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Jesus and God's View on Human Sexuality

The Biblical Foundation

God created humanity as male and female in his own image [1]. This foundational statement in Genesis establishes that sexual differentiation is part of the created order, not an accident or afterthought. The text presents both maleness and femaleness as reflecting the divine image, a point Augustine later emphasized when he argued that women are equally "fellow-heirs of grace" and participants in the renewal of the inner person [7]. The creation account establishes marriage as the "first natural bond of human society," with God creating woman from man to establish kinship as well as likeness [10].

Christ's Affirmation of the Created Order

Jesus himself affirmed the permanence of the created sexual order while also pointing to its transformation in the resurrection. When addressing the Sadducees' question about marriage in the age to come, he taught that the resurrected state would transcend marriage, yet he was "not teaching genderlessness (i.e., androgyny) nor disparaging the divine order of marriage and sexuality" [4]. Rather, he affirmed a glorious transformation in which certain aspects of present existence, including marriage, would no longer be necessary [4]. Augustine understood this to mean that both sexes would be retained in the resurrection, since "there shall be no lust, which is now the cause" of disorder, but the distinction itself remains part of the perfected human nature [11].

The Incarnation and Human Nature

The doctrine of the Incarnation reveals God's view of human nature, including its sexual dimension. Christ assumed complete human nature, including what Aquinas called "animal nature" with its sensitive appetite [3]. Charles Hodge emphasized that Christ was "born of a woman" in the same sense other children are born, taking "part in flesh and blood" to secure true humanity and kinship with us [5]. This assumption of full humanity, including bodily existence as male, demonstrates that embodied sexual existence is not inherently problematic but part of what it means to be human.

The humanity Christ assumed included physical needs—hunger, thirst, weariness, sleep [2]—all aspects of embodied existence. Yet this same tradition insisted that Christ's assumption of human nature did not include disordered desire. Aquinas distinguished between the sensuality itself (the sensitive appetite) and its disordered movements, arguing that Christ possessed the former but not the latter [9].

Pauline Teaching on Sexual Ethics

Paul's letters provide explicit teaching on sexual conduct that reflects both creation theology and eschatological transformation. In Romans, Paul identifies homosexual activity as a departure from "the natural way," which "refers to the nature of the world as God made it" [8]. This appeal to nature grounds sexual ethics in the created order of male and female [8]. Yet Paul also taught that in Christ "there is not male and female" with respect to spiritual privileges and standing before God [12]. This does not erase sexual differentiation but removes it as a barrier to participation in salvation. Augustine clarified that this statement refers to "concupiscence of carnal sex" and the renewal of the inner person, not to the elimination of embodied sexual existence [6].

The Eschatological Horizon

Christian teaching on sexuality operates within an eschatological framework. The present order of marriage and procreation serves purposes specific to this age. The resurrection will bring transformation into a "glorious new existence" where marriage is no longer present [4], yet sexual differentiation remains part of perfected humanity [11]. This framework neither denigrates embodied sexual existence nor absolutizes it. The body matters—Christ assumed it, will raise it, and will glorify it—but its present functions are ordered toward purposes that will be fulfilled and transcended in the age to come.

Human sexuality, in this view, is neither incidental to human nature nor the defining feature of human identity. It is part of the created order that images God, subject to ethical norms grounded in that order, and destined for transformation in the resurrection while retaining the fundamental distinction of male and female as aspects of perfected humanity.

