This sends me to that “more than we can even think or imagine” aspect of God and what He has in store for us. But, I really love being my husband’s wife, so it is hard to imagine a reality where I’m happier that we can’t relate as such, though I know ABBA doesn’t lie and knows me better than I know myself, so I’m thankful for a day of greater measures and enjoyment of who my husband is in Christ without the shadow of death looming between us nonetheless.
I totally hear you. I like to imagine it like this : whatever intimacy you think you have now, with your significant other, will be multiplied by infinity.
Hi Josh! Thanks for writing about this. Even though I disagree with your conclusion (I do now believe we will have sex in heaven) I really appreciate how you approach the topic and deeply analyze it, and not just dismiss it as so many other believers do. There is so much more to this all that meets the eye. I just wanna leave some food for thought. You talk about how pleasures here are just “shadows” of greater realities in heaven. However eating and drinking could also fall in this category as we mostly eat for surviving, pleasure and for companionship. Surely all those things might be fulfilled in other ways in heaven too. And yet we read about food and feasts on the New Earth. I believe the pleasures we get from the stuff we do here will be magnified, deepened and expanded upon, not done away with. We are still human in heaven and still the image of God that God made Adam to be when He put him on Earth to eat/have sex. But that is just my own opinion. ☺️
Yes! I would actually love to hear your opinion on why sex is not necessary in heaven but other physical pleasures will still exist. What I mean is, if the pleasure we get from sex is unnecessary, why should food exist on the New Earth, or why should a beautiful creation exist as well? Genuinely curious ☺️
my view has a few aspects to it : the WHY of sex being one of them.
sex isn't primarily about pleasure - it is about that - but it's core is being a sign of a covenant : marriage.
Since there is no marriage, we don't need the sign. And, like i mentioned, since we won't have kids in heaven, we won't need to have sex to create them.
that leaves the other two aspects of sex : pleasure and expressions of love.
This is where sex differs from food and drink and dance and whatever else. It is an expression of the promise of union and the creating of life - and in that, comes some of the the most beautiful and intimate and pleasurable acts humans can experience.
But if the foundation for sex is gone does that mean we lose the pleasure ? or the expression of love ?
I don't think so. I think whatever that feeling or experience or expression ACTUALLY is gets deepened. It's not a losing out on sex - it's a breaking forth into MORE pleasure and MORE intimacy.
Thanks for your response!! I do see where you’re coming from so thanks for sharing☺️ I think that your view presupposes a few things however. Firstly, it assumes that the “marriage” Jesus speaks of the Jews is the one-flesh loving romantic relationship God intended for Adam and Eve. I don’t think that’s obvious. Considering the transactional view of marriage people used to have, it might be that the “marriage” Jesus spoke of might be limited in scope. Further, do perfect, sinless people need a marriage covenant to remain loyal and committed? Something to ponder. After all, Adam and Eve didn’t need a marriage contract or ceremony to be considered united. And yes, of course sex is not just about pleasure - but it is also a great sexual pleasure that you share with someone you love romantically. Is eros, the sexual love not also a part of the image of God? Does romantic love simply cease in eternity? And again, I believe the foundation of romantic unity and love and special closeness to a person of the opposite sex is not something God created to simply get rid of. But that’s just my opinion. I do think sex is different to food/drink on many levels, but could one not also say that perhaps food is just an earthly symbol of our physical dependence on God? And so when we are in heaven, we no longer need that? Not gonna lie, that is a lot of confusing stuff to ponder for me haha
I think you forgot or maybe do not know. Having sex with someone binds us together in a supernatural way. Even outside of marriage, if we are continually making love with someone we are binding ourselves together and becoming one being. Even if we leave that relationship and move on, that binding remains, a supernatural in dwelling that I think is part of God’s plan for man. Which is why I think He wants sexual intercourse to stay within the confines of marriage.
