PASTOR'S COLUMN
Brothers and sisters,
One of the all-time great teen-age boys' pick-up spots is the senior high church youth group. It is so popular because it is neutral ground, it's a place Mom and Dad are comfortable with and because — at least in the minds of most of the teenage boys I've met — no one will suspect church boys of trying something!
I can remember, as a kid, hearing other guys trying to sneak kisses, hugs and such-like with girls they were sweet-on. I also remember hearing the girls in questions saying things like: “CUT IT OUT! We're in CHURCH !"
Girls at this age just seem to be naturally brighter than boys about such matters.
Now, this may seem an odd way to begin a column, but such reminiscences and scenarios are particularly relevant to us this month as we begin our look at the Seventh Commandment (Thou shalt not commit adultery) — no matter how old we are. And they are so relevant to us because they serve to remind us of a valuable and powerful truth about relationships, commitments, trust, covenant and the ever-present fight against lust in an age and society seemingly driven by lust and the prurient.
Even here in sleepy Slippery Rock, the youngest and most vulnerable among us are increasingly “sexualized” and “objectified”. One need only walk past the “girls department” at Wal-mart to experience the real sense of coarse oppression under which we labor as we encounter entire clothing racks of “thong underwear” designed for five and six year old girls! Heidelberg Catechism Questions 108 and 109 bring laser-like Scriptural focus to the topic of sexuality, fidelity and lust.
Those driving questions this month are:
If we're honest with each other and ourselves, most of us are forced to admit that the intent goes far deeper than adultery; we know we stand convicted of our disobedience and sin and that our sense of timing and of appropriate place really stinks. Now, that last phrase probably has some of you wondering if I'm little tetched — a proper place and time for lust or adultery?
Bear with me for a moment, though, as we take a quick look at some relevant scripture texts and you'll see what I'm talking about:
This simple, straight-forward passage from Deuteronomy forbids a very easily understood and particular set of pre-defined activities. Adultery is condemned. You may not have sexual relations with the husband or wife of another person. If you are married, you may not have sexual relations with anyone other than your own spouse. God forbids it. Period. It's really that simple.
Confusion, however, frequently arises because we get adultery and fornication tangled. Both are forbidden, and are related, but are different infractions. Fornication is any sexual relation between any two un-married people. Both proscriptions bind our Christian lives. But only adultery is specifically referenced in the 10 Commandments.
But, both activities are forbidden because they are a form of theft in which the offender steals a form of intimacy and affection from the one and only person to whom that affection rightly belongs — the offender's spouse or future spouse. Moreover, both have their roots in lust and lead us to deepening levels of impure thought and behavior which, in turn, open us to other obvious sins and to that worst of all sins, idolatry.
The temptations to sin are both obvious and abundant.
The risk of idolatry is more subtle. It becomes an issue because our thoughts and feelings about the wonders of the human body and about intimacy over-ride the sense of obligation, the devotion and the meditation which we rightly owe to God.
How many of us know someone so enamored of someone else that he or she just can't think straight? How often do we hear stories about those left devastated and robbed of their ability to trust because of a spouse's real or perceived infidelity? No less than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while she was first lady, was obviously troubled and touchy on the subject of her husband's dalliances with Jennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinski.
All of these items stem from lust, the desire to possess the intimacy and affections of another person. And these are just the points that Christ made when He offers His own commentary on the Law in Matthew 5:27 - 30: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”
Christ points out to us, as only God's only Son and Lawmaker can, that the intent of the commandment is rooted in the overthrow and defeat of simple thoughts and desires — not just by actions. Whether we like it or not, thoughts and emotions lead to actions for most people. Perhaps none of us will ever actively go out and fornicate or commit adultery, but off-color jokes, leering looks and inappropriate comments might follow from such lustful thoughts.
It's the old principle: Garbage in, garbage out.
How often do we see such garbage offered to us on television, in magazine, in books or movies? How often does one hear such things while listening to Don Imus, Howard Stern or while watching the sitcoms Friends, Two and-a-Half Men or The Office?
Our Lord tells us we must work actively to avoid impure thoughts and actions. He says it in such a blunt and graphic way that even when we're being deliberately dense, we can't miss it's importance. I don't think Christ actually means for us to rip out our own eyes and sever our optic nerves, or that we should take meat cleavers to our extremities, but we must avoid anything — thought, word, glance or behavior — causing us to stumble into sin.
