The Sex Discussion

The women's group I attend each Thursday spoke primarily of sex tonight. I wanted to record somewhere some of the biblical references we used:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death...Romans 8:1 and following.

"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For the two, He says, shall become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against hs own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify GOd in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. Now concerning the things which you wrote me; It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own boy, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one to this manner and another in that. I Corinthians 6:12-7:7

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you should know how to possess his own vessle in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles, who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness." I Thessalonians 4: 3-7

The conversation centered around sex outside of marriage, but also touched on sex after marriage. A portion of the women being never married, a portion being married more than once, and a portion being still inside their first and only marriage, it made for an interesting and moving conversation.

Several women shared on what their beliefs and stance on sex outside of marriage was based. Several of us spoke from our own personal experiences. In the end, I walked away feeling that the time was a huge blessing to me and others, but that we did not all see eye to eye.