Thursday, July 10, 2008

Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703 – March 22, 1758) is known as one of the greatest American theologians and revivalists. Edwards said:



"God will not begrudge anything as too good for them [Christians in Heaven]; there will be no restraint to his love, no restraint to their enjoyment of himself; nothing will be too full, too inward and intimate for them to be admitted to, but Christ will say to his saints, as in Canticles (a.k.a. Song of Songs or Song of Solomon) 5:1 ‘Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundance, O beloved.’ If we desire to taste all the foods that God has made, will he deny this pleasure to us, who gave His Son to die for us? (Psalms 84:11) God will withhold no good. If we still desire a thing in our new bodies it will be good and it will be granted.” [9]

It may appear as if I’ve got the cards hopelessly stacked against me. First, two-thirds of all Christians do not believe we’ll still have physical bodies in Heaven. Second, many of the remaining one third who do believe we’ll have physical bodies in Heaven do not believe those physical bodies will still be male and female. Thirdly, to make matters more complex, the Bible nowhere answers our question explicitly. The few passages that do address this question implicitly seem, on the surface, to rule out any possibility of sex in Heaven. Yet if these passages were conclusive, men like Billy Graham would have ruled out the possibility of sex in the afterlife long ago.

So even after a strong case has been made that resurrected Christians will still have physical bodies that will still be male and female, we still have one of the biggest obstacles of all─properly interpreting Jesus’ words to the Sadducees concerning an absence of marriage in the resurrection. Once we’ve done that, we still need to convince most Christians that a cessation of marriage is not necessarily the equivalent of a cessation of sexual intercourse. This alone is akin to stirring up the quintessential hornet’s nest. After all, sex and marriage go together like a horse and carriage. Nobody wants to mess with that sacred cow.

So how does an advocate of heavenly coitus swimming against the tide make a solid case? Not even Indiana Jones could counter such hostile opposition. Persuading some people that there is sex in Heaven is almost like dodging cobras while hanging upside down in a well. Trying to convince the two-thirds majority that we’ll have physical bodies is like battling The Terminator. Then, if I’m not beaten to a bloody pulp by Arnold, I still have to wage war with many of the remaining one third that believes that even though our resurrected bodies will still be physical, we will no longer be male and female. If I’m still standing after all those torrential twists and turns, I still have to dodge a bombardment of other assorted grenades, like, “We won’t need sex in Heaven because we’ll be married to Jesus!” Or, “We won’t need sex in Heaven because we won’t be breeding babies.” Whew! It’s not easy being me.
Yet against all odds, I am bound and determined to swim against the tide of popular opinion.

So let’s begin. As we investigate this age-old enigma, I suggest that all readers fasten their seatbelts, anticipating a bumpy yet exciting trek into the final frontier. In order to defend against undue smokescreens and straw men, I have devised a systematic, ten-step approach.


RESOLVING THIS AGE-OLD ENIGMA VIA A TEN-STEP APPROACH1 SEX IN HEAVEN ─ WHY IT MATTERS

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that this whole inquiry really matters. Determine why the question “Is there sex in Heaven?” is important.

2 WHY THE EXPERTS MIGHT BE WRONG

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the experts might be wrong. Also establish beyond a reasonable doubt that anything I have to say might be worth listening to. What makes me an expert on this subject?

3 WHY OUR RESURRECTED BODIES WILL STILL BE PHYSICAL

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that our resurrected bodies will still be physical.

4 WHY OUR RESURRECTED BODIES WILL STILL BE MALE AND FEMALE

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that our resurrected bodies will still be male and female.

5 WHY AN END OF BREEDING DOESNOT NECESSITATE AN END OF SEX

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that although there may not be breeding in the afterlife, this does not make it necessary for God to do away with sex in Heaven.

6 WHY BEING ENRAPTURED BY THE BEATIFIC VISION DOES NOT MEAN WE WILL LOSE ALL INTEREST IN SEX

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that being enraptured by the Beatific Vision does not mean we will no longer care about sex.

7 WHY MARRIAGE WILL BECOME OBSOLETE, BUT SEX WILL NOT

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that marriage becoming obsolete is not the equivalent of sex becoming obsolete.

8 WHY SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE IS NOT ALWAYS A SIN

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that sex outside of a monogamous marriage is not necessarily a sin.

9 WHY BEING MARRIED TO JESUS DOES NOT NECESITATE CELIBACY IN HEAVEN

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that being married to Jesus does not make it necessary for people in Heaven to give up sex.

10 WHY DOING AWAY WITH SEX IN HEAVEN MAKES NO EARTHLY SENSE

Establish beyond a reasonable doubt that doing away with sex in Heaven makes no earthly sense.Each of the aforementioned steps begins with “Establish beyond a reasonable doubt.” This is slightly different than “Prove beyond a shadow of a doubt.” There is nothing I would like better than to “prove my position beyond a shadow of a doubt.” However, I’m not quite certain if that is possible. Plus, I don’t wish to overstep my boundaries. Therefore, I will have to be content, for the time being, with making the strongest case I possibly can, letting the chips fall where they may.

JUST BECAUSE MOST CHRISTIANS BELIEVE SOMETHING, THAT DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN IT IS TRUE

Most Christians believe that Heaven is a sex-free environment populated by celestial monks and nuns. Most Christians believe that once we greet Saint Pete and enter the Pearly Gates, sexual intercourse will come to a grinding halt. Most Christians believe the Beatific Vision will be so spectacular that we won't even miss sex. Most Christians believe that once we get to Heaven, sex will be the furthest thing from our minds.Truth, however, is not determined by what most Christians believe. After all, there was a time when most Christians believed the earth was flat and the sun revolved around it. Thankfully, God does not determine what is true by counting noses or taking opinion polls. If He did, then surely we should all cry "uncle" and resign ourselves to the inevitability of a sexless eternity.

