When God makes a new creation, that is, brings a person to life in Jesus Christ, the new believer goes through a growing process. This spiritual growth is compared to a baby on milk gradually maturing to solid food (see 1 Corinthians 3:2 and 1 Peter 2:2), and as a human being grows from a baby to an adult, so we can compare our spiritual growth in the same way (see Ephesians 4:13-14). We can also compare the growth of the human race from a baby to an adult. In Genesis, during the time of Adam and Eve, Noah, and Abraham, the human race was in its infancy. While still an infant, Eve was deceived by the serpent and Adam listened to her. The venom from this figurative snakebite still courses through the veins of the human race today.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5)
During the time of Moses and the prophets, we can compare the human race to children–a lot of unruly children. The human race became adults after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament, God would tell his children not to do certain things, such as consulting spirits and sexual immorality (see Leviticus 19:31 and 20:10–23), or to do certain things, such as singing a new song to the Lord and loving the resident alien as we love ourselves (see Psalm 96:1 and Leviticus 19:34). In the time of Jesus Christ, did these laws become obsolete? Under the grace of God, we are justified by faith, and on the basis of faith, the law is upheld:
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law. (Rom. 3:31)
We can try to understand this better from the following story:
Once upon a time there was a young man who was uncertain about something he felt strongly about. He decided to go see his father to ask him for his advice. So the young man went to his father and asked him whether this certain thing he felt strongly about in his heart was right or wrong. His father asked him, “What did I tell you when you were a child?” The young man answered, “You said it was wrong.” Then his father said, “Why would you think any differently now that you are grown?
When we reached adulthood in the time of the New Testament, we became free to choose our own way. However, we should not only live by the example set by Jesus Christ, but we should remember what our Father told us when we were children.
How old are we now, the human race? Are we middle-aged? Are we elderly? Are we near the end? Whatever age we are, one thing is for certain, many have become like Felix. When the apostle Paul was in custody in Caesarea, Felix the governor listened to him speak about faith in Jesus Christ. But when Paul preached about being righteous, having self-control, and the impending judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you” (see Acts 24:25).
Like Felix, when we start hearing about living righteously, having self-control, and being judged on these things, we might become uncomfortable and make excuses. We only want to listen when it’s convenient for us.
If a person tells us that being sexually immoral is evil, we may not want to hear it because we might enjoy sexual stimuli. If someone tells us we’re going to send ourselves to hell from sexual sin, the power of evil that dwells in us can’t bear to hear it. Anger, fear, denial, or hatred is the result.
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)
Sexual immorality will probably be the number one thing that will get people thrown into hell. God created passion and sexuality to be between a man and a woman who are married. We shouldn’t abuse this. What if we created something for good and people used it for evil? How would we feel? All sexual immorality is sin whether it’s fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pedophilia, or masturbation and pornography. Of these, pedophilia is the worst. Jesus says that whoever harms a child, it would be better for that person to have a millstone put around his neck and cast into the sea (see Mark 9:42). If we want more details, we can go to the book of 2 Enoch:
1 And those two men (angels) led me up on to the Northern side, and showed me there a very terrible place, and there were all manner of tortures in that place: cruel darkness and unillumined gloom, and there is no light there, but murky fire constantly flaming aloft, and there is a fiery river coming forth, and that whole place is everywhere fire, and everywhere there is frost and ice, thirst and shivering, while the bonds are very cruel, and the angels fearful and merciless, bearing angry weapons, merciless torture, and I said: 2 Woe, woe, how very terrible is this place 3 And those men said to me: This place, O Enoch, is prepared for those who dishonour God, who on earth practice sin against nature, which is child-corruption after the sodomitic fashion, (Enoch 10:1-3)
Unless there is repentance for the forgiveness of sins, it would be better if that person was never born. We know it’s wrong to cause a child to sin not only from the laws of the land in which we live, but from this scripture:
But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of her age, and if need so requires, let him do what he desires. He doesn’t sin. Let them marry. (1 Corinthians 7:36; see Song of Solomon 8:8-9)
The apostle Paul says, “If she is past the flower of her age.” Sexual intercourse is only lawful between a man and a woman who are married.
Many believe the Bible targets homosexuals. This isn’t true. We can see this in 1 Corinthians 6:
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, (1 Corinthians 6:9)
The Bible targets all branches of sexual sin. In this scripture, we see the phrase sexually immoral first. In the same way, the Old Testament mentions adultery before homosexuality (see Leviticus 20:10, 13).
In the book of Acts, after a discussion about circumcision and the law of Moses versus saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, the apostles send a letter to the Gentiles giving a list of commands. On this list is the command to avoid sexual immorality:
You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. (Acts 15:29).
