BIBLICAL STUDIES ON SEX
By Davis W. Huckabee
PREFACE

Sex! The word immediately conjures up in all minds thoughts either of human desire, holy indignation, horror or humor, depending on the attitude of the individual. But it is doubtful if most people have the proper attitude toward this important natural, normal and Divinely ordained facet of human life, for it is a natural result of human depravity to corrupt and pervert even the holiest and most biblical of truths. Sex is not a human invention. No! It was instituted by God In the time of human innocence before sin had reared its ugly head to curse the whole of Adam’s race. Therefore sex is not as one of this writer’s grade school classmates thought. Boys will talk, and so will girls. When one girl told her friend what the facts of life were, her friend responded indignantly, “My mother and father would never do anything nasty like that!” But in only a few years she was happily married and had children, so that she had a radical change of mind with maturity.

It has sometimes been angrily declared, not only by women, but by men, that “I am not a sex object and I refuse to be treated as one.” But the truth is that we are almost all sex objects and necessarily so, else the human race would long since have died out. The few exceptions to this are those rare individuals that through some defect are naturally asexual. The sex drive is one of the most natural, yet most powerful, drives in the world in both men and women, although it is radically different in the two genders. But for this great drive most men would be content to occupy their time with farming (business) and fishing (pastimes), and women would be content with cooking (homemaking) and conversation (socializing). The Divinely implanted sex drive is God’s means of impelling each generation to perpetuate itself, even if unintentionally.

However, perpetuation of the human race is not the only purpose of this drive, for it is not as a young single woman angrily declaimed that “If people only engaged in sex for procreation which is its only purpose, there would not be all the trouble in the world.” That is neither realistic from a male or female standpoint, nor is it biblical. Such texts as Prov. 5:19; I Cor. 7:2-5 and others make it clear that sexual intercourse between husbands and wives is not to be just a once or twice a year matter until conception is achieved. But it is to be a matter of “at all times,” and “always,” and abstinence is to be the exception, not the rule. Sad to say, but right at this point in this study the rebel against Holy Scripture will probably slam this study almost as tightly as that one’s mind is shut, pronounce the writer a “sex-crazed maniac” and congratulate self for being such a holy person in spite of all Scripture teachings to the contrary.

These studies will doubtless create a firestorm among libertines who will be unwilling to repent of their sins, among legalists who will want to continue to create a guilt trip for all that do not practice their narrow views, and among lazy mates that are unwilling to give their mates their God-ordained rights. But God has spoken and no sane person dares disobey.

In this study we will be speaking quite plainly about what the Bible has to say about sex, and its implications on the home and family. It is not our intention to embarrass anyone or to say anything just for salient or prurient purposes but we will be using Biblical language to express Biblical truths, and we will put a Biblical emphasis upon these things. Actually, one will find much plainer language on the news and in the entertainment media, but neither of these will use this language in a Biblical way or context, or for the purpose of strengthening the home and family thereby. To the contrary, they will try to tear down both. Our purpose will be to show from the Holy Scriptures, both what God condemns, and also what He commends, both what He prohibits and what He permits. Ignorance is always weakness, and knowledge is always power, and so, it is needful that God’s people know their privileges in the marital relations, as well as in any other area of life. Only by knowledge can they fulfill their God-ordained sphere as husbands and wives. We do not propose to try to hide, out of a false modesty, what God has clearly revealed as the legitimate privileges of the conjugal relation.

“Conjugal” has to do with the relation between the husband and wife. It refers to the marriage relation. We learn from Scripture that marriage is a Divine institution, instituted by God in the time of man’s innocence, but intended to be carried on until the end of time, even by fallen and sinful mankind. If this is true, then it is to be expected that the devil will endeavor to either destroy it, or at least to hinder it from fulfilling its God-ordained purpose. One of Satan’s most efficient methods for accomplishing this purpose is by confusing the man and the woman about their duties and rights in the conjugal relation. This will involve one of two extremes: either leading them into actual wrongdoing, or else filling them with false guilt by deceiving them as to the rights of the marital partners.

Let it be clearly stated here that this study will take ‘no cognizance of psychological ideas, neither of sociological views of sex. Nor yet will the personal prefer­ences of writer or reader have any bearing whatsoever. No! This study will deal solely with “What saith the Scriptures” about sex? As the writer approaches 75 years of age and is not in very good health, sex is hardly more than a pleasant memory for him.

When the writer was called to become pastor of a small church in 1983 it was shortly determined that some of the young couples were in dire need of being given a Scriptural teaching regarding sex in marriage. And some of these had requested such a study be brought, although the request was mostly selfish in that it was hoped that the study would influence the mates to be more thoughtful. At that time and for many years prior to that the pastor had read the whole Bible through each year. So that, with the prospect of teaching a class on this subject, for two years in advance of beginning this study, as he read the Bible he noted every text that had any reference to sex so as to have a record of every relevant text before beginning the teaching. This study will make use of all of these texts, or at least representatives of each subject dealt with. I stress again—neither writer’s nor reader’s view of this subject is relevant. Only what Scripture teaches is relevant to our belief and behavior. Any other authority is presumptive and will tend to pervert obedience to Scripture.