February 14, 2016
Love is a Verb - Eros
Part 3 - Marriage and Sex
Love is one of the most important themes and most repeated theme in the Bible. If you can boil the entire Gospel down to one word, it would be love.
The word "love" shows up:
319 times in the Old Testament,
232 times in the New Testament
So what does love mean?
If you look in an English dictionary, you’ll find things like:
“feeling an intense feeling of deep affection”
“feel a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone”
“caring deeply for someone”
“to find pleasure in”
The New Testament was written in Greek, and Ancient Greek has 4 root words for love:
Agape - God’s love for us, our love for God, selfless brotherly love
Phileo - deep friendship, very emotional love
Eros - sexual passion, intimate love between a married man and woman
Storge - natural love, usually between parents and children or family members
Today we are going to be looking at eros love
- Physical sexual attraction, feelings of arousal shared between 2 people
Healthy Marriages are built on Agape Love and Phileo Love
Agape Love in a marriage is the basis for your ability to consistently make the choice to love regardless of your feeling in the moment.
Phileo Love in a marriage is what sustains your marriage throughout life.
Sex is Great, Within Marriage
The sex we’re talking about is all within the confines of marriage. Outside of marriage, its not even the same thing.
Colossians 3:5
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
The word he uses for “sexual immorality” in this verse is “porneia” which covers sex before marriage, but it also covers adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, and incest. Sex outside of marriage is so perverted from the original intent that it is described in the Bible in the same way as bestiality.
We want to talk about sex at church, so that we have a right perspective of what God really did intend this for our pleasure and our good. So, we're not here to tell you "sex is bad”. We are saying sex outside of marriage will only bring you harm, but within a committed marriage, sex is amazing!
What Does Sex Do For Marriage?
First, sex is Spiritual Warfare: Spiritual warfare is taking a stand against the lies and attacks of the Enemy.
There’s nothing more intimate and nothing that draws you together emotionally quicker than sex in marriage. When the Enemy is attacking, sex brings you closer than anything else can and gives you the reminder that you are not alone.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Secondly, Sex brings you closer together
If you are married, then God has ordained you to be one — not two people living together…you’re actually ONE. That means that sex is not just an option…it’s a biblical mandate! Your spouse can meet a need in you that literally no one else on earth can, and it only gets better and more natural over time as you learn each other.
Top 10 Marriage Tips
10. Don’t be prideful and think you know what you’re doing.
9. Learn to fight well.
8. Never use the word divorce.
7. Always speak highly of your spouse - in public or private.
6. BE ONE. Don’t be two.
5. Your calling in life is YOUR (plural) calling in life.
4. Have a weekly date.
3. Get your priorities straight.
2. Pray together.
1. Laugh a LOT.
Communication Card
1. I will seek God this week about what I need to personally do to prepare myself for the potential of marriage.
2. I will discuss this week with my spouse ways that we can grow in our marriage.
3. I intend to practice what we learned tonight with my spouse (married people only).
Click here to submit an anonymous relationship question for the open Q/A, this Tuesday, February 16th at 7pm.