In Revelation 9:20-21, it mentions sinners (including the sexually immoral) who still haven’t repented even after a third of the human race are killed. The book of Revelation continues to warn us what’s going to happen to those who choose evil, even to the end of the bible:
But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
If this isn’t enough warning, we can go to the next chapter, the last chapter in the Bible, to emphasis the message:
Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:15)
This double warning at the end of the Bible is more than enough evidence of what’s going to happen if we don’t come to Jesus Christ and enter into God’s rest from evil works. These warnings prove God’s mercy, love, and compassion for the human race.
Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live? (Ezekiel 18:23)
As we grow spiritually, God is merciful, loving, and patient with us. But we’re warned throughout the Bible, even up to six verses from the end of the Bible. People will have no excuse when the end comes.
Birth Control
Another sensitive topic in society is birth control. Is birth control evil? Using evidence from the Holy Scriptures, we can determine that birth control is evil. What are we saying when we use birth control to prevent pregnancy? We’re saying that we want all the sex we can have without having the responsibility of having a baby. We don’t want to deal with the consequences of the action, we just want the action.
3 For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God, (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)
Let’s go to the story of Onan, the second son of Judah. Some believe this story has nothing to do with birth control and that it’s simply about Onan not wanting to father an heir for his dead brother. Let’s examine the evidence:
Onan’s duty was to continue his dead brother’s line. He didn’t want to give his brother a descendant because he knew the child wouldn’t be his (see Genesis 38:6–10). Judah, Onan’s father, gave him the command to fulfill his duty as a husband’s brother, to have intercourse with his deceased brother’s wife and raise up offspring for him. So why did God kill Onan? God was offended because Onan went back time and again to have sex with Tamar, wasting his seed on the ground every time.
In verse 9, it says “whenever” Onan would go have sex with his brother’s wife. This means more than once. So, Onan was going back to have sex with Tamar again and again and ejaculating on the ground. If Onan didn’t want to raise up offspring for his dead brother, he could’ve simply chosen not to have sex with Tamar. This is why God killed him. We know this because a man doesn’t incur the death penalty for not wanting to raise up offspring for his deceased brother, as the law (which came in written form later) says:
7 If the man doesn’t want to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders, and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to raise up to his brother a name in Israel. He will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.” 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him. If he stands and says, “I don’t want to take her,” 9 then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, and loose his sandal from off his foot, and spit in his face. She shall answer and say, “So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.” 10 His name shall be called in Israel, “The house of him who had his sandal removed.” (Deuteronomy 25:7–10)
So, the penalty for Onan not wanting to father an heir for his deceased brother would be for Tamar to spit in his face and for Onan to receive his new name. He would not have been killed by God.
Sex outside of marriage is sin whether birth control is used or not. Let’s look at birth control within the sanctity of marriage. Let’s read this quote from WEBMD:
Getting pregnant is all about timing. You want to make sure the conditions are right for egg and sperm to meet. Your menstrual cycle can give you clues about when your body is ready to start the process.
Women have a 28-day menstrual cycle. They have approximately six days a month when they can get pregnant. So, if a married couple wants to have sex without having a baby, God gives them natural birth control called the “safe period.” The safe period is when women have a less chance of getting pregnant, and if a woman gets pregnant during a safe period, it should be seen as a blessing. So, if a married couple doesn’t want a baby and doesn’t want to use contraceptives, they can enjoy being together within the safe period. Saying that coitus interruptus or artificial birth control are acceptable practices is unbiblical. Married couples should learn to calculate their safe period if they don’t want to have a child.
Fertility awareness methods involve determining the most fertile days of the menstrual cycle and avoiding unprotected intercourse. Techniques for determining fertility include monitoring basal body temperature, cervical secretions, or the day of the cycle. They have typical first-year failure rates of 24%; perfect use first-year failure rates depend on which method is used and range from 0.4% to 5%. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_control
Again, sex outside of marriage is sin whether or not artificial birth control is used.
Conclusion
As we grow in Christ, we can break with sexual immorality, but some choose not to. Jesus tells us that if we even look at another person with lust, we’re committing adultery with that person in our hearts.
In Matthew 5:28, Jesus goes directly to the source–our hearts. The evil desires of our hearts are where sin is conceived. These evil thoughts and desires give birth to the sinful act. So, if we’re not thinking about doing evil or if we avoid thinking about evil desires, the sinful act won’t happen. How can the sinful act happen if we’re not thinking about it? We must take control of ourselves and block these suggestive and intrusive thoughts even if we desire to let our imaginations run wild. We have to turn from the evil desires in our hearts. In Christ, our morality is from the inside to the outside and from the outside to the inside. We obey the laws of the land and we’re obedient to Jesus Christ. If we’re in a public place and we see a person who we think is attractive, we must avert our eyes. This takes self-control, and self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). The power of darkness wants us to look and may even flick our eyes to the attractive person, and it may even feel natural to want to stare, but it’s not. On the contrary, it’s unnatural. Staring can put us in a trance-like state that opens us up to sinful thinking and suggestive thoughts. With training and self-control, averting our eyes gets easier over time. Eventually, it will feel normal to look the other way. If outwardly sinful acts which are brought to life by inwardly evil desires continue, these sinful acts will give birth to death (see James 1:15).
