Parental Discretion/Younger Viewer – WARNING: I will be using the word “sex” but for the purpose of understanding intimacy. Please read the Discussion Summary to see how the post is set up if you are concerned.
-Discussion Summary
I’m going to ask you to bear with me because the topic of sex may seem “taboo” to talk about especially in regards to this post topic. I just want to cover what that connection is suppose to mean in a marriage, and then jump to our connection with Christ, what our body represents, and how much more our intimacy is with Him. The world thinks they know what “intimacy” is, and I promise you intimacy with God is beyond what we know.
So I tried discussing something most people understand and are familiar with before going into the spiritual side of what having a union with Christ means.
I do think teens can totally read this, but as a parent, please go over this first to make sure you are comfortable with them reading this, and if you are a teen, I highly recommend getting your parent’s permission/opinon before reading.
(Again…as I started writing I was NOT planning on certain things going the direction they did…but I am following what is put on my heart.)
I was reading a sister in Christ’s blog post, and she really touched on a topic that God began placing all sorts of pieces of scripture and thoughts upon my heart.
Check out Efua’s post here | The Power Of Nudity The Spirit Of Lust
As I was reading the post, I had the thought, “How do we honor our bodies when it comes to God?”
We sexualize the body too much. People joke about giving their bodies over to a spouse. But I do want to tie this in with what it means to give our body over to the Lord. I wrote about how it is important in understanding what it means for the Lord to know us, and if you haven’t read that post yet, I highly recommend you do. As this post ties into that.
Related Post | Intimate Meaning In, “I Do Not Know You.”
I am going to ask you again to bear with me.
The way we present our bodies to our spouse and the way we present our bodies to the Lord are polar opposite. Do not misunderstand me. The only similarity is that as a husband and wife they become one. As the Bride of Christ we are to be one with Him as well. But that’s where the similiaries end.
Sex is brief between husband and wife. It’s a connection, a very intimate one, that is meant to bond the couple together. And we know physical connection will not save a marriage. It won’t “save” a relationship. It won’t “fix” someone to become better. A married couple must work together in all things for the relationship to blossom and grow.
People think we honor the Lord with our outward appearance. Modesty. That’s at least…what you usually hear when the topic “your body is a temple…” you know the drill teens.
And sure it definitely is a sign of respect. But just like sex in a marriage is not the true key to knowing someone, to truly have a union with the Lord, it is not about one or two things we do or do not do with our body. Looking modest, for example, won’t led us to salvation. It won’t help us grow in Christ. It won’t “fix” us or “change” us.
In both the Old and New Testament we see people who know the law, who are “righteous”, and do everything correctly…on the outside that is.
(NIV) Matthew 23:26, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
This led me to think about what it means to honor our bodies when it comes to God. We first need to understand why we need to honor our bodies, which we did discuss.
(NIV) 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”
But seriously…let’s really think about it, okay. Just give me a few minutes.
Because of salvation, through Jesus Christ, we can have a connection, a true connection, with God the Father, and that is because Jesus, the tie, also gives us His Comforter, the Holy Spirit Who then lives inside of us.
Connecting to the symbolism of intimacy, I want you to understand how holy, sacred, and special this bond and union is with God.
When a couple is together because of sex that union is very physical and easily broken. It does not last forever, and its impression is not lasting. That’s why there is no true satisfaction and there will always be an emptiness for those who seek a stronger bond and comfort. Sex will NEVER provide that. Humans can never fully fill a void for another person.
So take out the sexual theme of intimacy, which at its core is selfish. Let’s focus on a bond that is beyond these limits of that connection.
At our innermost soul, we are fully exposed. We are vulnerable. We hide nothing. We are naked.
Our chains, our burdens, regrets, anger, bitterness, you name it, it’s all there in our soul’s storehouse.
Then we accept Christ in our repentance…
And He enters this place, our deepest place. Our nakedness fully exposed. And He’s like, “I forgive you. For your sins, I give you My life. My salvation will make this place new again. I will clothe you in purity and holiness. I will give you mercy instead of anger. I will give you joy instead of bitterness. I will take your stone heart and make it into flesh once more.”
We stare at the floor of this darkened hole in our soul in shame. At the sound of His words, we see it become white. We feel a warm robe placed over our body, and we can look at Him without shame.
Are you starting to see how precious this connection with Him is?
