Is Sex Good for You?

Is Sex Good for You?


In the age of AIDS and busy, two-career households, sex is in somewhat of a decline. According to the Masters and Johnson Institute, at least a third of American couples experience "inhibited sexual desire." Yet research shows that people who neglect their sex lives may be missing out on real physiological and psychological benefits.
What Is Good Sex?
When doctors and therapists say sex is good for you, they really mean that "good" sex is good for you. But what is good sex? Ok, that is all good and well coming from the worldly standpoint, but What about what the BIBLE says? We have become so accustom to seeking man's advice about everything we have left out the most important factor and reason for our being. IS SEX GOOD FOR YOU? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."

The dictionary meaning of the word "fornication" means any unlawful sexual intercourse including adultery. In the Bible the Greek definition of the word "fornication" means to commit illicit sexual intercourse. What constitutes unlawful sex? Whose laws do we live by? Worldly standards or laws many times do not always line up with the Word of God. The founding fathers of the United States established many laws that were originally based on Christian standards and the laws of the Bible. However, through time the United States has drifted far from these standards and at the present our moral standards are shocking the world. However, immorality is not only found in the U.S. but is a world-wide epidemic. Societies throughout history and around the globe have embraced sexual standards that are called sins in the Bible.

Fornication is not just tolerated in our society but is actually being encouraged. The sin of fornication is being committed even among Christians, as many couples "live together" and have sex before marriage. The Bible tells us to flee this sin. We have counseled Christians of the opposite sex who share an apartment and they told us they were not having sex so this surely wasn't wrong. The Bible declares these words in 1 Thessalonians 5:22-23:

Young people today need to be taught to abstain from sexual intercourse and remain pure virgins before marriage. So many problems in marriages today stem from the fact that they are not virgins when they marry. Young people are bringing wounded emotions and diseased bodies into their marriages because of prior promiscuous affairs. STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) are so widespread that the statistics are shocking. There are 12 million new cases of STDs annually in the United states and 67% of these occur among persons under the age of 25. In fact, every year one out of six teens contracts an STD. 100,000 to 150,000 women become infertile each year as a result of STDs.¹ Others endure years of pain as some of these diseases are incurable. What a tragic price to pay for sexual sins. The Bible is right when it says fornication is a sin against one's own body.

The sin of fornication is not only defined as illicit sexual intercourse between those who are not married but also is an umbrella for other sexual sins as well. The Bible also speaks of the sin of incest as fornication in 1 Corinthians 5:1:

HOWEVER IF YOU ARE MARRIED THE ANSWER TO THIS IS: "Anything that promotes bonding, intimacy and being intimate in more ways than one, then closeness seems to be good for your health," Making time and saving energy for sex should be a priority for even the most Married couples, therapists say. Sexual ability and physicality can atrophy.

The Human Touch
Studies have shown that physical touch between mothers and babies is essential to infant health. Today, hospitals finally allow skin-to-skin contact between new mothers and their newborns because this early touching is so essential to the mother-and-child bond. But many researchers now believe that we never lose the need for human touch. Throughout our lifetime, physical touch enables our bodies to relax and feel comfortable and protected.

Other Physical Benefits of Sex
There is evidence that sex has measurable physical health benefits. Some researchers believe that regular sex promotes a regular menstrual cycle in women, improves women's fertility, and may have a role in promoting calcium into bone. There is even evicence that postmenopausal women who have sex at least once a week have higher levels of blood estrogen and fewer detrimental changes in their vaginal lining.

The Side Effects
While the health benefits of sex may be very real, that's no reason to jump in bed with just anyone. Sexually transmitted diseases are perhaps the most obvious threat to health that can come with indiscriminate sex.

Sex without intimacy is also potentially devastating psychologically. Men and women may find that sex without love or intimacy leaves them vulnerable and depressed.

The Health Benefits of Sex For Married Couples!
Many researchers believe that sex may provide the following benefits:

Helps regulate menstrual cycles in women whose cycles are irregular
Helps promote fertility
Increases estrogen in women's blood, especially important to post-menopausal women
Lessens vaginal dryness and hot flashes in post-menopausal women
Helps men and women relax
Eases pain in joints and muscles, including the pain of conditions like arthritis
Shields the body from illness and the mind from depression or aggression
Promotes a healthy heart
Lengthens lifespan
Sex is God's invention. He is the mastermind behind it—and His creation is worth far more to Him than it is to us. This beautiful expression of love was created out of His own heart, as a gift to be experienced between a husband and wife. It is only in marriage that this manifestation of intimacy can be fully enjoyed in the depth for which it was created.