Sources

  1. Genesis “God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. -- Genesis 1:27”
  2. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Human Nature of Christ, The — Was necessary to his mediatorial office -- 1Ti 2:5; Heb 2:17; Ga 4:4,5; 1Co 15:21; Ro 6:15,19. Is proved by his Conception in the Virgin's womb. -- Mt 1:18; Lu 1:31. Birth. -- Mt 1:16,25; 2:2; Lu 2:7,11. Partaking of flesh and blood. -- Joh 1:14; Heb 2:14. Having a human soul. -- Mt 26:38; Lu 23:46; Ac 2:31. Circumcision. -- Lu 2:21. Increase in wisdom and stature. -- Lu 2:52. Weeping. -- Lu 19:41; Joh 11:35. Hungering. -- Mt 4:2; 21:18. Thirsting. -- Joh 4:7; 19:28. Sleeping. -- Mt 8:24; Mr 4:38. Being subject to weariness. -- Joh 4:6. ”
  3. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of Christ's Unity of Will, Art. 2: Article: Whether in Christ there was a will of sensuality besides the will of reason? I answer that, As was said (Question [9], Article [1]), the Son of God assumed human nature together with everything pertaining to the perfection of human nature. Now in human nature is included animal nature, as the genus in its species. Hence the Son of God must have assumed together with the human nature whatever belongs to animal nature; one of which things is the sensitive appetite, which is called the sensuality. Con”
  4. Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 22:30: 22:30 like the angels in heaven: Jesus was not teaching genderlessness (i.e., androgyny) nor disparaging the divine order of marriage and sexuality; rather, he was affirming that people will be transformed into a glorious new existence (see 1 Cor 15:35-49; 2 Cor 5:1-5) in which aspects of the present order, such as marriage, will not be present.”
  5. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 126: substance of the Virgin Mary.” This is involved in the Scriptural statement that He was born of a woman, which can only mean that He was born in the sense in which other children of men are born of women. This is essential to his true humanity, and to that likeness to men which makes them his brethren, and which was se cured by his taking part in flesh and blood. ( Heb. ii. 14 .) The incarnation of the Son of God, his stooping to take into personal and perpetual union with Himself a nature infinitely lower than his own, was an act of uns”
  6. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — OF THE WORK OF MONKS. (part 48): no Jew nor Greek; no bond nor free; no male nor female."[14] And they do not understand that it is in reference to concupiscence of carnal sex[15] that this is said, because in the inner man, wherein we are renewed in newness of our mind, no sex of this kind exists. Then let them not deny themselves to be men, just because in respect of their masculine sex they work not. For wedded Christians also who 524 do this work, are of course not Christians on the score of that which they have in common with the rest who are”
  7. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 7.--HOW MAN IS THE IMAGE OF GOD. WHETHER THE WOMAN IS NOT ALSO THE IMAGE OF GOD.HOW THE SAYING OF THE APOSTLE, THAT THE MAN IS THE IMAGE OF GOD, BUT THE WOMAN IS THE GLORY OF THE MAN, IS TO BE U (part 4): can exist And it is according to this renewal, also, that we are made sons of God by the baptism of Christ; and putting on the new man, certainly put on Christ through faith. Who is there, then, 160 who will hold women to be alien from this fellowship, whereas they are fellow-heirs of grace with us; and whereas in another place the same apo”
  8. Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 1:26: 1:26 women turned against the natural way: In this context, natural way refers to the nature of the world as God made it. As in the Old Testament, Paul singles out homosexuality as a key illustration of how people have fallen away from worship of the true God (see Gen 19:1-28; Lev 18:22; 20:13; Deut 23:17-18). God created human beings as male and female, and engaging in homosexual activity is a violation of God’s creative intention.”
  9. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of Christ's Prayer, Art. 2: Article: Whether it pertains to Christ to pray according to His sensuality? I answer that, To pray according to sensuality may be understood in two ways. First as if prayer itself were an act of the sensuality; and in this sense Christ did not pray with His sensuality, since His sensuality was of the same nature and species in Christ as in us. Now in us the sensuality cannot pray for two reasons; first because the movement of the sensuality cannot transcend sensible things, and, consequently, it cannot mount to Go”
  10. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — ON THE GOOD OF MARRIAGE. (part 1): [BE BONO CONJUGALI.] 1. FORASMUCH as each man is a part of the human race, and human nature is something social, and hath for a great and natural good, the power also of friendship; on this account God willed to create all men out of one, in order that they might be held in their society not only by likeness of kind, but also by bond of kindred. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. Nor did God create these each by himself, and join them together as alien by birth: but He created the ”
  11. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 17.--WHETHER THE BODIES OF WOMEN SHALL RETAIN THEIR OWN SEX IN THE RESURRECTION. (part 1): From the words, "Till we all come to a perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ,"(4) and from the words, "Conformed to the image of the Son of God,"(5) some conclude that women shall not rise women, but that all shall be men, because 496 God made man only of earth, and woman of the man. For my part, they seem to be wiser who make no doubt that both sexes shall rise, For there shall be no lust, which is now the cause ”
  12. Galatians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Galatians 3:28: There is in this sonship by faith in Christ, no class privileged above another, as the Jews under the law had been above the Gentiles (Rom 10:12; Co1 12:13; Col 3:11). bond nor free--Christ alike belongs to both by faith; whence he puts "bond" before "free." Compare Note, see on Co1 7:21-22; Eph 6:8. neither male nor female--rather, as Greek, "there is not male and female." There is no distinction into male and female. Difference of sex makes no difference in Christian privileges. But under the law the male sex had great privileges. Males alone ”
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