Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: ADULTERY, FORNICATION, UNCLEANNESS, LEWDNESS... and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21, NKJV).
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I Have Seen the Enemy and He is Us - Part 2
The first four works of the flesh all relate on at least the physical level to sexual sin, but these can also be seen as metaphors for spiritual activity, as well. Both realms are devastating and stem from the same fleshly impulse: self-worship.
Before detailing what each of these four evils entail, a word is needed about sexual behavior. The orthodox Christian view of sex is this: it is an invention of God Himself, primarily for the purposes of procreation in the same way that eating is primarily for the purposes of nourishment. Both sex and eating are (or should be) pleasurable. Think about it, the Creator COULD have been as perverse as His fallen creatures in the following regard: He could have made what was essential, painful. He didn't. In fact, in His grace and mercy, and in delighting to provide His creatures with joy, he made these necessary survival activities particular sources of profound pleasure. Sexual relations in accordance with the boundaries established by God, namely, within marriage, are His gift. The marriage bed is undefiled. There is nothing shameful or unclean about it. Period. End of sentence, modern stereotypes of the Christian world-view notwithstanding. If you want the Lord's view of sex, read the Song of Solomon. You might learn something.
That said, any and all human activity done apart from God is quickly debased and perverted. Divinely ordained sexual activity without God is hideously transformed into promiscuousness and perversion. What He intended for good becomes evil, because apart from Him, our Fallenness defiles it. This is not rocket science. God is the maker of joy, not the killer of it. He puts restrictions on things for the same reason loving parents set guidelines and restrictions on beloved children. Obsess about it if you want. Proclaim loudly that Biblical living is the source of toxic guilt and life-destroying syndromes if you want, but for those who know the actual truth, you will sound ridiculous.
So then, ADULTERY is sex outside of marriage. Only a married person can be technically guilty of this sin. And note well, that it is a FUNDAMENTAL BETRAYAL of trust. It is not just having the rug pulled out from the marriage relationship, it is a gaping hole ripped into the surface of the earth. Please note as well Jesus' commentary on adultery, the thinking of it is as devastating as the doing of it. The best preventative is follow Job's advice. Make a covenant with your eyes. It's like steering a car, where you look, you go. So look in the right direction and you'll stay on the right road.
FORNICATION is sex before marriage. And the same principles apply, with one subtle addition. Whether or not it is a one-night stand, or the taking advantage of a supposedly serious relationship, it CHEAPENS everything that follows. And in so doing, it defiles the future consummation of a godly marriage. It's very much like breaking a raw egg. Once done, it cannot be put back together, nor disguised.
UNCLEANNESS is best looked at as the filthy mental precursor that is the first step down the pit to physical sexual sin. It is part and parcel of the "looking and lusting" that Jesus warns against. To think often enough is to do, or at least to try, in regard to sin. To the pure, the Bible says, all things are pure. Uncleanness then, is the throwing of the filled bedpan over a work of art, or an exquisite flower. It is the smearing and denigration of that which is essentially beautiful. Fallen humans are masters at this, and in the calling of good evil, and evil good.
LEWDNESS is the immoral foundation upon which the rest of these defilements are built. It is the surrender to unbridled lust and lasciviousness. Some refer to it in animalistic terms, but animals cannot be lewd. That takes higher thought and moral degradation, two things of which animals are not capable.
So there you have it, the four pillars of sexual defilement. The Bible details these things to preserve our God-intended pleasure, not to take it away. And for those of us who have done these deeds there is hope and redemption in Jesus. The Lord will restore the years the locusts have eaten. That is the kind of God and Father he is.
*
I Have Seen the Enemy and He is Us - Part 2
The first four works of the flesh all relate on at least the physical level to sexual sin, but these can also be seen as metaphors for spiritual activity, as well. Both realms are devastating and stem from the same fleshly impulse: self-worship.
Before detailing what each of these four evils entail, a word is needed about sexual behavior. The orthodox Christian view of sex is this: it is an invention of God Himself, primarily for the purposes of procreation in the same way that eating is primarily for the purposes of nourishment. Both sex and eating are (or should be) pleasurable. Think about it, the Creator COULD have been as perverse as His fallen creatures in the following regard: He could have made what was essential, painful. He didn't. In fact, in His grace and mercy, and in delighting to provide His creatures with joy, he made these necessary survival activities particular sources of profound pleasure. Sexual relations in accordance with the boundaries established by God, namely, within marriage, are His gift. The marriage bed is undefiled. There is nothing shameful or unclean about it. Period. End of sentence, modern stereotypes of the Christian world-view notwithstanding. If you want the Lord's view of sex, read the Song of Solomon. You might learn something.
That said, any and all human activity done apart from God is quickly debased and perverted. Divinely ordained sexual activity without God is hideously transformed into promiscuousness and perversion. What He intended for good becomes evil, because apart from Him, our Fallenness defiles it. This is not rocket science. God is the maker of joy, not the killer of it. He puts restrictions on things for the same reason loving parents set guidelines and restrictions on beloved children. Obsess about it if you want. Proclaim loudly that Biblical living is the source of toxic guilt and life-destroying syndromes if you want, but for those who know the actual truth, you will sound ridiculous.
So then, ADULTERY is sex outside of marriage. Only a married person can be technically guilty of this sin. And note well, that it is a FUNDAMENTAL BETRAYAL of trust. It is not just having the rug pulled out from the marriage relationship, it is a gaping hole ripped into the surface of the earth. Please note as well Jesus' commentary on adultery, the thinking of it is as devastating as the doing of it. The best preventative is follow Job's advice. Make a covenant with your eyes. It's like steering a car, where you look, you go. So look in the right direction and you'll stay on the right road.
FORNICATION is sex before marriage. And the same principles apply, with one subtle addition. Whether or not it is a one-night stand, or the taking advantage of a supposedly serious relationship, it CHEAPENS everything that follows. And in so doing, it defiles the future consummation of a godly marriage. It's very much like breaking a raw egg. Once done, it cannot be put back together, nor disguised.
UNCLEANNESS is best looked at as the filthy mental precursor that is the first step down the pit to physical sexual sin. It is part and parcel of the "looking and lusting" that Jesus warns against. To think often enough is to do, or at least to try, in regard to sin. To the pure, the Bible says, all things are pure. Uncleanness then, is the throwing of the filled bedpan over a work of art, or an exquisite flower. It is the smearing and denigration of that which is essentially beautiful. Fallen humans are masters at this, and in the calling of good evil, and evil good.
LEWDNESS is the immoral foundation upon which the rest of these defilements are built. It is the surrender to unbridled lust and lasciviousness. Some refer to it in animalistic terms, but animals cannot be lewd. That takes higher thought and moral degradation, two things of which animals are not capable.
So there you have it, the four pillars of sexual defilement. The Bible details these things to preserve our God-intended pleasure, not to take it away. And for those of us who have done these deeds there is hope and redemption in Jesus. The Lord will restore the years the locusts have eaten. That is the kind of God and Father he is.