Honoring Him with our body is beyond modesty.
It is living the right walk and life with Christ, to be Christ-like, so that our love for Him pours out of us. It can’t stay contained inside. His love for us washes over us, and we are constantly filled with His Spirit.
That’s where our honor comes from. Our love and desire for Him.
(NIV) Matthew 6:20-21, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Is He our treasure? Do we treat Him as such? Do we treat His temple, our body (including our soul connection with Him) like that? Is it sacred to us?
(NIV) Psalm 37:04, “Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
The closer we get to Him the more natural we will make changes to our lives. Modesty, yes, one of them. We will choose things that are pure of Him and not tainted in this world.
Our expressions of these choices that reflect our bodies, what we allow our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our mouths to taste, our bodies to feel, and what we breathe in. These are all ways we honor Him. When we turn off the screen because we know there is cursing involved, nudity, and more. When we choose to not show off our bodies, our money, our status, or run our mouths about others in gossip, anger, bitterness, or jealousy.
How we honor the Lord with our body is a reflection of our walk with Him and the state of the temple His Holy Spirit lives in. How we honor Him with our body is an inward reflection.
(NIV) 1 Corinthians 3:17, “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”
We are His temple. If we destroy the temple with sin, seeds of lust, envy, jealousy, anger, bitterness and more they will continue to grow, rot, and decay within us. If we destroy our temple, we have destroyed ourselves.
The core of our intimacy with the Lord is selfless. It is not about gaining anything, truthfully, except Him, and because of Him, we gain everything.
If you would like a further explanation on this post, why I spoke about sex in a godly marriage the way I did and more, check out this post I wrote for clarity. Clarity In Yesterday’s Post In Discussing Sex In A Godly Marriage
What are your thoughts on this post? Was it too much, did I step out of line?
What does honoring your body to God mean?
Month Scripture (NIV) Job 2:10, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
Second Blog: Peeking Beneath
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Thank you so much T.R. for this blog post and No; I don’t think it was too much and you definitely didn’t step out of line.
This hits real close to home for me and I thank you for writing about it. Just yesterday, I was reading about how God created Eve from Adam’s rib and how man is meant to be joined in a union with his wife. This actually made me think about writing a blog post on the theme of that passage.
This is a clear picture of now only how we should live for Christ but also our intimacy with Him. I love when you said this passage hear:
“We are His temple. If we destroy the temple with sin, seeds of lust, envy, jealousy, anger, bitterness and more they will continue to grow, rot, and decay within us. If we destroy our temple, we have destroyed ourselves.”
We are His temples and what we do with them will be judged just like anything that is hidden will be brought to light.
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I’m so glad this spoke to you! You know that would be a great topic to write about for your blog! There is so much symbolism with Eve being made from his rib.
Exactly. We are His temple and we will be judged according to our works and how we lived.
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Very well put. Yes, our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and should honor Him in ALL we do with all our senses, as you so well defined.
Another aspect of this is in Romans 12:1 where we are told to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service.” A Sacrifice must be pure and unblemished in every way. This is a reasonable thing for us to do because Christ did it for us. He gave His all, we should do no less. One of the choruses I wrote goes like this:
I want to thank yoy Lord, for your mercy in my life
I want to thank you Lord, for your great sacrifice
You have given me your all
Help me give my all to you
I want to thank you Lord
Simple truth from God’s word. Thanks for this post.
Be blessed
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That’s a great chorus! May we give to Him in all aspects of our life! Wonderful scripture to add to this! Thank you for sharing!!
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Interesting points, T.R. I might add that there is a difference in Scripture between sex between a married couple and sex between unmarried people, as far as how it represents the intimacy between Christ and the church (the Song of Solomon), and the fulfillment it provides in a relationship. While it’s true that it can’t fix a broken relationship, it is a beautiful part of a healthy relationship, and it demonstrates all that is powerful and sharing and intimate about a godly marriage.
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Absolutely! All points you have made are true. I wanted to make sure people understood, at least from my perspective, although the intimacy is very special in a godly marriage there are other aspects we really need to focus on. Praying for one another, communication, etc. This post already had over 1.5k words so I wasn’t fully able to dive into all the points and reasons I wanted to make with clarity, but that always leaves room for another post 🙂
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I understand!
