PART 4: PREVENTING THE STAIN
Like turmeric, which has wonderful benefits, God created sex as a beautiful human function to be used for procreation and for comfort and unity in marriage. But like turmeric, if used improperly it can leave a permanent stain. If you try to clean up spilled turmeric with soap, it will turn blood red and look much worse than it did. You must use the correct solutions and act quickly.
Sexual sin is the same way. It can’t be properly cleaned up with human methods of washing it with denial or good intentions. The only solution that works is through the blood of Christ that washes the sin white as snow through repentance. This means agreeing with God that you sinned sexually and making an about-face toward righteous living by reprogramming your mind by setting it on His Word and His Ways.
God made our bodies beautiful and functional for His purposes. He didn’t hide His purposes from us but gave us clear instructions to enjoy the benefits of sex while avoiding permanent harm to ourselves and our relationships.
But we often think we know better than the One who made us.
If you consider God to be our Manufacturer, you can be sure that His instructions are for the proper feeding and care of our bodies and hearts, for us to have His PROTECTION, and so that we don’t harm or break ourselves.
Nowadays, many Christians don’t think God takes this sin seriously anymore. Yet, God never changed His mind on the subject.
God was so extremely serious about not misusing our bodies, or one another’s bodies, sexually, that if His people did this the penalty for that sin in the Bible was death.
In forgiving the woman caught in adultery, Jesus never once condoned the sin. He protected her from other arrogant sinners. He saved her life, then told her to stop sinning. He never said that her sin was not worthy of death, but he used it to point out that people have no right to judge someone else’s sin as worse than their own.
There is no other sin mentioned more times than SEXUAL sin in the New Testament. (It is identified under the terms immorality, fornication, impurity, adultery, homosexuality, and orgies, etc.) In the Old Testament it was included in the sin of idolatry. It is ALWAYS considered sin!
Jeremiah 2 says, “13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
    the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
    broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
19 Your wickedness will punish you;
    your backsliding will rebuke you.
Consider then and realize
    how evil and bitter it is for you
when you forsake the Lord your God
    and have no awe of me,”
20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke
    and tore off your bonds;
    you said, ‘I will not serve you!’
Indeed, on every high hill
    and under every spreading tree
    you lay down as a prostitute.
21 I had planted you like a choice vine
    of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
    into a corrupt, wild vine?
22 Although you wash yourself with soap
    and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
    the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.
31 “You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord:
“Have I been a desert to Israel
    or a land of great darkness?
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
    we will come to you no more’?
32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
    a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten me,
    days without number.
33 How skilled you are at pursuing love!
    Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.
34 On your clothes is found
    the lifeblood of the innocent poor,
    though you did not catch them breaking in.
Yet in spite of all this
35     you say, ‘I am innocent;
    he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment on you
    because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’”
Most Christians believe that infidelity in marriage is not okay, but anything you do before marriage is not so bad. Many of us think lightly of sex outside marriage. However, logically speaking, it does not make sense to have multiple sexual partners before marriage and suddenly be expected to be faithful to one spouse once we are married.
There is no contraception that is 100 % guaranteed to prevent pregnancy.
There is no contraception that will protect HEARTS from the damage caused by sex in the wrong place.
As Proverbs 4:23 states, ”Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
So, How Can the Church Do Better in teaching about how to overcome the problem and consequences of fornication among us? Here are some ideas that I would ask you to ponder.
Teaching what God’s Word says about His ways – that sex was His very good idea.
Teach about the consequences of not following biblical values.
Endorsing godly sorrow and providing a safe place to confess and repent from sexual sin.
Endorse the need for sexual healing both for those who experienced sexual abuse or violence and for those who have sinned sexually and provide healing Bible studies on it.
Teach parents how to effectively teach their kids about sex.
Teach about birth control and the Biblical view of it.
Provide an accountability structure for young people and single adults.
Be proactive in addressing relationships and sex in every appropriate age group
Teaching young children through adults the preciousness of how God designed our bodies for chastity, whether single or married.
Specifically teaching young women and young men, separately, about how their body’s design shows God’s intent.
Warn and teach parents and children about sexual abuse, how to identify it, and where to get help.
This concludes the teaching portion of this session. Your facilitator will show you a trailer from the video: Birth control: How Did We Get Here? After this lesson, you may not be as surprised that Birth control is not the best idea we’ve ever had. Following the trailer, I know you will have much to chat about in your class discussion. You may want to add one more class to discuss this properly!
Your reading preparation for Session 6 may take you a little more time than usual. Until we recognize the impact of people’s stories, we will not be able to redeem future ones like them. You’ll be glad you took the time. Then, I’ll see you in Session 6!
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