Page 74 - Family Life Student Textbook

Satan uses sex to destroy women through sexual abuse. Too many worldly men view women as an object to
be used to gratify their own lust, rather than a wonderful gift from God, to be loved, protected and
cherished.

Satan seeks to destroy men through sexual and emotional over stimulation. Our culture has become
saturated with sex. And this beautiful creation of God has been cheapened to the point where many young
people now view sex as just another fine entertaining activity. The use of pornography encourages man to
indulge in abnormal sexual practices and to masturbate. Instead of enhancing the beautiful oneness that
God intended for married couples to enjoy, these activities cheapen sex and decrease the ability to even
enjoy sex as a couple.

Coaches require that athletes repeat certain physical moves repeatedly in order to
ingrain in them a habit which will happen automatically during a game. A man who
regularly masturbates is creating habits which will decrease his ability to perform in
sexual relations with his wife. And pornography gives him expectations of his wife
which she cannot ever meet. Even the movies and romantic books portray sex in such
a dramatic way that no married couple can reproduce it. The movie studios spend
days and millions of dollars, with the perfect music, lighting, surroundings, and
repetition, to film a sexual scene. And Satan cheers as married couples struggle
because they cannot match up to these abnormal expectations. Instead of enjoying
the physical unity which God intended, couples end up frustrated, rejected and full of bitterness.

Purposes for Sex in Marriage

Firstly, following God's principles of sex inside marriage glorifies God.
Because he created sex, he is glorified when a husband and wife enjoy the sexual
relationship together. Too many couples think God frowns when they are having
sex inside of marriage. They turn out the lights, hoping God will not see them.
Rather, a husband and wife ought to imagine that God has his hand on each of
their heads, blessing their sexual unity together.

Secondly, sex is God's blessed method of implementing his command to
multiply a godly heritage.
This is God's way of involving a loving husband and wife in the process of creating
a new human life. It is God's design that the earth be filled with people. And sex
between a husband and wife is God's method to fulfill his design.

Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and
increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the
birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”

Thirdly, sex is a gift from God and designed for our mutual pleasure.
Sex is not to be used only for procreation. God created sex for a husband and wife's enjoyment.

Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God
will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

Genesis 26:7–11 “When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my
sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this
place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” When Isaac had
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