Applying Biblical Sexual Oneness In Premarital Counseling
Biblical Sexual Oneness in Premarital Counseling
The concept of biblical sexual oneness is rooted in the biblical account of creation, where it is written that "a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" [3]. This fundamental principle is echoed in the New Testament, where the apostle Paul applies it to the relationship between Christ and the Church [5].
In premarital counseling, biblical sexual oneness is a crucial topic to address. It involves understanding the union between a husband and wife as not just a physical or emotional bond, but a spiritual one as well. According to Augustine, the good of marriage includes offspring, faithfulness, and the bond between the couple [1]. This bond is not just a human construct, but is rooted in God's creation and blessing of marriage [3].
The early Church Fathers emphasized the importance of monogamy and the unity of marriage. Tertullian argued that the origin of the human race, with God creating one man and one woman, establishes the principle of monogamy [6]. This understanding is also reflected in the writings of Maimonides, who notes that the Sages commanded that a person should marry off their sons and daughters close to the time they reach physical maturity to prevent promiscuity or sexual thoughts [2].
In premarital counseling, couples should be encouraged to understand the biblical concept of sexual oneness as a foundation for their relationship. This involves recognizing that their union is not just about their individual desires or needs, but about becoming one flesh in the eyes of God. As Calvin notes, Paul's teaching on marriage emphasizes the importance of mutual fidelity and the avoidance of lust [7].
By exploring the biblical teaching on sexual oneness, couples can gain a deeper understanding of the commitment they are making to each other. This understanding can help them navigate the challenges of married life and cultivate a relationship that honors God. As Jamieson, Fausset & Brown comment on 1 Corinthians 11:11, the man and woman together realize the ideal of redeemed humanity represented by the bride, the Church [4].
The historical and theological significance of biblical sexual oneness is thus a rich resource for premarital counseling, offering couples a profound understanding of their union and its implications for their relationship.
Sources
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 13.--IN THE MARRIAGE OF MARY AND JOSEPH THERE WERE ALL THE BLESSINGS OF THE WEDDED STATE; ALL THAT IS BORN OF CONCUBINAGE IS SINFUL FLESH.: The entire good, therefore, of the nuptial institution was effected in the case of these parents of Christ: there was offspring, there was faithfulness, there was the bond.[11] As offspring, we recognise the Lord Jesus Himself; the fidelity, in that there was no adultery; the bond,[11] because there was no divorce. [XII.] Only there was no nuptial cohabitation; because He who was to be without sin, and was sen”
- Mishneh Torah (Maimonides) (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Mishneh Torah (Maimonides), Mishneh Torah%2C Forbidden Intercourse 21:25: Among our Sages' commands is that a person should marry off his sons and daughters close to the time they reach physical maturity. 62 I.e., directly after a youth becomes thirteen ( Chelkat Mechokek 1:3). For were he to leave them [unmarried], they may be motivated to promiscuity or sexual thoughts. Concerning this was applied the verse [Job 5:24]: "Scrutinize your dwelling and you shall not sin." 63 I.e., having foresight with regard to one's children's sexual behavior will prevent sin. See the conclusion of Hilchot Sot”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 40 [XXXV.]--MARRIAGE EXISTED BEFORE SIN WAS COMMITTED. HOW GOD'S BLESSING OPERATED IN OUR FIRST PARENTS.: There was, however, undoubtedly marriage, even when sin had no prior existence; and for no other reason was it that woman, and not a second man, was created as a help for the man. Moreover, those words of God, "Be fruitful and multiply,"[11] are not prophetic of sins to be condemned, but a benediction upon the fertility of marriage. For by these ineffable words of His, I mean by the divine methods which are inherent in the truth of His wis”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 11:11: Yet neither sex is insulated and independent of the other in the Christian life [ALFORD]. The one needs the other in the sexual relation; and in respect to Christ ("in the Lord"), the man and the woman together (for neither can be dispensed with) realize the ideal of redeemed humanity represented by the bride, the Church.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. V.--CONNECTION OF THESE PRIMEVAL (part 1): TESTIMONIES WITH CHRIST. Thus far for the testimony of things primordial, and the sanction of our origin, and the prejudgment of the divine institution, which of course is a law, not (merely) a memorial inasmuch as, if it was." so done from the beginning," we find ourselves directed to the beginning by Christ: just as, in the question of divorce, by saying that that had been permitted by Moses on account of their hard-heartedness but from the beginning it had not been so, He doubtless”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. V.--UNITY OF MARRIAGE TAUGHT BY ITS FIRST INSTITUTION, AND BY THE APOSTLE'S APPLICATION OF THAT PRIMAL TYPE TO CHRIST AND THE CHURCH.: For the laying down[1] of the law of once marrying, the very origin of the human race is our authority; witnessing as it emphatically does what God constituted in the beginning for a type to be examined with care by posterity. For when He had moulded man, and had foreseen that a peer was necessary for him, He borrowed from his ribs one, and fashioned for him one woman;[2] whereas, of course, ne”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 95: Paul enjoins caution not only against external lasciviousness, but also burning of mind ( 1 Cor. 7:9 ). It has been the practice (they say) from the remotest period, for those who wished to devote themselves entirely to God, to bind themselves by a vow of continence. I confess that the custom is ancient, but I do not admit that the age when it commenced was so free from every defect that all that was then done is to be regarded as a rule. Moreover, the inexorable rigour of holding that after the vow is conceived there is 2487 no ro”