Surely, there is still forgiveness for those who have committed these sins, but we must consider that our King -- the King of kings — gives clear marching orders for our progress on the road of Christian faith and discipleship.
Even beyond that, as Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthian church, we who have been redeemed by Christ and have felt the cleansing presence of the Holy Spirit are now walking, talking temples or churches of Jesus Christ. For us, this means that we must think back to the days when we would hear the girls say, “Cut it out, we're in church!”
Paul's words in I Corinthians 6:14 - 20 are binding upon us and remind us that, as Christians, we carry our churches on our own backs because we are the Church: “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” — and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? . . . your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
We are never out of God's sight and we never leave His presence. He knows and sees all. We must always be careful because this is a God-given matter of trust, not merely some issue about which God is incredibly close-minded.
God knows that we needs Him and each other. Adultery and fornication distort or rupture our relationship with God. They destroy or shatter our relationships with each other.
And, as little as we may think about them after a few months or a year, these sins can come back to bite us many years after the fact. Thinks about Bill Cosby and his reputed daughter Autumn Jackson. Yes, Cosby told his wife, Camille, about his affair with Jackson's mother, and they were reconciled and have stayed together despite the breech of trust.
But, a quarter-century after the fact, the issue raised its head and an old wound was re-opened to inflict new hurts and pains for all concerned: For Cosby and family. For Jackson and her mother. For the other man who claims paternity of Jackson.
Much of the fall-out that results each year from the explosions within families rocked by adultery and fornication could be eliminated and the pain and harm diminished if Christians would spread the message of purity and familial trust delivered to us by Moses 3,500 years ago at Sinai.
We must force ourselves to remember that all of us who believe are each temples of Jesus Christ that hold the light of the world for all to see and believe.
And then we must ask ourselves again, “what won't we do in church?”
Grace & Peace,
PASTOR RUSTY ✠
One of the all-time great teen-age boys' pick-up spots is the senior high church youth group. It is so popular because it is neutral ground, it's a place Mom and Dad are comfortable with and because — at least in the minds of most of the teenage boys I've met — no one will suspect church boys of trying something!
I can remember, as a kid, hearing other guys trying to sneak kisses, hugs and such-like with girls they were sweet-on. I also remember hearing the girls in questions saying things like: “CUT IT OUT! We're in CHURCH !"
Girls at this age just seem to be naturally brighter than boys about such matters.
Now, this may seem an odd way to begin a column, but such reminiscences and scenarios are particularly relevant to us this month as we begin our look at the Seventh Commandment (Thou shalt not commit adultery) — no matter how old we are. And they are so relevant to us because they serve to remind us of a valuable and powerful truth about relationships, commitments, trust, covenant and the ever-present fight against lust in an age and society seemingly driven by lust and the prurient.
Even here in sleepy Slippery Rock, the youngest and most vulnerable among us are increasingly “sexualized” and “objectified”. One need only walk past the “girls department” at Wal-mart to experience the real sense of coarse oppression under which we labor as we encounter entire clothing racks of “thong underwear” designed for five and six year old girls! Heidelberg Catechism Questions 108 and 109 bring laser-like Scriptural focus to the topic of sexuality, fidelity and lust.
Those driving questions this month are:
- What is God's will for us in the 8th commandment?
- Does God forbid only such bad sins as adultery, itself?
If we're honest with each other and ourselves, most of us are forced to admit that the intent goes far deeper than adultery; we know we stand convicted of our disobedience and sin and that our sense of timing and of appropriate place really stinks. Now, that last phrase probably has some of you wondering if I'm little tetched — a proper place and time for lust or adultery?
Bear with me for a moment, though, as we take a quick look at some relevant scripture texts and you'll see what I'm talking about:
- DEUTERONOMY 5:1 - 3 & 18:
- 1 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. . . .
- 18 “‘And you shall not commit adultery.’”
This simple, straight-forward passage from Deuteronomy forbids a very easily understood and particular set of pre-defined activities. Adultery is condemned. You may not have sexual relations with the husband or wife of another person. If you are married, you may not have sexual relations with anyone other than your own spouse. God forbids it. Period. It's really that simple.