Many young people see as their role models those who have money, power, sex appeal, and fame. Sadly, this is the life put before their eyes that they might attain. To help us better understand how evil this is, let’s read the following story called The Master and the Slaves:
A slave master had many slaves. Most of the slaves were obedient and did the will of the slave master. Many of the slaves obeyed the will of the master so well that the slave master rewarded them. He would say, “Many of my slaves are working so hard for me that I’m going to reward them with money and pleasures so that they will stay loyal to me and be an example for the other slaves to follow.”
These slaves lived all their life in slavery because they enjoyed the pleasures given to them by the slave master. Most of these slaves wouldn’t have gone free even if the door was opened for them because they enjoyed the riches, sensual pleasure, and power over the other slaves. They found comfort in their chains.
But there were a few slaves who didn’t do the will of the slave master. They had a different Master who had promised to come and set them free. But the master they were under would beat them for not working for him and doing his will. They would try to run away, but the slave master would send out the dogs to find them and bring them back where he would beat them even more. But they endured their sufferings and afflictions and stayed true to the faithful Master. They would boldly try to get the other slaves to rebel by telling them of the one true Master. But many of those slaves stayed loyal to their master because they enjoyed their reward. And then one day, at the appointed time, like a thief in the night, the true Master came. He destroyed the slave master and all of his slaves and freed those few slaves who stayed faithful.
Everything seems opposite, doesn’t it? Many who are followers of Jesus Christ suffer affliction in one degree or another. The slave master beats us for not doing his will.
In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12)
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2)
When our time comes, will we be on the narrow road to life or the broad road to destruction? These are the only two choices we have. There is no middle road. There’s no death to run to and there’s no oblivion to hide in. Resisting the evil desires of our hearts can be difficult, but it’s possible. Surrendering to evil desires will eventually put us on the road to destruction.
Some might deceive themselves by saying, “I can’t!” or “It’s too hard!” or “It’s impossible!” or “I was born this way!” Let’s not deceive ourselves any longer. It is possible. To those who feel like they are homosexual, or an adulterer, or a pedophile, or to those addicted to pornography, feeling this way isn’t the sin. The sin is acting on the desires. But these feelings will subside as we mature in Christ. Again, the desire of the heart gives birth to sin, and sin gives birth to death. Imagine the desire to sin like waves of the sea. Every wave of temptation to sin that we let pass strengthens us a little for the next wave. We might call this “training for righteousness.” With training, the sea will get calmer over time and the waves will become less frequent. If we sin out of human weakness, we go to Jesus Christ to ask for forgiveness as it says 1 John 2:1-2.
We are appointed once to die and then we will face the judgment of Jesus Christ, who will judge each of us impartially. We will reap what we sow. If we sow to pleasure the flesh, we will reap destruction of the flesh. If we sow for the Spirit, we will reap life with God (see Galatians 6:7-9). If we sow for rewards in heaven, we will reap rewards in heaven. Don’t let the spirit be a slave to the flesh. Let’s make the flesh a slave to the spirit. Let’s show God that we love him and want to be holy like him. We can prove our love for God by having self-control and practicing righteousness. When we’re tempted by the devil to sin, and we give in, we’re being trained for unrighteousness. In 1 Timothy 4:7, the apostle Paul tells us to train ourselves for godliness. This is resisting sin’s temptation, averting our eyes from iniquity, and taking every thought captive. It’s difficult at first, but it gets easier as we grow spiritually. As we grow in holiness, we’ll reach a point in which we’ll look back and see how evil and blind we really were. We have to fight to resist the temptation to sin, and our struggle with sin will get easier. God will help us through prayer if we truly want to be strong.
The power of evil hates Christians, Jews, the Bible, and Israel. The power of darkness has always worked supernaturally or through men to persecute Christians. So, we endure, we fight, and we walk by faith, spreading the gospel of God like good soldiers of Christ. We use Jesus Christ as our example of how to live our lives. We must walk in righteousness knowing we are God’s children, children of Abraham, and we will never perish if we remain in him. Isn’t living forever every person’s dream? It’s possible through Jesus Christ. God has placed the man Jesus between himself and the human race to reconciled us back to him. Let’s humble ourselves and ask the Lord to reconstruct our hearts so that we’ll know what it means to walk in righteousness, which is faith and love. Let’s make every effort to stand before the Lord confident and unashamed. Let’s be holy, because God is holy.
In these last days, let’s accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior and turn from wrongdoing. Let’s avoid the terrible fate of hell and receive God’s promise of eternal life through Christ the savior. Peace to all.
Futile World 