursuit of a contented sex life is expected; anyone who does not enjoy such a life is considered an object of pity 4. Our culture cannot really comprehend the idea that anyone would voluntarily renounce sexual behavior (Matthew 19:12, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40) B. Anyone who would suggest that certain people must renounce forms of sexual lust and behavior in order to be right with God are viewed as bigoted, intolerant, oppressive, repressive, and a throwback to an earlier age 1. Witness how Christians are treated for suggesting that those who experience same sex desires should not act on them (Romans 1:26-28, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10) 2. The same is proving true in terms of divorced people, not only in the world, but also even now among those who profess to be in the Lord’s body, claiming that the “right” to sexual satisfaction should trump Jesus’ explicit declarations about marriage and divorce (Genesis 2:18 24; Matthew 19:3-9, 1 Corinthians 7:1-4) 3. It is one thing for Christians to have their “crackpot” views about sexuality; it is quite another for them to expect anyone else to accept them or live by them! C. There is great expenditure of time, money, and effort into the promotion of sexuality all around us! 1. Marketing mantra: “sex sells”! 2. Since sexuality is generally seen as one of the universal experiences of mankind, and both men and women respond positively to attractive females and sexual innuendo, advertising is saturated with sexuality 3. Since the Victorian era many have sought to expand “sexual freedom” and see culture give greater license and permission regarding a variety of sexual practices; major cultural shifts in the 1920s and since the 1960s have resulted D. Modern Western culture treats sexuality in a very sophomoric way, intoxicated by the perceived freedom from past strictures and not yet considering responsible behavior E. Thus we see that “sex is the answer” 1. People in modern Western culture are more isolated, alone, and alienated than ever before 2. Many seek “medication” for their loneliness; some find it in drugs, etc. 3. Yet, frequently, sex is considered to be the answer 4. Lonely? Find someone with whom to have sex 5. Depressed? Sex should help that 6. If only you had a fulfilling sex life, things would be better, or so culture says! F. Thus people fall for this big lie, seek more sexual intercourse, more interesting forms of sexual intercourse, or different sexual partners, and yet feel no better about themselves IV. The Problem With “Sexolatry” A. The problem, of course, is that sex is not the answer 1. Finding many sexual partners does not automatically make a person feel more attractive, sexy, or less lonely 2. Having frequent sexual intercourse does not automatically relieve depression, loneliness, or alienation B. Human sexuality cannot bear the burden culture would have it to bear! 1. Human sexuality was designed to be enjoyable, but it isn’t everything 2. Sexual intercourse, on its own, cannot provide a meaningful, accepting, satisfying relationship 3. After time the novelty can wear off and the enjoyment dulled 4. The time may come when sexual intercourse does not work as well and that desire for it fades (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:1-7) 5. It seems as if we have been sold a bill of goods! C. Culture sells a bill of goods in terms of human sexuality because it is good, but it is not the Absolute nor the ultimate Good 1. Idolatry, in short, is when something God made as good is made absolute 2. Thus, Romans 1:18-25 3. Whereas God can ultimately satisfy and provide all things because He is Absolute, nothing He made is absolute, and so it cannot fully satisfy (Romans 8:31-39) 4. For millennia man has made a god out of sex; their lusts were not thus fully satisfied, their yearning for something greater than they remained! D. Human sexuality, therefore, is not god; God made human sexuality, it remains good, but it cannot fully satisfy! V. Conclusion A. We have seen what happens when humans do not honor God as their Creator, do not see themselves as made in His image, but recognize the mystical and transcendental nature of the human sexual experience: they make a god out of sex B. We have seen the demonstrations and implications of “sexolatry” in culture C. And yet we have recognized that sex cannot be god since sex cannot fully satisfy; a person who always is able to satisfy every sexual desire every time they have it will not be made full thereby and have gained little D. Instead we do well to recognize that human sexuality is good because the God who created it is good; God created it for a man and a woman to become one flesh in the boundaries of the covenant of marriage; in so doing it reflects a glimpse of the perichoretic relational unity in the Godhead and which God desires to share with us and for us to share with each other in Christ (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, John 17:20-23, Romans 1:20, Ephesians 5:32-33) E. We must accept no substitutes: let us honor God as our Creator, seek relational unity with Him as He is relational unity within Himself, and maintain our bodies in sanctification and honor to His glory (John 17:20-23, 1 Thessalonians 4:2-8)! F. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened (Romans 1:21). Ancient cultures did not honor God as their Creator. They did not see themselves as made in His image. They may have thought themselves wise but proved foolish in their reasoning. In the name of “progress” many are doing the same today. May we not join them! 2: "None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute” (Deuteronomy 23:17 ESV). Ancient cultures believed in goddesses of love and sexuality. They would often perform sexual rituals, thinking they would promote fertility. YHWH condemned this behavior in Israel. We do well to learn from their example! 3: Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves (Romans 1:24). Ancient people gave into their lusts, and frequently. Paul says they did so because they did not honor God, and God gave them over to their lusts. Many today think they have found liberation but really have just exchanged prisons. May we not be given over to our lusts! 4: My little children, guard yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21). Many make sexuality into a god. Yet as a god sexuality fails miserably. Sex cannot fully satisfy; the God who designed it can. May we honor God as our Creator, trust in Him, and find relational unity in Him!