The Big Question 64: Does The Bible Have Naughty Bits In It?
May 18, 2021 2004
Radio Version:
Does the Bible have naughty bits in it?
Absolutely. There’s some very naughty bits in the Bible. Even that phrase “naughty bits” reminds us of the way that sex became a taboo subject in Christian tradition, that actually we shouldn’t call them naughty bits, because contrary to what you might think, sex isn’t something bad in the Bible.
In fact, there’s a whole book of the Bible dedicated to the erotic love between a man and a woman. It’s called The Song of Solomon. The book describes the desire of a man and a woman and its fulfillment in tender and sensual lovemaking.
They get around this throughout Christian history. Many Christians have said that the Song of Solomon is not about sex at all, but about Christ’s love for his church. Now, there’s no doubt that Christ loves his church. I’m not going to completely discount that.
That might be one way we can see the book. But the facts are that the book doesn’t mention Jesus, and it was written around a thousand years before him. And it’s actually quite explicit, though, in a Hebrew poetic way, so much so that some people have actually questioned whether it should be in the Bible at all.
But I’m glad that there’s sex in the Bible. On the one hand, the Bible does contain stories of sex gone wrong when sex was misused in the wrong context. And when it actually destroyed lives. But on the other hand, the Bible also presents sex how it should be, beautiful and life affirming as a deep reflection of intimacy and commitment within a loving relationship of marriage.
The world’s understanding of sexuality, you see, is broken. Usually it’s about merely satisfying your physical desires in any way possible. Too often it’s about power and sometimes even abuse. But the Song of Solomon shows us a different kind of sexuality in which there is romance and mutual freedom and wonder in the other. Song of Solomon is a beautiful duet in which the woman and the man are both equal partners.
Are those Christians who say that the Song of Solomon is about the love of Christ for his church wrong? I don’t think they’re necessarily wrong at all. After all, the Bible consistently uses the love of the husband for his wife as a metaphor for the love that Christ has for his church.
But if that’s true, then perhaps the shocking thing is that God uses sex, whether directly or indirectly, to illustrate how much he loves us. Every part of us, in every aspect of our being.
So, yes, there are naughty bits in the Bible. Well, although for God, they’re not naughty bits at all. He created sex to be beautiful. And it’s amazingly beautiful when you remember who created sex and why.
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