The phrase “carnal knowledge” has a negative connotation, being a euphemism for sex. But literally it means knowledge of the flesh. The Bible always speaks of sex in terms of KNOWLEDGE. “Adam knew his wife, and she conceived a son,” for example.
In our culture, people speak of sex as a happening, an event. It is a thing that a person DOES, then it is over. But Biblical language conveys something more like a thing a person BECOMES, and after that, they are forever changed.
Consider what Mary says to the angel who informs her of her coming pregnancy–
“How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” Luke 1:34.
She speaks of that knowledge in the present tense. It’s not, “I have not known a man previously,” but “I do not presently KNOW a man.” That’s because in Mary’s world, a marriage unites two people to each other, making them ONE for life. And as a virgin, she is not yet bound to a man that way, that is, she does not presently KNOW a man.
This is a deeper and wiser view of sex, or of the deep bond God creates in a marriage. The act of sex is not the point, as though life were some candy store and the goal is to consume the sugar. Sex is an expression of a much deeper, more personal connection—it means UNDERSTANDING the candy store. Two married people are tied, knit together on a soul level. They are ONE, bound by an ongoing connection. They do not “know” each other during moments of their marriage, but they know each other always and forever, till death parts them.
It’s not about the event, but about the commitment and the oneness.
And THAT is a picture of the way we will know Christ in heaven. On earth, we are His betrothed. In heaven, He will marry his bride. We will see him, know him, and be one with him.
Dear God, deliver us from a secular view that makes sex no more valuable than a drug trip or a roller coaster ride. Help us understand it is not primarily a physical pleasure, but an intimate connection with another soul. And give us insight into what it means to be your Bride.
ΑΩ
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