Sex, sex, sex

So, there's this guy Paul. Now, Paul is pretty famous. In fact, he wrote most of the New Testament, so he and God are like this (fingers crossed). At one point in his life, Paul is writing a letter to some folks at a church, maybe a church like ours, and he says something weird... he actually starts to call out one particular type of sin. In fact, what he says is, "No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one...." Hmmm... you mean all sin isn't the same? There are some sins that affect us differently?

Well, of course, Paul is talking about sexual sin. In fact, what he says is, "Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

See, Paul says run from sexual sin. In other versions, he says flee. Get away from. Turn around from. Do not go near sexual sin. But the mistake most of us make is to draw an imaginary line somewhere and think as long as we stay on this side of the line, we're okay, but when we go over there, we're in trouble and so we inch closer and closer and see how far we can go without going over the line. That's not a new concept, either. In fact, God tried laying down rules about sex but that didn't work. So, now, we try to make our own rules about what's on this side of the line and what's on that side. What that looks like to us may be this... I can look as long as I don't touch. It's okay to watch that/ read that/ go to that website. I'm not hurting anyone. What's it hurt to go to her to get my haircut? What's it hurt to look out the window at the neighbor's daughter who's home from college cutting the grass in her bikini?

But the bible tells us differently. We should flee. Run. "Run away!" There is no line. Sex is great, marvelous, magical, God-sent, and fun. In the right context. Like fire, sex can warm, comfort, entertain, and illuminate. But uncontained, it can burn, scar and even kill.

The great thing is, no matter what you've done, no matter how you've screwed up, you can come to Christ and He will make you new. Anyone. Any man, woman, boy, girl. Anyone can find new life in Him.

Peace