God's Design for Passion & IntimacySample

Sex is About More Than Your Marriage

"The ultimate reason (not the only reason) why we are sexual is to make God more deeply knowable." John Piper (from Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, p. 26).

What do you think of the above quote? Kind of a paradigm shift, isn’t it? God created sex for a lot of reasons – for procreation, for pleasure, for intimate knowing between a husband and wife. However, one of the most important reasons He created sex is to communicate about Himself.

God understands that we are limited creatures – that we have difficulty grasping spiritual truths. All throughout Scripture, God paints physical pictures to explain spiritual truths. For example, in John 15, He used the physical picture of a grapevine to explain what it looks like to abide in Christ.

God created sex and the covenant of marriage to be a brilliant metaphor of how deeply He knows us and longs for us to know Him. It’s not just John Piper and the apostle Paul who say this. Consider this fact…

The Hebrew word for sexual intimacy between a husband and wife in the Old Testament is the word yada. Yada literally means, “to know deeply or intimately.” The word yada appears in the Old Testament over 940 times. No, there isn’t that much sex in the Old Testament. The word yada is most often used to describe intimacy with God – His with us, and ours with Him. Here are a few examples:

“You have searched me and you yada my heart.” Psalm 139:1

“In all your ways yada Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6

“Moses said to the Lord…’If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may yada you and continue to find favor with you.’” Exodus 33:13.

Sexual intimacy is a powerful picture of the gospel – of the degree of intimacy and ecstasy we are capable of having with God. The Christian marriage is designed to be a showcase of this masterpiece.

Question to ponder:
Have you ever considered that sexual intimacy in marriage is a way of participating in proclaiming God’s love? If you took that seriously, how would your sex life change?

Action Step:
Take a few moments to pray that God would expand your understanding of the holy metaphor of sexuality.