This sends me to that “more than we can even think or imagine” aspect of God and what He has in store for us. But, I really love being my husband’s wife, so it is hard to imagine a reality where I’m happier that we can’t relate as such, though I know ABBA doesn’t lie and knows me better than I know myself, so I’m thankful for a day of greater measures and enjoyment of who my husband is in Christ without the shadow of death looming between us nonetheless.
I totally hear you. I like to imagine it like this : whatever intimacy you think you have now, with your significant other, will be multiplied by infinity.
Hi Josh! Thanks for writing about this. Even though I disagree with your conclusion (I do now believe we will have sex in heaven) I really appreciate how you approach the topic and deeply analyze it, and not just dismiss it as so many other believers do. There is so much more to this all that meets the eye. I just wanna leave some food for thought. You talk about how pleasures here are just “shadows” of greater realities in heaven. However eating and drinking could also fall in this category as we mostly eat for surviving, pleasure and for companionship. Surely all those things might be fulfilled in other ways in heaven too. And yet we read about food and feasts on the New Earth. I believe the pleasures we get from the stuff we do here will be magnified, deepened and expanded upon, not done away with. We are still human in heaven and still the image of God that God made Adam to be when He put him on Earth to eat/have sex. But that is just my own opinion. ☺️
Very interesting ! Just to make sure : you mean intercourse ?
Yes! I would actually love to hear your opinion on why sex is not necessary in heaven but other physical pleasures will still exist. What I mean is, if the pleasure we get from sex is unnecessary, why should food exist on the New Earth, or why should a beautiful creation exist as well? Genuinely curious ☺️
that is such a great question !
my view has a few aspects to it : the WHY of sex being one of them.
sex isn't primarily about pleasure - it is about that - but it's core is being a sign of a covenant : marriage.
Since there is no marriage, we don't need the sign. And, like i mentioned, since we won't have kids in heaven, we won't need to have sex to create them.
that leaves the other two aspects of sex : pleasure and expressions of love.
This is where sex differs from food and drink and dance and whatever else. It is an expression of the promise of union and the creating of life - and in that, comes some of the the most beautiful and intimate and pleasurable acts humans can experience.
But if the foundation for sex is gone does that mean we lose the pleasure ? or the expression of love ?
I don't think so. I think whatever that feeling or experience or expression ACTUALLY is gets deepened. It's not a losing out on sex - it's a breaking forth into MORE pleasure and MORE intimacy.
Thanks for your response!! I do see where you’re coming from so thanks for sharing☺️ I think that your view presupposes a few things however. Firstly, it assumes that the “marriage” Jesus speaks of the Jews is the one-flesh loving romantic relationship God intended for Adam and Eve. I don’t think that’s obvious. Considering the transactional view of marriage people used to have, it might be that the “marriage” Jesus spoke of might be limited in scope. Further, do perfect, sinless people need a marriage covenant to remain loyal and committed? Something to ponder. After all, Adam and Eve didn’t need a marriage contract or ceremony to be considered united. And yes, of course sex is not just about pleasure - but it is also a great sexual pleasure that you share with someone you love romantically. Is eros, the sexual love not also a part of the image of God? Does romantic love simply cease in eternity? And again, I believe the foundation of romantic unity and love and special closeness to a person of the opposite sex is not something God created to simply get rid of. But that’s just my opinion. I do think sex is different to food/drink on many levels, but could one not also say that perhaps food is just an earthly symbol of our physical dependence on God? And so when we are in heaven, we no longer need that? Not gonna lie, that is a lot of confusing stuff to ponder for me haha
I think you forgot or maybe do not know. Having sex with someone binds us together in a supernatural way. Even outside of marriage, if we are continually making love with someone we are binding ourselves together and becoming one being. Even if we leave that relationship and move on, that binding remains, a supernatural in dwelling that I think is part of God’s plan for man. Which is why I think He wants sexual intercourse to stay within the confines of marriage.