Physical affection, like intellectual, spiritual, or emotional affection, can be paired with sexual attraction or bonding in romantic relationships. It can also be savored on its own, without any hint of sexuality in a psychological or physical sense. When it comes to relationships between siblings or parents and their children, this is often somewhat understood. When it comes to relationships between romantic partners, outside observers who might recognize this truth in an explicitly familial context might suddenly be confused or ignorant.
Even the members of a couple that press their nude bodies together in a sensual embrace have not done anything sexual unless the intent is to sexually excite each other. It is entirely possible to see the nudity of the opposite gender in person or be seen naked by the opposite gender and realize the situation is objectively nonsexual in itself, inside or outside the context of a dating or marriage relationship. In fact, realizing the paradoxical nature of this can even amplify the excitement of sensual and sexual experiences!
Nudity can be enjoyed in a mildly or intensively sexual manner, with or without a significant other. In either case, it is still sensual. The romantic components of a dating relationship need not stop either party from enjoying the other's nudity in sensual but nonssexual ways if they so desire. Couples can interact in sexually amorous ways while naked in some situations and interact in sensual but nonsexual ways while naked at other times. Both can deepen their relational bond and serve as springboards for deep introspection.
Enjoying one context of nudity as a couple can even help stir up greater appreciation for the other context. Philosophically, this might reaffirm the fact that sensual intimacy cannot legitimately be equated with sexual intimacy. Many forms of intimacy in either category can be enjoyed independently. When sexual expression is the intent or outcome, an overlap of sensuality and sexuality is present, but sensuality alone stops short of actual sexuality. A great many sensual sights, activities, and thoughts have nothing to do with sexuality unless sexual intent is specifically involved. The paradoxes of the relationship between sensuality and sexuality are vital indeed!
The pleasure and comfort of sensual nudity has the potential to strengthen relational bonds between boyfriends and girlfriends or husbands and wives even when no sexual thoughts or activities result from it at all. For Christian couples who have committed to each other after deeply bonding intellectually and emotionally, there is no reason to abstain from sensual intimacy other than sheer personal preference [1]. The human body God made does not ever need to seem like an overwhelming temptation in a romantic relationship. Ironically, realizing that many kinds of sexual interaction prior to formal commitment are not Biblically sinful can free one to fully embrace nonsexual sensuality in a dating relationship or marriage.
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