Thoughts for the Day

Flee from sexual immorality.                                                 1 Corinthians 6:18

Reading through yesterday’s blog – which was essentially scene-setting – I’m struck again by the fact that the Council of Jerusalem singled out abstaining from sexual immorality in their instructions to the new Gentile converts and by the stark contrast between the biblical view of sexual morality and that of our culture.  Drawing these strands together, I wonder if a similar stark contrast between the biblical view and that of popular culture has actually been the norm throughout history.  It’s somehow comforting to feel that we are not alone in having to struggle with this.  But how do we address it?  With some trepidation, I humbly offer not a full manual, but a few principles:

• We should not judge or condemn people outside the church for conforming to the pattern of the world regarding sexual morality any more than in any other area of life.
• Inside the church everyone should want to obey the full teaching of Jesus, including his explicit teaching and its roots in traditional moral laws.
• Each of us is on a journey to discover and obey the full teaching of Jesus in accordance with the scriptures and guided by the Holy Spirit.  It is something to encourage in one another, and no area of our lives should be excluded.

If these principles sound like they could apply to any area of our lives, perhaps that is the point! Sexual morality shouldn’t need to be a special case, but the difference between the pattern of the world and God’s pattern is so stark, and the challenges are so deep and personal that it’s easier to label them ‘private’ and avoid addressing the issue.  Yet Paul counselled to flee from sexual immorality and the Council of Jerusalem singled out abstaining from it for a reason. So, we really should help each other do just that!