Of all the strategies that Satan uses to sow destruction into the lives of Christians and unbelievers alike, none are more deceptive nor comprehensive than the lies surrounding human sexuality.
Littered among the movies we watch, the music we listen to and the commercials we mindlessly absorb are both subtle innuendo and explicitly obscene enticements which woo us away from the sanctity and design intended for one of God’s most wonderful gifts.
Ours is not, however, the first generation to taste the rotten fruit of the sexual revolution. The ancient city of Corinth was known for its many sexual perversions.
Prostitution was a form of pagan religious expression, making it rampant. Homosexuality, particularly pederasty, was commonplace. Casual intimacy, adultery and divorce were celebrated norms. In other words, Corinth was not all that different from our modern world where sexuality is an idol that controls many.
Another similarity with our current reality is that first century believers struggled to abandon their immorality due to the relentless, shameless influence of their surrounding culture. Their numerous, twisted justifications were the focus of Paul’s pen in his Corinthian correspondence.
All things were lawful, they insisted, so the apostle reminded his audience that all things are not profitable nor healthy due to their addictive nature (1 Corinthians 6:12).
Even worse was the Corinthian assertion that food was for the body and the body was for food, though God will one day destroy both (1 Corinthians 6:13). The intended parallel served as their basis for minimizing all sexual activities as nothing more than bodily functions. Just as food is for the body, they reasoned, so sex is for the body; and just as the stomach is for food, so the body is for sex.
What emerged was a warped, carnal dualism which separated body and spirit entirely.
Misguided claims included: What I do in my flesh has no bearing on my spiritual relationship with God whatsoever; because my sexuality is just an innate desire no different than hunger, there is no reason to suppress it; my body will die anyway, so all that matters is my spirit, not what I do in or to my body.
The same lies are still deceiving us today.
In her excellent book, “Love Thy Body,” best-selling author Nancy Pearcy accurately writes, “(We’ve been told) that our bodies are products of purposeless, amoral Darwinian forces and therefore they are morally neutral. The implication is that what we do with our bodies has no moral significance. The self is free to use the body any way it chooses, without moral consequences.”
In reality, the consequences have been devastating and widespread.
A permissive hookup culture is unraveling marriages before they start. The convenience of cohabitation is significantly diminishing the likelihood of marital success at staggering rates. The allure of adultery frequently tears asunder the one flesh union God reserved for husbands and wives. An epidemic of pornography is trampling marital intimacy underfoot.
The deceptiveness of homosexuality is openly defying nature itself in the name of love. The lie of transgenderism is actively destroying unsuspecting lives by heralding our rebellion against biology as a milestone worth celebrating.
In an effort to push back against the cunning temptations of the sexual revolution, the Bible offers both theological arguments and a practical plea.
First, the resurrection serves as a stark reminder that God cares very much about our physical existence. Just as God the Father raised Jesus up from the dead, He likewise promises to raise us as well (1 Corinthians 6:14).
We will not live eternally as disembodied spirits, but as physical beings whose perishable bodies give way to that which is imperishable and immortal (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). God has big plans for these frail bodies of ours.
Next, Scripture prizes our physical bodies as the dwelling place for Christ Himself, emphasizing the spiritual union existing between believers and our Savior (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20). The Lord unites with us physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are never without Him nor free from His presence.
Because sexual intimacy is meant to be an act of spiritual union that creates one flesh between a husband and a wife with God in the midst, sexual sin is about much more than simply breaking a rule (1 Corinthians 6:15-16). Immorality connects a holy God to an unholy action.
Finally, the Bible offers a pastoral encouragement that is equally theological and yet, profoundly pragmatic. We should run from sexual transgressions, not because God is prudish, but because no other sin affects us like these (1 Corinthians 6:18). Such actions violate our bodies and live with us long after we disobey. No matter how casually we might treat it, there is no such thing as casual sex.
Physical intimacy connects us with others so deeply it never leaves us. This is why some marriages start to unravel before they ever begin. This is why some spouses lie in bed at night fearful of who their partner might be thinking of. Scoff if you will, but as someone who helps couples pick up the pieces after the unthinkable happens, I can tell you that sexual deviations have adverse effects.
Even worse, no matter how hard we try to separate our relationship with God from how we express our sexuality, Scripture rejects such selfish compartmentalization. Despite our excuses and our insistence otherwise, we cannot be right with the Lord and rebel sexually. These prohibitions, though, are not meant to hurt us but to help us. As such, directives like these are meant to strengthen and encourage rather than to condemn.
Don’t believe me? Look no further than Paul’s description of believers in Corinth before they came to Christ. He admits that many were fornicators, adulterers and even homosexuals preceding their new birth (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). And yet, God washed, sanctified and justified them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth (1 Corinthians 6:11).
The Lord will save anyone who calls out to Him in repentance and faith, no matter how great the sin, whether it be sexual or otherwise. The key, however, is to recognize immoralities as behaviors we should turn away from rather than glory in.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Adam Dooley is pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tenn. He writes at adamdooley.org.)
