Sex, Dating, and Relationships | Crossway

by Gerald Hiestand and Jay S. Thomas

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Saving More than Just Sex for Marriage

Wheaton IL?People are fascinated with sex?regardless of age, religious belief, culture, or era in history. We know that God designed sex to be a good thing within marriage, but we find ourselves in a unique culture where hook-ups, casual sex, and divorce are more prevalent than marriages that make it ?til death do them part.

Even the church is affected by the norms that surround her. For Christians, the threat to purity is often more subtle than an ?outright assault on one?s virginity,? explains Gerald Hiestand and Jay Thomas in their new book, Sex, Dating, and Relationships. They have found that Christian singles tend to lack a vision for sexual purity beyond the ?don?t have sex before marriage? mind-set. In fact, if you ask them what physical boundaries should exist in a dating relationship, the answers vary greatly. Boundaries are considered ?personal? and are largely driven by feelings and opinions. Where is the line for physical boundaries? And who draws that line?

Hiestand and Thomas say that God intends for us to save more than just sex for marriage. They make a compelling case that the Bible is not as silent on the issue as some may think. First they establish that the biblical framework for sex and marriage images the gospel and Christ?s relationship to the church. ?The physical oneness established through sex foreshadows the spiritual oneness that will exist (and already does exist) between Christ and his church at the wedding supper of the Lamb.? Understanding that purity is a gospel issue, not simply a moral issue is key. ?Singles must reserve their sexuality for their future spouses as an expression of Christ?s single-minded devotion to his own [people].? Outward moralism without inward transformation misses the point. They articulate the categories for relationship that the Bible establishes, drawing clearer conclusions for Christian singles.

Will we allow the Bible to speak louder than the surrounding cultural norms, or even the evangelical sub cultural norms? This book is a plea with Christians to get serious about honoring Christ with their sexuality. Learn more about Sex, Dating, and Relationships by Gerald Hiestand and Jay Thomas, available February 29, 2012 from Crossway.

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Source: http://www.crossway.org/press-room/2012/02/sex-dating-and-relationships/

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