The 1960's brought us the Beatles, the hippy movement and sexual liberation. In the name of love and peace, many young people part of the counterculture movement of the 60's indulged themselves in sexual immorality rejecting the notion of fornication being a sin, because they had rejected all forms of authority and moral norms. Some have lived though it and some, like myself, are the children of that generation. But we do not have to look back tot he 1960's to look for evidence of a sexually charged culture. Right now in our day, sexual immorality is at a high point. According to recent data, because of the information available to young children through technology, they are beginning to "experiment" with sex as young as seven and eight years old and inventing new forms of immorality through things like "sexting". Forget about premarital sex, and living together- that's old school- the new thing is to be homosexuality. Pop culture icons like Lady Gaga, Brittney Spears, Adam Lambert, and even now Miley Cirus (Yes Hannah Montana, the cute show on Disney that you let your little girls watch) have promoted and openly participate in the gay lifestyle. Is this freedom?
No- This is bondage. At least that is what scripture teaches us. This is bondage to our passions and lust, allowing every impulse of our flesh to control and dominate our thoughts actions and beliefs. The bible says we have been set free from sin as believers. Yet there seems to be an epidemic even in churches these days with professing Christians engaging in immoral activity.Whether is an addiction to pornography, or extramarital affairs, or people living together outside of marriage, or member of our youth group "experimenting" with homosexuality, our churches are not immune. So how do we respond? Some have made the argument the Corinthians made, "Food is for the belly, the belly for food" implying that sexual activity is as natural as eating and we should just simply accept it. But I like the way Rick Warren responded to such a suggestion by Ann Curry about 2 years ago on 20/20. This is not verbatim, but here it goes, Ann, "Rick, how can you say that homosexuality is a sin, when there seems to be evidence that some people are naturally inclined toward the same sex? Isn't it true some people are born gay?" Warren, "Yeah, some people may be born with a disposition towards homosexuality. And some people may be born with a greater disposition to be angry and violent people. And some like myself were born with a natural disposition to sleep with every women I see....That is because we are all born sinners. And it is our natural inclination to want to sin against God." "Sin can manifest itself in many different ways. Just because I was born with a natural disposition to have sex with every women I see doesn't mean it's right. No. I am restrained by the law of God that forbids me and am faithful to my wife."
People have been making excuses to live immorally since ancient times. Freud didn';t give us anything new, just repackaged. We have a natural tendency towards sex because God created us with that. But in our sinful nature we have perverted it through unlawful desires. Fulfilling those desires is not the path to freedom, but to bondage. God created sex to be enjoyed in its fullest sense in marriage. Any departure from that is a perversion of sex's natural purpose.
If you are a Christian you have the Spirit of god living in you and that makes your body holy before God. Are bodies are not to be used for sexual immorality but for God.(1 Cor. 6:18-21). It is put another way in 1 Thess. 4:3-5 "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God"
If we profess to know God and our bodies have been consecrated by the indwelling presence of the holy spirit than we are to yield to the control of the Spirit, not the flesh. Rom. 8:13 "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
In fact the NT teaches us that "sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints." Eph 5:3.
As Paul said in 1 Cor. 6:11, "Such were some of you, but you have been washed, you have been sanctified, you have been justified." If we have experience the grace of God than we are no longer to live like the world. We are no longer driven by our natural passions, but driven by the Spirit of God. The "natural world" is passing away and under God's judgement (Rom.1:18, 1 John 2:17) but the Kingdom of God is everlasting. We who belong to the Kingdom have no business engaging in sexual impurity and can expect "not to inherit the Kingdom" if we practice such things.
Maybe you are tangled up in sexual sin. Maybe you know someone that is. No matter who it is- Flee Sexual Immorality!!! Run Like Hell!!!!! Don't give in, don't give up and don't quit. God's grace is able to renew you, forgive you and set you free- but you have to surrender and repent, or else you will be a slave to your passions forever.
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