The Bible and sex are two words that aren’t usually used in the same sentence. However, the Bible addresses sex very profoundly from the beginning to the end. This article explores the Bible and sex.
The Biblical History of Sex
Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 NKJV reads:
9. That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.
10. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.
“and there is nothing new under the sun.”The first point to make in the area of sex is that what we are seeing today is not new. All of the sexual immorality that is going on today has happened before during Biblical times. It was actually worse in Biblical times than it is today. We are well on our way to reaching that point, but we aren’t there yet.
In this article, we will look at the history of sex—from the beginning.
Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV reads:
26. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply;
Here, we see God as the creator defining gender—male and female. This principle carries through the balance of Scripture.
Genesis 2:24-25 NKJV
24. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
25. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Here, we see a definition of sex and gender and a definition of marriage between a man and a woman. This definition is the Biblical perspective.
Let’s look at how the Bible acknowledges God as the creator found in The Three Angels Messages.
Rev 14:6-7 NKJV
6. Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people —
7. saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
This first angel’s message is a call to fear God, to give glory to Him, and to worship Him. It also links God to the creation, as the creator of the earth, the seas, the fountains, and the waters. It also sheds light on the fact that God, as the creator, is the definer of reality—what is real and what is not, including sex, gender, and marriage. If we acknowledge God as the creator, we are not privileged to have Him conform to our reality, but to have Him relay His reality to us.
Today, God has been rejected and abandoned by a great many people. As a result, they have established their own reality. This reality goes against the sacred Scriptures.
However, this article explores God’s reality as He intended, which is reflected in the Scriptures, as shown in Genesis 1 and 2. As we continue, it will become clear how quickly this reality was broken down after the fall of man.
The Beginning of Polygamy
Genesis 4:19 NKJV
19. Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
Remember that in Genesis 2:24- 25, marriage was to be between one man and one woman. But here we see that Lamech, a descendant of Cain, took two wives. He was the first polygamist. He was the first one to redefine God’s reality.
Today, in the media, we see depictions of men having more than one wife. There is a term known as thruples. Which is a man married to two women, and each of those women is married to the man and each other. These relationships are becoming more prevalent in society today.
Understand that these things are not new. While they may be new to us, they are not new in the history of time, nor in the history of Biblical sex, sexuality, gender, and marriage. For us to stay on track concerning the will of God concerning sex and gender, our focus must be on Genesis chapters one and two.
Genesis 29:28-30 NKJV:
28. Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.
29. And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid.
30. Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.
Genesis 30:3-4, 9 NKJV
3. So she [Rachel] said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.”
4. Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.
9. When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.
Now at this point, Jacob has four wives. What we see here is that God’s people were also subjected to false ideas and a false understanding of marriage, gender, and sexuality. Society had reached a point where false ideas about marriage and relationships were ubiquitous in the land. These false ideas had turned out to be so prevalent that it was not regarded as sin.
As accepted as it was, this lifestyle caused much distress in family units. This deprivation of society regarding the family is part of what caused God to judge the earth and bring on the flood.
Prostitution in the Bible
In Genesis 38:15-16, Judah, one of Jacob’s sons, a leader of one of the tribes of Israel, propositioned his daughter-in-law for sex because he mistakenly thought she was a prostitute. Hence, prostitution was prevalent in the land.
Sex in Worship
Let’s look at Numbers 25:1-3 NIV:
1. While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women,
2. who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods.
3. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.
This apostasy occurred while Israel was on the verge of entering the Promised Land. What this passage brings out is that there was a connection between sexuality and worship during this time. Most sexual sins that were committed in the Promised Land were connected to the worship of the false gods.
This sinful worship is the same plot that Satan is laying for us today to keep us from the heavenly Promised Land. One of His mediums is sexual immorality to turn individuals away from God. God created sex to be enjoyed, but Satan has intervened and perverted as he does with everything that God has created. However, most are blinded to the fact that what is happening today is related to worship. It is worship that is the final conflict that we will be judged on.
Sexual Law Established
God gave the Israelites many profound warnings before they entered the Promised Land in Leviticus 18. In Leviticus 18:5-20 NKJV, it reads:
5. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.
6. ‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord.
7. The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.
8. The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness.
9. The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover.
10. The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness.
11. The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father — she is your sister — you shall not uncover her nakedness.
12. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father.
13. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother.
14. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt.
15. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law — she is your son’s wife — you shall not uncover her nakedness.
16. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.
17. You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness.
18. Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.
19. ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity.
20. Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her.
God warned and instructed against these behaviors because they existed in the Land (the Promised Land) they were about to occupy. In His wisdom, God understood that they would be subjected to this sinful culture. In verses 24 and 25 of Leviticus 18, God said, “Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants.”
Israel would experience pressure from the surrounding nations. Just as societal pressure existed then, it exists presently. Today, we call it peer pressure, which has expanded to every facet of society—including the church. Young adults in the church have false perceptions concerning sexuality. Many young adults in the church do not see homosexuality or transgenderism as an issue. Delaying sex until marriage is considered old-fashioned by most. For decades, premarital sex has been virtually pervasive among Americans.
It is damning enough for worldly individuals to have these views. However, for Christians in the church, including some members of the Clergy, to have these views is absolutely preposterous! The Scriptures are unambiguous on the issues of fornication, adultery, homosexuality, etc. We have no excuse for embracing and accepting these abominations. We see that these things occurred in the past and were wrong then. They are occurring today, and they are still wrong.
Transgender in the Bible
Transgender is not new. This behavior also occurred during Biblical times, and the Israelites were warned about it. Deuteronomy 22:5 NKJV reads, “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an ABOMINATION to the Lord your God.”
This cross-dressing was passed down from Babylon and was part of ancient pagan worship to the goddess Ishtar of love, war, fertility, and sex. The apostate Israelites worshipped this goddess under Ashtoreth—The Queen of Heaven. In Deuteronomy 32:16-17, worshipping pagan deities is linked to worshipping demons.
Needless to say, this practice was not favorable worship with these pagan practices. God offered worship where people were respected and valued, and they had an idea of sexuality and gender that was in line with what is defined in Genesis chapters one and two.
Both the Old and New Testaments speak against these ungodly acts. Romans 1:18-32 addresses these behaviors and God’s wrath against them.
Conclusion
Again, remember what it says in Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 NKJV, “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. (10) Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.”
What is being done today, has been done before. It was wrong then, and it is wrong today.
Amen
Questions, comments, and concerns may be left below.
Blessings!
