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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
Sexual Ethics: Why Have They Changed?
When God finished His creation, this is what He thought:
“God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31
Included in that which God called “very good” was the creation of “male and female,” Genesis 1:27. Inherent in that description is the natural attraction between male and female – in other words, sex. In today’s world it may be a surprise that God called sex “very good,” but that is what it says, and just as with many other good gifts given to man by God, we humans can really mess it up.
Man has the privilege and the responsibility to make moral choices, and God has given us an objective standard of what is right and wrong on this very subject. To put it plainly, God has limited sexual intercourse to marriage between husband and wife, Ephesians 5:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 4:3. However, man has now decided it is all right to violate God’s will, and sex is the way we sell newspapers, cars deodorant and exercise equipment.
Man’s sexual ethics have changed because man is determined to do what man wants to do. The flimsy “reasons” man gives are very familiar.
“TIMES HAVE CHANGED”
Yes, times have changed. What was formerly wrong is now right, at least within modern pluralist ethics. But when God declares a deed to be sin, man has neither the right nor the power to change it. The Bible declares fornication and adultery are sin, Galatians 5:19, 1 Corinthians 6:9, but America is going the way of other civilizations that have allowed lust to gain control of them. There is lust for land, for money, for power and for sex. None of these are entirely wicked in and of themselves, but when God’s rules of right and wrong are ignored, that civilization is in serious danger.
“NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO”
A backlash against “religion” is well on its way to full steam. If “religion” decrees some act as “wrong,” some will mindlessly resist it even though they previously had agreed. Personal freedom is wonderful, but without limits man is nothing more than an animal.
THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
Blaming entertainers is easy, and guilt abounds for them. Popular “stars” with multiple lovers and mates are in the headlines every day. Movies are filled with sex, and lust is the drawing card for many if not most of them. They portray immorality as fun and games, and America is buying it as fast as a credit card can get it done.
Tempting as it is, blaming them only makes us feel better. We don’t have to buy what they are selling – we can say “No” and we can refuse to buy the goods they endorse.
“EVERYBODY’S DOING IT”
That’s what some would like for us to believe, but it is just not so. The “bandwagon” effect likes the idea, but even if it were true, that would not remove the suffering of sexually transmitted diseases. It would not eliminate destroyed marriages that result from adultery. It would not foster confidence in our nation or in any of us as individuals.
AN OBJECTIVE STANDARD
Some may not understand that a standard of right/wrong does exist. Not a subjective standard – one built upon man’s decisions – but one that is objective, from outside man. It comes from the only source available outside man, and that is God, earth’s Creator. Man can vote for abortion, “gay” marriage, etc., but God has already “voted,” and His voice has authority. The question is, will we recognize and honor His authority?
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
- First of all, we can recognize that we can do something about it. Feeling we are impotent in the face of evil is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Gospel has “power,” Romans 1:16. It can remove any obstacle in its way – including lust and all its associates.
- There are no guarantees for parents who want to guide their children in the ways of righteousness. But I can guarantee that if parents do not make a gigantic effort to teach their children the self-control that is necessary to win this battle, they are in for some heart-wrenching times. That obligation cannot be relegated to others. It’s up to you, and only God can help!
- Don’t underestimate the power of this temptation. No one is exempted. It takes its toll on teachers, preachers, elders, mothers, fathers. Note Paul’s comments in 1 Corinthians 9:27 on his own susceptibility to temptation.
- Every Christian must not forget that when you became a Christian you promised God to be faithful to Him. Temptations are going to come because Satan is serious about his business. Keep that promise! Control your passions. Stay out of situations in which temptation is stronger. Find that “way to escape” God promised will be there, 1 Corinthians 10:12-13!
- Strengthen your marriage. Satan cannot break the ties of true love when both husband and wife are determined to be faithful to each other. Stay away from situations that are fraught with occasions of infidelity. Focus on your love for each other. To give in to temptation will bring far more grief than pleasure. Whatever it takes – it’s worth it!
Carl B. Garner
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“Men are qualified for liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their appetites.”
“He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city,”
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Learning to Listen
In the first chapter of James, God’s servant addressed Christians who blamed God for temptation and their subsequent failures to overcome it. In response to this error James reminded them that God gave only good gifts (James 1:17), and that one example of this is the Word He gave so that we could understand His will (James 1:18), concluding that by making God’s Word the model for life we can be saved (James 1:21). Between verses eighteen and twenty-one sits a familiar admonition that rarely receives treatment in its context. James told his readers to “be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:19b-20). His point? God has provided the answer for overcoming temptation and understanding life properly within His Word, but it will do us no good if we do not listen to it.
Jesus said, “Take heed therefore how ye hear” (Luke 8:18a). It is not enough to sit through some sermons and classes. This, by itself, is not really listening. We must open ourselves up to absorb God’s Word and the practical applications that stem from it (James 1:22). The Bereans were noble because they listened with purpose (Acts 17:11). They did not listen blindly, but they were listening to learn. Some people’s listening skills are designed after the rapid reply model of people who listen just enough to respond but never listen long enough to realize how much they do not know.
Some Christians take pride in their ability to avoid letting the Word of God affect them greatly. This is foolish and prideful (Proverbs 16:18). A Christian must be ready to listen to what comes from God’s Word – ready to apply it, ready to relay it, ready to live it. But this will never happen if a Christian is not willing to listen. Paul contrasted Timothy’s attitude toward the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15) with the attitude of some whom he knew Timothy would find “in the pew” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Timothy learned because he listened. There is no other way (Romans 10:17).
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