"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." -1 Corinthians 6:18-20
I have written some in the past about a Bible study I attended on Friday evenings when I was in high school that had a profound impact upon me. I went because I was being taught, plain and simple. No one told me to go. In fact, my mother was not crazy about me going to a non-Catholic study, but in her kindness and graciousness she allowed it—not without some trepidation.
The study was a bit of a mixed bag. I met some strong Christians there who poured into my life and my walk with Christ. I also met a few people for whom only the word “whacky” would suffice. I made some good friends there as well. One of them was a young man who, although I did not see it then, was struggling with his sexuality. He was hot and cold in his faith, which I had a hard time understanding. I was a bit naive at the time (in a positive way I think) and figured if God was really who he declared himself to be, I would follow him no matter what, even if that meant being a bit peculiar compared with the general high school population. Life hasn’t always remained that simple for me, but I am thankful for the confidence God gave me then. My friend was not blessed in that way—he was confused and under almost constant temptation. He grew up in a tough home, and I suspect was introduced to pornography and sexual influences early in his life from the conversations I had with him. I think he really wanted to believe that knowing Christ was worth the struggle, but in the end he simply gave in. We did not spend a lot of time together after he left the Bible study, and by the time he graduated he had repudiated his faith altogether. The last I heard of him (via a conversation with his sister some years later) he was living his life working part-time jobs in Chicago and frequenting gay bars each evening. I cannot imagine that is a fulfilling life, regardless of the type of bars one frequents each night.
In one sense sin is sin—it is always deadly, and it always offers a gift in one hand that it is ready to snatch away with the other. A life given over to sin is a life of illusions. Sexual sin, however, is "a horse of different color" (if I can borrow a phrase from my mother via The Wizard of Oz). It is different, and it affects us like no other sin. The apostle Paul tells us that it is a sin against our own body. Sexual sin can and does hurt others, but, in a manner more intense than other sins, it always hurts us in return. It eats away at us like no other sin. It causes guilt like no other sin and, when we blunt that guilt long enough so that it does not haunt us anymore, we can be sure that we have moved closer to the type of human animal that can and will do the most heinous things to other people—even children. Sex crimes tend to be the most inhumane, humiliating, cruel, and brutal known to humankind. I saw the results of a few of them as a police officer, and the mental pictures still linger with me.
Sexual sin is not inevitable, and it can be resisted. There is no sin too big for God to overshadow in our lives. One of the great strengths of sexual sin is anonymity and secrecy. If we truly want to be free from slavery to sexual sin, the first step out of the dark is to expose it to the light of day. Confession breaks the power of sin, and accountability keeps it at bay. If you know Christ, the Holy Spirit lives in you, and he has the ability and the desire to destroy strongholds in your life. One of the means by which he does that is to give us brothers and sisters in Christ that we can trust, who will come along side us and prayerfully hold us accountable and encourage us.
I do not know any true followers of Christ who relish their addictions or their immorality. God has “saved us and called us to a holy life” (2 Timothy 1:9), which means we know him by his grace, but we also strive to be like him because of his grace. It can be hard work, but it is well worth the effort. God has given us a way out.
Next week I will talk about some practical steps in that direction.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym