By guest blogger, Shannon Bond.

A biblically grounded sexuality redeems the relationship between the spiritual and the sexual. If God does not exist, as atheists and evolutionists argue, then sexuality is merely for pleasure or procreation. It has no spiritual component to it. However, if God does exist, and He merely wants people to abstain from sexual intercourse, then oral sex, heavy petting, and fondling must be acceptable practices—after all, those practices are not really “sex.”

Youth workers and parents combat these lies by teaching students to understand that humans are both spiritual and sexual. According to Richard Foster, “[W]e do not have a body, we are a body; we do not have a spirit, we are a spirit. What touches the body deeply touches the spirit as well [italics authors].” The Bible calls this becoming “one flesh.” Students often fail to realize this until it is too late.

Youth workers and parents should help students understand that sexuality is best expressed through worship. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (NIV). Worship involves sacrifice. When teenagers pledge to be abstinent as a moral choice, they often depend upon their own moral fiber to fulfill their vow. A fear of consequences guides their decision-making. Conversely, when teenagers understand that abstinence is a spiritual act of worship, they give the Holy Spirit room to empower them to sacrifice and to lead them around any “loopholes.” Love guides their decision-making. Morality and love are now intertwined. If a couple follows this path toward the marriage altar, they will arrive there having begun to experience a purer intimacy and unity on two levels: in their relationship as a couple, and in their individual relationships with God.

Citations
Richard J. Foster, The Challenge of the Disciplined Life: Christian Reflections on Money, Sex, and Power (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1985), 117.

Read the other posts in this “Teaching Teen Sexuality” series.

—————————————————————————–

Shannon Bond is in his first year as the youth minister at First Baptist Church in Bangs, TX. He is married to the former Stephanie DeBoom of Copperas Cove, TX and has three children: Raegan (6-year-old daughter), Sydnie (4-year-old daughter), and Joey (2-year-old son). He is a student at Logsdon Seminary in Abilene, TX. Before becoming a youth minister, Shannon spent 13 years as a teacher and coach.

Posted on June 26, 2008