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🙂
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I actually was inspired by your comment to try to expand on this, that post will come out tomorrow. 🙂
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Great.😊
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Cause I don’t want people to think that sex is a godly marriage is bad, but I definitely want to expand upon the direction for the post, and talk about that topic more than I did in today’s post. 🙂 Thank you for inspiring me.
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What a beautifully written post! You covered the topic so tastefully! 💞😊
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Thank you so much, Lizzy!!! 🙂
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This is a beautiful post and you have handled a delicate subject with perfection. The meaning of intimacy is so deep in its truth and becoming one with another involves the whole of our being – physical relation being one aspect that can become as sacred. And that human relating can lead us to the understanding of our becoming one with the Divine, which is whole another level.
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Thank you so much!!!
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You are very welcome 🙂
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Nicely stated. I’ve been told by another blog friend I should check out your writing, but lately I’ve barely had time to keep up with trying to write a book! Glad I had a chance to read today. 🙂
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I’m writing a book too so I completely understand 🙂 it’s a lot!!! Thank you so much for taking time away from writing for checking out my blog!!!
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How fun! 🙂 Are you working on fiction or nonfiction?
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Fiction/Christian Fantasy 🙂
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Me, too! 🙂
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Awesome!
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This was great! You handled it perfectly! Great, great post! Thanks for sharing!
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🙂 Thank you so much, Leigh!!! I actually have a post in connection to this coming up tomorrow just with some further clarification. I already wrote it up and everything. I’m so glad this post has gone over well. I was really nervous.
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Love the post You tackle a difficult subject with wisdom and discernment.
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Thank you so much!
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Very interesting parallels! You handled this tastefully and appropriately. People have a poor understanding of intimacy and try to avoid that and vulnerability. For intimacy with our spouse and with our Lord, all must be exposed.
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Thank you so much, coming from a pastor, wow that means a lot to me. 🙂
Yes, we need to know the truth, and shouldn’t be afraid to hide behind it.
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I love the post all together, but these two speaks louder in my heart.
1. “The closer we get to Him the more natural we will make changes to our lives.”
2. “Our expressions of these choices that reflect our bodies, what we allow our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our mouths to taste, our bodies to feel, and what we breathe in. These are all ways we honor Him. When we turn off the screen because we know there is cursing involved, nudity, and more. When we choose to not show off our bodies, our money, our status, or run our mouths about others in gossip, anger, bitterness, or jealousy.”
Isn’t it amazing! In this (honouring God) lies the joy and happiness all of humanity long for.
Beautiful Post – Lovely comparison.
I pray all of these be evident in our lives.
#MoreGrace
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Amen!!!! He gives us so much to give back to Him and He continues to give abundantly.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post!
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Very good and beautiful post T.R. I agree with Matthew’s reply so much. I have yet to write on modesty and sex but I have so many notes on it myself. I loved your parallels! Not something I thought of to that degree. Keep writing, it will continue to touch lives!
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🙂 thank you so much!!! I’m so thankful the day God decided I would be a writer He would be right there helping me. ❤ This post really taught me a lot of things I never thought of before.
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That is great TR!
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Yesterday was super tight because we had a church programme. I didn’t get home till late. But yeah very good post. Sex in marriage does help a marriage grow stronger. However sex alone will not save a marriage. I like the comparison with our relationship with God. Marriage is a reflection of the relationship Christ have with the church (bride). I love Matthew’s response. I particularly like this he said “For intimacy with our spouse and with our Lord, all must be exposed.” Well done Sis! Going to read part 2🙂
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Absolutely, I so agree with this! God continue with be with you as you minister to others 🙂 and may you get rest as well!
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Amen sis❤️. You are doing so a good work here. God be with you too and give you more boldness and understanding of His world.
As for rest, I will try catch some rest this weekend🙂❤️
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Thank you so much!!!!
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Amen-Amein Sister in Christ-Messiah Jesus-Yeshua T.R.!! ❤
Love ❤ Always, YSIC \o/
Kristi Ann
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🙂
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Thanks for sharing your post. I enjoyed your website too. If you’re ever looking to guest post anywhere, be sure to check us out. We’re always looking for writers like you. 🙂 – https://dailyps.com/write-for-dailyps/
No pressure at all though. Keep making a difference with your writing!
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Thank you! I may consider it 🙂
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Thanks for sharing!!
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