What is the difference between God's view of sex and a worldly view of sex?

from the old testament

• God designed sex to be the physical union that happens only in the context of marriage (Genesis 2:24; cf. Matthew 19:6). Sex is an expression of intimacy, love, and commitment in marriage.  By contrast, the world often views sex as merely a physical act between consenting adults that is acceptable (even encouraged) outside of marriage.
• While even secular society usually regards adultery as wrong, the reason given is that it involves lying and hurting another person. But that reasoning suggests that an "open" marriage is fine as long as the married partners agree to it. God still regards this as adultery, though, and has forbidden it (Exodus 20:14).
• Sexual purity is part of holiness. God frequently commanded His people to be Holy as He is holy (Leviticus 11:44, 19:2, 20:7-10, 20:26).
• Proverbs 14:12 offers this foundational distinction between God's ways and humankind's ways: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." Human judgment reasons that if it feels good [sexually], it is good. But God sets parameters around sexual behavior, not relying on what human reason comes up with.

from the new testament

• The world emphasizes the negative physical consequences of sexual sin, creating various means to avoid those consequences. But the Bible shows that sexual sin is physically and spiritually harmful: "Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body" (1 Corinthians 6:18; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7).
• Oftentimes, the world encourages extreme independence within marriage, especially concerning sex. But the Bible presents the [radical to today's readers] idea that spouses' bodies belong to one another (1 Corinthians 7:3-4).
• The basis for the world's casual view of sex is that unbelievers do not consider the body to be holy. But Scripture teaches that the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit and should never be used for sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:16-20).
• The world accepts sex outside of God's design for it, while believers submit to the parameters that God has set for sex (1 Corinthians 5:1; Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 1:26-27). Sexual purity is part of believers' sanctification (Ephesians 5:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5).
• The world often regards sexual thoughts as harmless. But the Bible says our thought life matters, so we must keep our thoughts pure (Matthew 5:28; Philippians 4:8; 1 John 2:16).

implications for today

Do you know enough to know that you don’t know everything?

A wise person will answer “yes.” None of us is an expert on everything (especially those who think they are). We take our car to a mechanic, leave the latte art to the barista, and call tech support when our computer glitches. But when it comes to sex, many people today think they know it all. They ignore the wisdom of the actual Expert on humankind: our Creator. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He designed sex with a purpose.

God isn’t anti-sex—He invented it. From the beginning, He designed sex as a beautiful expression of intimacy, unity, trust, and covenant between a husband and wife (Genesis 2:24). His boundaries aren’t meant to rob us of pleasure but to protect something valuable and keep sex from becoming selfish, casual, or destructive. God’s design reminds us that sex isn’t merely about what feels good in the moment; it’s about honoring the person, the relationship, and the Creator who designed it.

That doesn't always jibe with our hypersexualized society. Christians are often mocked and scorned for being puritanical killjoys. But as lights in a dark world, we should stand out—not by being judgmental, but by confidently living according to God’s good design.

Our goal in everything, including sex, shouldn't be to chase feelings but to trust the One who created those feelings in the first place.