“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’” (Genesis 2:18, ESV)
When I am confronted by people who advocate for the legitimacy and holiness of same sex marriage, I always cite Genesis 2 to demonstrate what what God teaches about sex. Regardless of how one views this passage, as literal or figurative, the Lord uses it to teach a theological lesson about the fundamentals of life. It is obvious that the only sexual relationship He sanctions is between one man and one woman in marriage. Woman is the only real helper God has created for the man. She is designed by God as the perfect helper or companion. The Lord placed her in the garden as the supporter of the man. She alone answers his need, for she alone is his true counterpart in creation. And this perfect and blissful union is fundamental to God’s creation. Two become one flesh. God is three in one, but in marriage, two human beings, one man, one woman, become one. And since human beings are made in the image of God, like God, this union is unbreakable, or should be. Only in such marriage can we experience true intimacy.
Genesis teaches us that God created sex and created it good, but it is good only if it is used in the way He intended it: in marriage. Those who think the primary purpose of sex is pleasure maintain that they can do whatever they want with their body. They either do not know or choose to ignore what God’s purpose is. As far as they are concerned God wants them to be happy and happiness is produced by the pleasurable experience of sex. But when sex is abused or used in a way contrary to what God has ordained, it is sin and will always produce harmful results. Yet people in the world are unwilling to think about these results and deny that there are any harmful ones. They are unwilling to accept the consequences: AIDS, other STDs, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, depression, emotional turmoil and suicide. Only by faith in Christ can we find forgiveness for these sins and the strength we need to overcome our sinful desires.