Friends and Lovers: Cultivating Companionship and Intimacy in Marriage PB

Intimate Christian companionship in marriage — the attainable goal.

Friends and Lovers focuses on two key ingredients in a vital marriage: friendship and sexual intimacy. Drawing from the wisdom of the Bible, especially the Book of Proverbs, Joel Beeke shows you how to grow closer to your spouse both emotionally and physically.

Part I (“Friends”), explores the meaning, cultivation, and threats to friendship in marriage.

• Friendship is that personal bond of shared life that brings people together in delightful harmony.
• It is rooted God’s created order of making men and women in His image.
• We broke this harmonious order when our first parents sinned against God, simultaneously turning against each other.
• But Christ is the great peacemaker and friendship-restorer.

Part II (“Lovers”), sets forth several ways in which the gospel energizes married Christians to enjoy sex in holy delight.

• The words gospel, sex, and holy, may not seem to go together. But when it comes to sexual love between husband and wife, they do.
• Rather than splitting our lives into different compartments such as sex and religion, God calls us to respond to Christ’s mercies by offering our whole existence to Him.

Dr. Beeke leads the reader to know, believe, feel, and act based upon God’s Word applied by God’s Spirit.

Friendship and sex with your spouse are incredibly good gifts from God. We should receive them with gratitude, and give them to each other with generosity.