In the previous blog we discussed the goodness of sex as ordered in a creation not corrupted by sin. However, with the sinfulness of the first humans, the created order was corrupted.
The loss of human innocence is proclaimed in the words “they knew they were naked” (Genesis 3:7). This signifies a change in human nature in which nakedness is associated with shame. As we continue to read the biblical narrative, we discover that sinful humans behave shamefully, especially when it comes to sex. The Bible is an “R” rated book. When we talk about sex, we often do so in whispers. But, not the Bible. The biblical writers spoke loud and plain, often in coarse, earthy language.
The first consequence of human sinfulness was a disordered relationship between male and female. The joy of sex and procreation gives way to increased “pain in childbirth”. The mutual love and respect between the male and female gives way to a relationship in which the female is subjugated to the male (cf. Genesis 3:16). Here we must point out that any reading of the biblical text that supports male domination or female inferiority is informed by the curse, not creation, and certainly not by redemption. The disordered male/female relationship is often demonstrated in the imposition of cultural gender roles that distort created order. In some cultures, women have been prohibited from political participation, education, and other opportunities because they have been perceived as inferior or incapable.
Sinful and disordered sexual relationships are carefully documented in the Biblical narrative.
-
- Monogamy gives way to polygamy when Lamech married two women (Genesis 4:19).
- Abraham, the father of the faith, is married to his half-sister, Sarai, whom he twice offers as a sexual partner to other men (Genesis 12:10ff; 20:1ff). Furthermore, Abraham had sex with Sarai’s slave, Hagar (Genesis 16:1ff) – a practice that was often repeated.
- The men of Sodom demand to have sex with Lot’s guests. In response, Lot offered his daughters to be raped (Genesis 19:1ff).
- Lot had sex with his two daughters and impregnated them, a relationship in which all participants were complicit (Genesis 19:32ff).
- Prince Shechem the Hivite raped Dinah, the daughter of Jacob (Genesis 34:1ff).
- Jacob (Israel) had a concubine named Bilhah with whom his son, Reuben, had sex (Genesis 35:22).
- Onan “went in to his brother’s wife” and “wasted his seed on the ground” (Genesis 38:9).
- Judah had sex with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, who posed as a prostitute (Genesis 38:13ff).
- Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph (Genesis 39:6ff).
All this is recorded in the first book of the Bible! There’s more to come. The book of Judges tells us that Jephthah was the son of a harlot (11:1), that Samson loved Philistine harlots (16:1), and concludes with the horrific story of the concubine who was gang raped to death and then dismembered (19:25ff).
The household of King David was filled with sexual dysfunction. David was a polygamist. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered (2 Samuel 11:1ff). Later, David’s son, Amnon, raped his own sister, Tamar (2 Samuel 13:8). David’s son, Solomon, epitomized the exploitation of sex for power by taking 1000 wives and concubines (1 Kings 11:3).
Throughout the Old Testament, Israel’s lust after the gods of the Mesopotamian nations is surpassed only by her sexual immorality. In exasperation the Prophet Ezekiel cried out, “You… made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry” (16:25).
It’s apparent that the innocence and joy of sex in the Garden of Eden has given way to licentiousness, debauchery, and violence. Sex is no longer about mutual pleasure, but has become a tool of deceit, seduction, and oppression. Even many heroes of the faith were sexually immoral and suffered the consequences of their sinfulness. The testimony of Scripture is that humans have a long history of sexual immorality and dysfunction that ultimately leads to “a depraved mind” (Romans 1:28).
In homes across the world today married couples are in conflict. Instead of joy, pleasure, and love, sexual issues cause conflict leading to adultery, domestic violence, divorce, and sometimes even murder.
Presently, there are an estimated 5,000,000 teens worldwide who are enslaved sex workers trapped in a $100 billion a year industry. Pornography is a $97 billion a year industry involving thousands of performers and millions of viewers. There are 73 million abortions performed worldwide annually. In the United States, about 40% of all births are to unwed parents, homosexual marriage is legal, and there are movements to legalize polygamy and polyandry.
We must also consider the efforts to redefine human sexuality. It is being suggested that the binary distinctions of male and female are insufficient to describe human sexuality. Instead, human sexuality should be defined across a wider spectrum. This necessitates a new vocabulary of dozens of terms to describe gender identity. In this era, it is said to be possible for one to be chromosomally and anatomically male and be gender identified as a polygendered lesbian. New pronouns are being constructed to accommodate new gender classifications. Humanity is undergoing postmodern deconstruction and we can’t yet see the complexity of reconstructed humanity.
