Sex...in the Garden of Eden?!

Genesis chapter two is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. Why? Because it goes into detail about how and why God created Adam and Eve and what his plan was for them. With Valentine's Day just a few days away and the release of a movie that is a shameful, distorted lie about what sex should look like, let's see what God says about sex.

"The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (2:7) The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (2:15) The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper for him." (2:18) So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. (2:21-22)

Think of it! God didn't want Adam to be alone so he fashioned the most perfect companion for him. A woman. She was similar to him in many ways, but oh so wonderfully different in others. Then God himself brought the woman to Adam! What a beautiful picture of God's love and faithfulness. That, my friend, is what every marriage should look like. God at the center of two human beings fashioned for one another.

Now comes the best part!

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." (2:24-25)

"One flesh." 

"Naked."

"No shame."

This is God's perfect plan for sex, folks! Adam and Eve were naked. Adam and Eve became one flesh through sexual intercourse. Adam and Eve felt no shame. Keep in mind this all happened before sin entered the world. Adam and Eve had sex in the garden and there was no shame in it whatsoever.

No shame.

Let that sink in for a moment. We are a generation that is bombarded by sexual images all day long. On TV. In movie theaters. On our computers and phones. In books, magazines, and newspapers. And the vast majority of it is shameful. Sinful.

There is no shame in sex the way God intended it--between one man and one woman who are committed to one another through marriage. Anything outside of that is a distortion of the original plan. God created sex for us to enjoy. He wants us to enjoy being with our mate intimately. But when sin entered the world, sex became one of Satan's favorite tools to destroy our relationship with God and with one another.

Sex was God's gift to Adam and Eve. There was nothing shameful about it. Don't accept anything other than God's gift when it comes to sex. If you're married, keep only unto your spouse. Work at your marriage if it's not what it should be. If you're single, abstain from all forms of sex. If you have same-sex attraction, you also need to abstain. God has a plan for your life and same-sex union is not it. Seek Him only.

We may not be able to return to the perfection of the Garden, but we CAN choose to keep ourselves pure and holy for the God who created us!

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