Confusion, however, frequently arises because we get adultery and fornication tangled. Both are forbidden, and are related, but are different infractions. Fornication is any sexual relation between any two un-married people. Both proscriptions bind our Christian lives. But only adultery is specifically referenced in the 10 Commandments.
But, both activities are forbidden because they are a form of theft in which the offender steals a form of intimacy and affection from the one and only person to whom that affection rightly belongs — the offender's spouse or future spouse. Moreover, both have their roots in lust and lead us to deepening levels of impure thought and behavior which, in turn, open us to other obvious sins and to that worst of all sins, idolatry.
The temptations to sin are both obvious and abundant.
The risk of idolatry is more subtle. It becomes an issue because our thoughts and feelings about the wonders of the human body and about intimacy over-ride the sense of obligation, the devotion and the meditation which we rightly owe to God.
How many of us know someone so enamored of someone else that he or she just can't think straight? How often do we hear stories about those left devastated and robbed of their ability to trust because of a spouse's real or perceived infidelity? No less than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while she was first lady, was obviously troubled and touchy on the subject of her husband's dalliances with Jennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinski.
All of these items stem from lust, the desire to possess the intimacy and affections of another person. And these are just the points that Christ made when He offers His own commentary on the Law in Matthew 5:27 - 30: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”
Christ points out to us, as only God's only Son and Lawmaker can, that the intent of the commandment is rooted in the overthrow and defeat of simple thoughts and desires — not just by actions. Whether we like it or not, thoughts and emotions lead to actions for most people. Perhaps none of us will ever actively go out and fornicate or commit adultery, but off-color jokes, leering looks and inappropriate comments might follow from such lustful thoughts.
It's the old principle: Garbage in, garbage out.
How often do we see such garbage offered to us on television, in magazine, in books or movies? How often does one hear such things while listening to Don Imus, Howard Stern or while watching the sitcoms Friends, Two and-a-Half Men or The Office?
Our Lord tells us we must work actively to avoid impure thoughts and actions. He says it in such a blunt and graphic way that even when we're being deliberately dense, we can't miss it's importance. I don't think Christ actually means for us to rip out our own eyes and sever our optic nerves, or that we should take meat cleavers to our extremities, but we must avoid anything — thought, word, glance or behavior — causing us to stumble into sin.
Surely, there is still forgiveness for those who have committed these sins, but we must consider that our King -- the King of kings — gives clear marching orders for our progress on the road of Christian faith and discipleship.
Even beyond that, as Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthian church, we who have been redeemed by Christ and have felt the cleansing presence of the Holy Spirit are now walking, talking temples or churches of Jesus Christ. For us, this means that we must think back to the days when we would hear the girls say, “Cut it out, we're in church!”
Paul's words in I Corinthians 6:14 - 20 are binding upon us and remind us that, as Christians, we carry our churches on our own backs because we are the Church: “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” — and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? . . . your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
We are never out of God's sight and we never leave His presence. He knows and sees all. We must always be careful because this is a God-given matter of trust, not merely some issue about which God is incredibly close-minded.
God knows that we needs Him and each other. Adultery and fornication distort or rupture our relationship with God. They destroy or shatter our relationships with each other.
And, as little as we may think about them after a few months or a year, these sins can come back to bite us many years after the fact. Thinks about Bill Cosby and his reputed daughter Autumn Jackson. Yes, Cosby told his wife, Camille, about his affair with Jackson's mother, and they were reconciled and have stayed together despite the breech of trust.
But, a quarter-century after the fact, the issue raised its head and an old wound was re-opened to inflict new hurts and pains for all concerned: For Cosby and family. For Jackson and her mother. For the other man who claims paternity of Jackson.
Much of the fall-out that results each year from the explosions within families rocked by adultery and fornication could be eliminated and the pain and harm diminished if Christians would spread the message of purity and familial trust delivered to us by Moses 3,500 years ago at Sinai.
We must force ourselves to remember that all of us who believe are each temples of Jesus Christ that hold the light of the world for all to see and believe.
And then we must ask ourselves again, “what won't we do in church?”
Grace & Peace,
PASTOR RUSTY ✠
