Read Genesis 2:18-24 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. Why did God make a helper for man?
2. How did God make the woman, and what was the man’s reaction?
3. How is the man and wife’s relationship described in verse 24?
Reflect
From the beginning, God’s design was intentional. He created everything with great care, but the only thing “not good” was that man was alone. When God created woman, the man exclaimed, “At last!” Their relationship reflected God’s design for man to be joined to his wife, “the two united into one.”
Genesis uses the verb to know as a term for sex. The Hebrew translation means to know by experience. From the beginning of time to today, God designed sex to be more than just physical unity. He designed it to be unity of the whole person – body, mind, emotion, and spirit – man and woman becoming one within the covenant of marriage.
In the New Testament, Jesus referenced intimacy in marriage as a reflection of God’s love for us. This is why Scripture urges us to save and cherish it as a gift. God wants us to be united with Him, to know Him by experience with our whole being. He designed sex to be powerful, not only in the bond it forms but also in the way it reflects the bond between Christ and His Church.
Respond
• Where do you tend to get tripped up on God’s design for sex? Is there a certain aspect that you’ve wrestled with or outright rejected as best for you?
• If you’re married, do you approach your marriage as a reflection of God’s love for His Church? If you’re not married, do you honor the future marriage covenant of those you date or interact with?
• What steps can you start taking now to be united with God, and then out of that unity, to reflect His love in your relationships or marriage?
Pray through these questions, and write down what God is prompting you to do next. Share with a friend, and take a step to apply it.
Want to go deeper? Visit the Traders Point app or this link to see our recommended resources for this week’s topic. If you want to catch Sunday’s message again, you can find it here.