Even if we leave spiritual ideas out of it, things that are “natural” can be beneficial or harmful to us.
For instance, the desire to eat is natural and it benefits us when we eat things that good for our bodies. But if we just go around eating anything that we find, it can be harmful. Eating a salad might be great for our bodies; eating a rotting, bloating skunk we find by the side of the road would probably be harmful to us.
I’m not being sarcastic with you. I’m just pointing out that even when something is natural, both you and I still have to determine whether it is good for us or not.
Sexual desire is certainly natural! But that does not mean that engaging in sex indiscriminately is beneficial. I believe that sex outside of the right context is harmful to us. I talk about those reasons in the post above and in other posts on this site. But I don’t just say it’s harmful because that’s what I’m “supposed” to say! I say it is harmful because I have experienced the damage firsthand. I have also seen the damage it has done to other people. Aside from immediate problems like STDs and pregnancies, there are many long-term problems that result from sex outside of the right context. I’ve seen guys who view women only as sex objects because that’s all they’ve ever used them for. I’ve seen women whose self esteem is crushed because they’ve given themselves to so many guys thinking that sex was love only to discover that the guys didn’t feel that way and moved on when he got tired of them. I’ve known both men and women who will say or do just about anything to have sex just because they have the urge. I’ve seen marriages damaged by sex outside of the right context. I’ve seen the children of those marriages damaged too.
As a youth leader, I think it is important for me to talk to teens about things that could potentially hurt them. Sex in the wrong context is one of those things. In terms of both immediate and long-term damage, it is probably one of the most damaging things they could do to themselves.
My guess is that up to this point, you would more or less agree with me. The point where we probably disagree is in defining the “right” or “wrong” context for sex.
I agree that sex is natural. I even believe that the urge to have sex indiscriminately is natural.
But now for the spiritual part… As Christian, I believe that God intended sex for the context of marriage. I believe that because Christians are part of the Kingdom of God, he calls on us to be different. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Most of the book of Romans is about the struggle to live the life that God intends for us rather than a life of following our natural urges wherever they lead us.