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One of the many conundrums every believer faces is what to do about sin in the lives of those they know and care for. It’s relatively easy preaching to an assemblage of strangers. A friend or a family member? Not so much.
It should gnaw at the heart of everyone who knows Christ when they contemplate those in their life who do not know Him how if it all comes down tonight there will be gaps in heaven. Too often in this touchy-feely / I’m OK you’re OK / we are all equal / all are one / situational ethics / moral equivalency society in which we dwell, notions of heaven reign supreme while mentions of hell are assigned to backwards backwoods preachers. It doesn’t work that way. If it did, Jesus’ death on the cross was an exercise in ultimate excess, an unnecessary show of sympathy gathering. If there was, is and will be no sin forming an eternal separation between imperfect man and perfect God there was no need for Christ’s death to atone for sin and no need for His resurrection to signal triumph over death as well as sin. This is the fundamental of Christianity, a love so great for what God created in His image He sacrificed Himself in the presence of His Son so that we might live in eternity with Him, no longer separated from His perfection by our imperfection. (Amid the seriousness of this there is a cause to smile at the thought of how the fundamental of Christianity is far too vital to be left as the sole property of fundamentalists. Inside church joke. But I digress.)
Even as it should burn within all of us who believe how we must not just preach the Word to the lost but live it, being shining examples of love, care and compassion for all, we should also be cognizant of our obligation to highlight without judgment the sin in each others lives as well as our own which hinders the advancement of the Gospel both personally in keeping someone from their best and as a whole by making a mockery of the words and works of Christ. Our goal should never be pretending to be a sanctified Spock (Mr. not Dr.), superbly self-controlled to the point of robotic perfection. Our humanity should always be evident. We should make no effort to hide our shortcomings as we mention while we take no pride in these things we also don’t mind mentioning them as evidence of our need for a Savior. Yet with this, we should be honest with each other about them.
With this in mind, mind if I talk about sex for a minute?
Making love is good in a fashion not often mentioned. The passion of lovemaking is a symbol of the passionate love Christ has for His Bridegroom the church. When you get past the tittering oh-my aspect of the Song of Solomon and realize this, you come to understand how, even if you believe single consenting men and women having relations is permissible, it is but a pale shadow of what ought to be. For the record, I do believe single consenting men and women having relations is permissible as I have yet to find a Scriptural prohibition of said activity. That said, I also have yet to find a Scriptural endorsement for it.
Sex among believers was never intended by our Lord to be a quasi-recreational activity –’hey, let’s get together, maybe have some dinner, a few laughs, lay some pipe, it’s all the same, it’s all good.’ No. It’s not. It’s not all good, because the moment you go there, literally and figuratively, you’ve hit the slopes with greased skis. You’ve opened up a world of troubles, trying to sort out what is and isn’t right along with dealing with the emotions and desires and feelings of others, not just your own. Given the choice between tap dancing in a landmine field and not crossing it at all… you get the picture.
I know and respect how many in the church hold differing views, be they the strict prohibition of any nookie outside of nuptials or the “it’s okay, we’re cool with each other, we’re not hurting anyone” mindset. Just putting what I believe out there. As has been often said in assorted blog posts by yours truly, one man, one voice, one opinion. Consider it as you will. But please, do consider it. Thanks.