A Christian should not determine truth simply by asking, "What do most Christians believe?" After all, most Christians, in fact all Christians, are fallible─even great Christian teachers like Augustine and C.S. Lewis. Neither should Christians determine what truth is simply by asking, "What does yours truly Tom Gruber believe?" I too am fallible. However, this does not mean that one should not consider what men like Augustine, C.S. Lewis, and others have to say. Neither should one reject what someone like myself has to say simply because I am not an Augustine or a C.S. Lewis. Instead, one should carefully and prayerfully consider what everyone has to say about anything and everything and judge the merits of it through the lens of sacred Scripture.

But in addition to that, we also need to use common sense and reason. Although the Bible is the basis of all truth, laying a solid and trustworthy foundation, the Bible simply doesn't answer every single question that we might ask, at least not explicitly. This is particularly true in the arena of sexual ethics and sex in the afterlife. Many great Christian teachers have reminded us that we also need to exercise our ability to think and reason. For example, Martin Luther argued that not only does the taking of monastic vows violate the principles of the first commandment in a number of ways; he also argued that taking such vows is contrary to common sense and reason.
[10]

Luther and others appealed to common sense and reason along with Scripture. Unfortunately, many modern Christians have lost their ability to think because many of today's churches require them to check out their brains at the door before entering the sanctuary. Common sense and reason should tell us this is just plain wrong. God did not make a mistake when He gave us brains. My main gripe here is, many churches say it is okay for lay members to think about some things, but it is not okay for them to think about sex. That might be dangerous. This is in spite of the fact that the church has been radically wrong for a long, long time in the past and has been unable to agree on many important issues relating to sex.

I have learned a great deal from many great Christian teachers, past and present. These men include: Saint Augustine, C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and others from the past, as well as R.C. Sproul, Hank Hanegraaff, John MacArthur, Randy Alcorn, Peter Kreeft, and others from the present. I owe all of these men an enormous debt of gratitude and have nothing but respect and admiration for all of them. I agree with most of them on most things, especially the essentials of the Christian faith as outlined in the major creeds. These creeds encapsulate "the main things and the plain things," shielding the body of Christ from heresy.

Yet as great as these aforementioned men are, they do not agree with each other on many secondary issues, even though they do stand united on the essentials of the Christian faith. In this regard, I stand beside them and support their noble endeavors in their faithful proclamation of the gospel. "Where" a person spends eternity is, after all, the most important thing there is.

But "how" a person spends eternity is also important. Because sex is so fundamental to what it means to be human, and because sex is such a powerful drive, as well as being an intensely pleasurable experience, it should come as no surprise that many see Heaven as just plain boring when they're told their eternal dwelling place will be characterized by perpetual abstinence in a sex-free zone.


BEFORE WE BEGIN

Before we begin, it is wise to approach this subject with a proper attitude. Sex or no sex, the Bible does tell us that Heaven will be perfectly wonderful in every way. Of that, we can have complete and total assurance. I say this because I know of a few people who have grumbled, "If there's no sex in Heaven, I don't want to go there." I'm ashamed to admit it, but I used to be one of those people─for eight years. I now believe that the smart thing to do is to simply trust God’s Word, which does tell us for certain that Heaven will be perfect in every way, even if we don’t know all the details.

On the other hand, I also believe that people would get a lot more excited about Heaven if they regarded it as a place where everything was made perfect, including sex. It seems self-evident that humans are hard-wired for sex. Therefore, indoctrinating people to believe that sex will come to a grinding halt the second they die does more to dampen their spirits than just about anything. If I were the devil, and if I was only allowed to tell one lie to discourage people from wanting to spend eternity in Heaven, I would tell them that Heaven is sex-free.

So prepare yourself for a fascinating journey of discovery. But be forewarned: Sacred cows shall crumble, cages shall be rattled, and flimsy assumptions built on faulty premises will be exposed. In other words, prepare to think about…Is there sex in Heaven?


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NOTES

[9] Pease, Glenn. WILL THERE BE SEX IN HEAVEN? PART 2http://www.shelovesgod.com/library/article.cfm?articleid=4725

[10] Luther, Martin and James Atkinson. The Christian in Society. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1966, page 249.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him male and
female" (Gen 1:27).
HE CREATED HIM MALE AND FEMALE 1000 or just 1
Gen 1:27 The Theomatics (gematria) in the Hebrew adds up to 1000 or just 1.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male
nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28).

Angelfall: The Male-Female Principle: http://angelfall.com/viewpdf.php?file=5d.pdf

Anonymous said...

When will you post the remainder of this article?

Unknown said...

Will be men and women in heaven?
Men will have penis and women will have vagina, boobs?
Will be sex in heaven, it is true? Will be orgasm in heaven?
Men will able to ejaculate?
Men will have sex with more women?

Guest said...

Where's the rest of this article?

Unknown said...

Again, Please Everyone I suggest reading my Intelligent Questions & Comments on the
First Part of this Blog, on Part One of this Blog, by me, Jeff W, Because Countless
Christians want there to be Sexual Intercourse & Lovemaking in Heaven, along with All the Other Things we Enjoy of Earthly Life

Jeffrey Andrew Winters said...

See this blog I just created for additional Comments about
Sex & Lovemaking in Heaven for Christians
https://christiansexinheaven.blogspot.com/?m=1