Does God have anything to say about love, sex, and intimacy? For many people the words "romance" and "Bible" conjure up a long list of religious "thou shalt nots." But this is not the way God intended for us to relate to love. He created us in love and for love. And the Bible has a great deal to say about romantic love. An entire book is devoted to the topic, The Song of Solomon, eight chapters of Scripture—set right in the wisdom books in the Old Testament.
"The book takes a specific couple and gives seven snap-shots related to attraction, dating, courtship, sexuality, and marriage," says Tommy Nelson, author of The Book of Romance. "In two of the chapters, we watch the couple fight and resolve their conflict. We see how their devotion deepens the longer they are married. We encounter the entire scope of their romantic and sexual relationship, from their first meeting to their passion within marriage. And all along the way, we see there is something divine in their union. They both experience desire and passion, and yet their desire is always in the right context and timing. A passionate fire builds between them, and that fire is maintained throughout their relationship."
All too frequently, we expect promiscuity from single people and cold detachment from married people. But The Song of Solomon shows us that God expects just the opposite: single people who are controlled and married people who are romantically exciting.
Nelson counsels many young couples who have a distorted view of sex. The damage this can cause a relationship is disheartening. But if you want to understand romance in a Christian context, Song of Solomon has more to say than you can imagine.
"The book takes a specific couple and gives seven snap-shots related to attraction, dating, courtship, sexuality, and marriage," says Tommy Nelson, author of The Book of Romance. "In two of the chapters, we watch the couple fight and resolve their conflict. We see how their devotion deepens the longer they are married. We encounter the entire scope of their romantic and sexual relationship, from their first meeting to their passion within marriage. And all along the way, we see there is something divine in their union. They both experience desire and passion, and yet their desire is always in the right context and timing. A passionate fire builds between them, and that fire is maintained throughout their relationship."
All too frequently, we expect promiscuity from single people and cold detachment from married people. But The Song of Solomon shows us that God expects just the opposite: single people who are controlled and married people who are romantically exciting.
Nelson counsels many young couples who have a distorted view of sex. The damage this can cause a relationship is disheartening. But if you want to understand romance in a Christian context, Song of Solomon has more to say than you can imagine.
