SEX!....Why wait? Part 1 of 4

Let's start off with a quick question. How many couples do you know today who have abstained from sex completely until marriage? How many at least abstained, or are trying to abstain, from sex with their current spouse? If you can count, any at all, all on one hand, then even that's a surprise. In the past few years, I've noticed a very interesting, yet fading concept. That concept was whether or not a couple should withstand from having sex before marriage, or at least take a break from sex for a while. Decades and even centuries ago, society used to place a very high value on the purity of a couple that abstained from sex before marriage. However, with the introduction of contraception, the way we perceive sex has changed dramatically. Since the 70's,after contraception was more widely accepted, sex started to assimilate itself into our culture and society more and more. Sex has saturated and polluted our society to the point where it is more commonly thought of as a marketing tool, a challenge to pursue starting at adolescence, or just an activity that is simply part of the dating/marriage process.

I think that the reason why most of us have a distorted concept of sex is because we've completely lost sight of it's origin, significance, and purpose. I know everyone isn't Christian, so I'll do my best to illustrate some of my points from both Christian and non-secular perspectives.

As Christians, we believe that sex was a gift from God when He commanded for us to be "fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:27). In today's world we've really lost sight of what God's intentions were when He gave us both the desire for sex and the ability to have sex. God's original purpose was not for us to only reproduce, but the ultimate goal for sex was for us to reunite as one flesh. Becoming one flesh means much more than what most people may suspect. As many will recall, we were made in "God's image". (Genesis 1:27) Before God took the rib from Adam to make Eve, Adam (or simply mankind) was complete and whole. That wholeness basically meant that mankind was closer than ever to the actual image of God. So when we engage in sex, we take that step of becoming one with the other person. Sex is really more of a bonding process than anything else. That may not sound like a big deal but it is very significant.

I know it sounds cliche', but when we engage in sex with others, we do give a part of ourselves to that person. Now the reason why this is true is because since birth, the one thing we've all grown to know the best is our own body. It takes a certain amount of trust to allow someone else to share this most personal possession of ours. But having sex is not only about the sharing of trust, but it is also a means for communication. For those that are in love, sex can be one of the most beautiful and intense forms of expressing love to each other. So now the question remains, "Well if sex is so great, what's so wrong about having it before marriage?"

Glad you asked :D (Continue on to Part 2)