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This week, we wrap up our Sex in the Bible Trilogy by going back to 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, where it says,
“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… you must honor God with your body.”
You see, the Bible never says anything like, “Wait and see how much you can take before you fall”.
To help, rather than leave you stranded and feeling condemned, here are some tips, tricks, lifestyle changes and stories of proof that they work to help guide you back to propriety.
If you’re like my daughter, and you don’t have to be home by midnight, but the date ends at 11:00, instead of parking the car and watching the submarine races where things often get a little too “handsy”, make your way to a Starbucks or somewhere else public. Because if all you really want to do is talk, you can do that in a booth somewhere just as easily as you can in the backseat of a car. This assumes, of course, that you’re not kidding yourself, and you actually want to do more than just talk.
You see, I recommend… no, I PLEAD: You need to police yourself, because YOU CAN’T BE TRUSTED!
I’ve even told this to my kids. I want them to know one thing for absolute certain, should they ever feel the need to ask: I DON’T TRUST THEM. Why? Because they can’t be trusted.
But what about adults?
Adults can be trusted – right up until they cross the line of propriety. Then it’s time to RUN! Generally, I say you can trust almost all adults. But, once they cross the line of propriety, all bets are off and it’s time to run. And all it takes is a small dose of the fear of God that will send you running.
But what about those of us who didn’t run – who messed up once upon a time? What if you’re one of those people who have seen and done it all? How do you cope with your past?
I asked one person who led such a life and she put it simply, “It’s under the blood”. Thanks to Jesus, she is as pure as the driven snow, no matter what is in her past.
What about someone who has “done it all” because it was done to them? What about someone who has been raped, molested, or abused?
You’ve been traumatized, suffer from mental and emotional scars, pain still lingers from being caught in the wake of someone else’s sin. Know this, though – before God, you are okay. You are pure. You did not give away your virginity, since it is a spiritual concept that can’t be taken, it can only be given away. You’ve still got it. Someone stole your physical virginity, but they can’t steal your spiritual virginity.
But what if you’ve given it away lots of times? Dozens of times? Thousands of times? You can still be made whole, if you allow Christ to cleanse you. Talk about hope!
Think about John 8:2-11
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
But what if she didn’t leave her life of sin? What if she blew it again the very next week, then came back to Christ with a truly repentant heart? Would Jesus condemn her then? What about the next week? How many times can we repent? BEYOND ANY REASONABLE NUMBER!
But there are consequences for each encounter that forgiveness doesn’t solve. The amazing thing is that God can even heal those consequences and – believe it or not – use those consequences for His glory… if you sincerely repent and let Him.