The creation plan

Genesis 1 provides an overall view of Creation.

Genesis 2 then gives a more detailed account. In verses 7-15 we read that man is formed from the dust of the ground and placed in the Garden of Eden to "work it and take care of it". Then God says, "It is not good for the man to be alone I will make a helper suitable for him" (Genesis 2:18), reflecting mankind's need for companionship and love. So God created a helper for man (woman) - not from the dust or growing out of the ground, but from the man himself. Indeed, the name ‘woman' means ‘from-man' (Genesis 2:22). The man now celebrated this event by saying "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh..." (Genesis 2:23). Then Scripture tells us this is the reason for the ‘leaving and cleaving' of marriage - "...a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24).

Jesus recalls this Creation Story in Mark 10:6-9, and commands no-one to separate (or ‘deviate') from this ‘one-flesh' relationship.

At this stage, the man and woman had not yet fallen or disobeyed God and therefore had a pure sexuality (Gen 2:25). They were unaware of their nakedness and had a sexual purity that we know little of today. They felt no embarrassment, fear or guilt. But after the Fall, they were no longer sexually pure (Gen 3:7). They were now aware of their nakedness and covered their sexual organs. Perhaps they felt embarrassed, fearful and guilty? They were, and therefore we all are, potentially sexually deviant.

One Flesh: We are told in Genesis 1:27 that God created mankind, male and female, in His image. The marriage (one flesh) relationship was therefore, originally physically but now symbolically, a re-union rather than simply a union. The woman taken from the man is re-united with him, as one, in the image of the maleness and femaleness of the Creator. The sexual organs were obviously designed to give physical expression to this union - ie to celebrate it and for procreation. Sexual intercourse outside this God ordained relationship profanes God's image (male and female) and his intention for this union (‘re-union'). This applies to all forms of ‘orgasmic' behaviour between people. It profanes the mystery, symbolism and underlying meaning that is represented by a true ‘one flesh' relationship. We know the human sexual act is distinctly different from animals in terms of the emotional excitement involved. Perhaps God's intention for the ‘human orgasm' was to be partly a ‘symbolic celebration' of the very act of His creation? Sex outside this ideal could therefore be compared to drinking the wine and eating the bread at The Lord's Supper, simply for thirst and hunger, rather than for what it symbolises.