According to an article in a Christian newspaper, “sexual atheism” is a phenomenon that is becoming more and more popular. It’s the idea that we trust God in all areas of our lives, except for our sexuality. According to a survey made by a Christian dating site, 87% of participants said they were willing to have sex before marriage. What’s going on?

It’s strange to see that many singles put their trust in God for their eternal salvation, to bless their future marriage, to protect them from evil and to prosper… but God is not welcome in their bedroom. Salvation is to give “our life” to Christ, for Him to be the Lord, to reign upon it. This should include what is happening on our bed!

Imagine getting married to a person, and that person tells you they will give you all their life… except their sexuality! You are committed to one another, except their private life, no, this is theirs to keep. That sounds crazy, right? It’s exactly the same thing with God. If you trust Him for your eternal life, which is a major issue. How can you not trust Him for everything else? Or reverse the question: if you do not trust God for your sexuality, how can you say that you trust Him for the rest? If He is not the Lord in your bedroom, is He really the Lord of your life?

God did not forbid sex before marriage just to frustrate you. He demanded that because… because… in fact, He did not really say “why”. He doesn’t owe us an explanation: He is God! He knows all things and He considers the marriage bed must be honored and be undefiled by extramarital relations (Hebrews 13.4 NIV). At the beginning of human existence, God saw it was good for the man to leave his family, to marry, and then to become “one” (Genesis 2:24).

He did not explain why he preferred that order, but one thing is certain if a person refuses to give God control in their sex life, how can they say they really gave their life to God. This may be why the verse Ephesians 5.5 NIV says: “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” It is not because of their sin that they have no inheritance in the kingdom, but simply because they do not recognize the sovereignty of God on their lives (this includes, of course, sexuality).

Don’t be a sexual atheist, give yourself wholly to God, so that everyone may see your progress. (1 Timothy 4.15 NIV).