God's Plan for Sex

1 Corinthians 7:1-3  "Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. (Greek says "it is good for a man not to touch a woman")  But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. The husband should fulfill his wife's sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband's needs." NLT

1 Corinthians 1,3 " Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband."NIV

      Lord, some might say that verse one contradicts with Your command to us to be fruitful and multiply.  I think what Paul is saying here is it is good not to have divided loyalties. You created human beings with emotional and physical needs and called it very good.  You also instituted marriage to make those same things holy.  You made sex to be a ONE flesh act within the bonds of marriage.  Outside that marriage bond, whomever one might unite with in that way becomes "one flesh" with that partner too.
      When base needs are acted upon outside of Your directive commands it is sin against You and hurtful for us.  The reason You call fornication and adultery sin is because it is harmful to us and destroys the picture of Your relationship with Your church.  In our secular culture folks see this as old fashioned, archaic, bigoted and  restrictive.
      There has been a sentence thrown around in derision or as a very bad joke: "Not tonight, Honey, I have a headache."  This is always being aimed at the wife who does not want to fulfill her husband's sexual need or want.  The fact is that each partner might say something of this sort to the other depending on the circumstances.  You are saying that we are never to withhold ourselves from our spouse as a punishment in anger or bitterness.  There are sometimes when the reason is valid. (sickness, grief, obligations that cannot be put off).  In those cases ,"Love is not self seeking," would certainly come into play.
      Lord, anytime we stray from Your perfect plans we suffer.  The infidelity rate, fornication and co-habitation rate is at an all time high in the United States.  You say here that unless a person is married, they should remain celibate.  If they are married, they need to stay within the bounds of that marriage and not use sex as a weapon against the spouse.  You make it very plain and easy to understand.  There is none who can give excuse.