Ses'Khona Bible Studies Appendix 3
by Bongiwe Dumezweni (ed.)
AIDS Bible Studies
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BIBLE STUDY HELPS: SEXUALITY
This Article is part of Ses'Khona, a Bible Study Series written in partnership by staff of the Nigerian and South African IFES movements.
Words like sex, sexuality, sexism, and sexy might appear to be very old words for concepts that have a very long history in the English language. But no, these words are very new, and they describe a concept that is quite young in the history of ideas. It is only in the last 100 years that the secular world has understood marriage to be based on "physical attraction" rather than on social bonds between communities. The word "sexuality", meaning an orientation that in some way defines human identity, is a new idea or concept in any language. According to The Compact Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon, 1991, "sexual" as a reference to human behaviour does not appear in the English language until 1888. "Sexuality" referring to the distinction between men and women comes into an English text for the first time in 1800. "Sexuality" refers to behaviour and feelings only since 1879. What explains this shift towards a world that is more focused on sex and sexuality? There are three contributing factors.
First, there has been the discovery of modern science that certain genes combine in the formation of a person's "sexual identity". Scientists believe that the male or female genetic make-up of a foetus is determined at conception. Second, psychology, a very new field of study, has also played a role in "sexualizing" society. Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud's theories that sexual instincts powerfully influence a person's personal development are accepted in popular culture today almost without question. A third influence in the "sex revolution" of the last 100 years is the way heterosexual erotic love has been romanticised on stage, in films, in pop music, and now on the internet. All you need is love … sang the Beatles forty years ago, yet the same theme can be heard in all the latest music. The result of all these influences is that our globalising world of the 21st Century understands sex and sexuality almost exclusively as a physical phenomenon. And this physical sexuality is seen as the essential ingredient to what makes a person human.
Because the current definition of a person is built around sexuality it is easy to understand why today's world gives such great importance to ideas such as "sexual orientations", the obligation to provide "sex education", the need for everyone to "express" themselves sexually, or even the idea of having sexual "rights". The sexual revolution has brought sexuality into the basic ways people think. But such sex-words and beliefs about sexuality would not have been possible to even think about in human language 150 years ago! And this is why a text as ancient as the Bible uses such a different kind of language to describe the essence of human identity.
When God creates humankind, he forms us out of the dust of the earth and breathes his own Spirit or breath into us (Gen. 2:7). For Jews and Christians, having a body with needs, abilities, energies and weaknesses, and having a spirit with the freedom to worship or rebel, are the two essential and inseparable aspects of being human.
When God creates humankind he makes men as a gift to women, and women as a gift to men, for true and deep companionship (Gen. 2:18, 20-23). And from the start, God's design for humankind is that sexual pleasure should be part of a life-long marriage relationship (Gen 2:24 and Matt. 19:3-6). We are also told that God makes humankind in his own image, and likeness (Gen. 1:26). It is important to understand that men do not fully express the image of God without women, and vice versa. We are told that only as men and women living together in harmony do we reflect the image of God. So, God's design in making the sexes is that men and women are ultimately created for one another.
But what exactly does it mean to be bearers of God's image? It cannot mean that we are somehow a faximile of what God looks like. We know that God is ineffable (he cannot be fully understood or described) and so it is impossible to "fax" a representation of God in any form. The image of God in humankind means that God has put into men and women a similar ability to himself - the ability to live for and love another person with all of our hearts. Father, Son and Holy Spirit live for and love one another with all of their hearts from Alpha to Omega. Thus men and women have been given the ability to live for and love God and one another for eternity! In biblical language, what makes us truly human is the ability to love selflessly. This kind of love is essentially how God exists, and men and women are made in his image.
As we can see Christianity has a very earthy understanding of human existence. The body and human feelings cannot be separated from the most spiritual parts of our lives. The body is an essential part of living out the image of God. In the same way sexuality in Christianity is not limited to the body and physical existence, but is involved at every point in human actions and abilities. Sexuality is expressed in many ways, and not just through sexual acts. It is only one part of the mystery of human identity. Sexuality is not a separate compartment of life, but is always part of the way we interact with God and others as we live in the world.
In addition to all of this the New Testament teaches us that human beings are not defined by sexual feelings, cultural background, mother tongue, by maleness or femaleness, or by all the experiences of our life stories. No, what makes us truly human, and what give us true identity is if we have been found by Christ and are living in Christ (Philippians 3:4-11). What defines us as truly human is if we are living for and wholly loving Jesus and others around us. So our sexuality is not separated from our worship, and our life in Christ. Sexuality is an integral part of what Jesus loves about us. Sexuality is also integrally involved in the ways we return his love.
Sexuality is much, much more than sex, and much, much less than the length, breadth height and depth of God's love.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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