The string of sexual abuse allegations and ensuing consequences we have seen in the news is no new thing. At God’s appointed time, He lifts the veil on sin, exposing the widespread sexual idolatry among well-groomed men and women.
It used to be that the image of a pedophile, sodomite, or other types of sexual idolaters, was of someone unshaven, lurking around in a dark alley. No more – sexual lust is rampant. Nice looking and clean-shaven, they are in every type of business and professional setting. With the availability of pornography on the internet, and the many people habitually feeding on this, we are seeing the definite results, yet this is only the tip of the iceberg. God judges sin — people can spin sexual idolatry however they want, but God calls it sin.
God is gracious and merciful, he always gives clear warning about the consequences of sin before they come. He warns: if you do this – you will face this. It’s called the law of sowing and reaping. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man (woman) sows, he (she) shall also reap” (Gal.6:7). Simple, yet our sin-nature gravitates that way. That is why we need a Savior.
The past decade has been flooded with ED (erectile dysfunction) ads. Many people unaware of the physiological effects of masturbation with pornography may not have put 2 and 2 together as to why there’s so much public talk concerning such a private problem. Those who understand the link between the porn-addicted brain and sexual dysfunction knew why those ads were becoming mainstream. See: Your Brain on Porn
The gospel of Christ is the only solution to a sin-depraved world. Some of us may not gravitate toward sexual sin, but let us not become Pharisees, rather recognize that we all need to examine ourselves to see where we may be displeasing God and repent. Pride is something all humans are prone to, it’s in our DNA. Let us humble ourselves, be available to God, and be available to those who desire to repent and change.
Huge Paradigm
Our culture doesn’t recognize the word sin. They have substituted secular terms for sin. The sad truth is that many church attendees, even bible-reading people, do not want to acknowledge some of the modern-day sins that have encroached upon our culture. Unless we use biblical terms and define sin properly we can never bring remedy for the problem. Homosexuality, lesbianism, purveyors of gender confusion, and the like are addressed in Romans chapter 1 which states what happens to a person who continues therein. If we truly love people and want to offer freedom, we need to refer to these things for what they are so they have hope of freedom in the forgiveness that Christ offers for sin.
Beware your sin will find you out; this is a biblical promise. Some people like “Promise Cards”, little notes, or booklets listing the “nice” promises of God. We are admonished by Paul in Ephesians 4:15 to speak the truth in love and this requires the warning “promises” as well. At some point, God gives someone over to their sin. We see in Romans 1:24-26 God gave them up to…, vs. 26 God gave them up to… and vs. 28 God gave them over to…
There’s HOPE!
If you are involved with sexual sin, repent, and get godly, biblical, counsel so you can be set free from the snare of your enemy and your habitual choices. Acknowledge you need help and be willing to humble yourself and seek out someone trustworthy to help you. Pray and ask God to give you a nurturing church family to pray for you and help you through the struggle to become free. God will answer sincere, honest prayer.
Photo credits: Ellen DeGeneres Show, Matt Lauer. Pixabay
God is so smart, He cannot be fooled, nor can we out-smart Him. As our Creator, He knows us inside and out. Because of His great love for us, He warns us many times in scripture to not become idolaters. By that I mean, a pleasure-seeker. We are reminded that the fulfilled and joyful life comes from seeking relationship with Him.
“Sin will take you farther than you ever want to go…”
Nancy Demary 