A CHRISTIAN VIEW OF SEXUALITY
SUNDAY
BULLETIN INSERT, 4/22/07 Back to Articles
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BIBLICAL VIEWS ON
SEXUALITY 1 Corinthians
6:12-20 COMMANDMENT ABOUT ADULTERYExodus 20:14 no adultery Deuteronomy
5:18 Matthew 5:27-30 – Jesus’ statement on lust PRACTICES OF THE NATIONS BEFORE ISRAELLeviticus 18:1-30 6-18 no sexual relations between kin 19 no relations during menstrual period 22 no relations male-to-male 23 no relations, male or female, with animals Leviticus 20:10-21 penalties for the Lev 18 prohibitions CASES ABOUT RELATIONS
AND MARRIAGE Deuteronomy 22:13-30 13-21 Man accuses wife of not being a virgin - - if not guilty; man is chastised, pays an amount to her father, and cannot divorce wife - if guilty; wife is stoned to death 22 Man with a woman married to another; both are put to death 23-24 Engaged
woman raped by another man in the city – both are put to death (woman
because she did not cry out) 25-27
Engaged woman raped by another man in the field –
only man put to death (no one to hear the woman’s cry) 28-29 Unmarried, unengaged woman raped by a man – pays an amount to her father, marries her, and cannot divorce 30 Cannot take father’s wife STATEMENTS ABOUT PROSTITUTIONDeuteronomy 23:17 no Israelite to be a temple prostitute Leviticus
19:29 |
STATEMENTS ABOUT DIVORCEDeuteronomy 24:1-4 – allowance for divorce Matthew 5:31-32 divorce – makes her adulteress Matthew 19:9 divorce & remarriage = adultery Mark 10:11-12 divorce & remarriage = adultery A SPECIAL MARRIAGE CASEDeuteronomy 25:5-10 – responsible to marry dead brother’s wife Genesis
38:7-10 – sins of Er and Onan MARRIAGE AS ONE FLESHGenesis 1:27, 2:24 – man and woman become one flesh Matthew 19:4-5 therefore do not divorce Mark
10:6-7 1 Corinthians 6:16 therefore do not join with a prostitute MARRIAGE AND SINGLENESS1 Corinthians 7:1-6 marriage as a concession to passion 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 Paul prefers that all be single like him 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 marriage could be a distraction MYTHS OF ANCIENT AND MODERN SEXUALITY 1. Sexual activity is a basic need that must be fulfilled… 2. Sexual activity is a need that is independent of the persons involved… 3. Men have a need for multiple sexual partners… 4.
Women have an equal or greater desire for sexual
activity than men…Women will risk health and life to provide sexual
pleasure to men… 5. Sexual “experience” prepares persons for healthy, fulfilling relationships… |
UPDATES AFTER THE SUNDAY WORSHIP
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SUNDAY MESSAGE. The list of Biblical passages is not all; I did not include anything from the Song of Solomon, or the prophets who often used sexual language and adultery to speak about the unfaithfulness of Israel toward God. But the passages do suggest that the people of the time understood God to mean that they are to preserve the dignity of males – though God clearly had more in mind: Jesus points out in Matthew 19 and Mark 10 that God made us to “become one flesh.” It is widely assumed (though not known) that while in Old Testament men may have had many wives, the custom by Jesus’ time was one man, one woman. As a youth, I was a bit of a wise guy; I knew there was almost nothing in the Bible against premarital sex, because there were not “teenagers” then as now. Teen-aged persons were usually married early in arranged marriages. I suspect that what I learned as a child is standard for young males all over our society. The operating assumptions I learned about sex were those listed as the “Myths” on the bulletin insert; especially the idea that women will risk health and dreams and life to provide sexual pleasure to men. Men will believe these until they take the time to question them. Perhaps it is a little more understandable how we have a world where some men would choose to molest their children, where some men assume that even when a woman says “no” she means “yes,” where some men might be married for years and know very little about their wives apart from what they do “for me.” The political side of me suggests that we could simplify legal matters a lot if we just assumed that if an underage woman has sex, it is almost always a rape – a forced action – sometimes their lives are threatened, sometimes the man demands it if the relationship is to continue, sometimes it is more subtle pressure from the man or their peers, and most of the time at least the first time is with an older man. I have lawyers in the family, however, that remind me that anything that would simplify the law might put lawyers out of work… The real needs we have for each other are so close to our need for God – whether single or married. In fact, all of our relationships work together to bring us to a fuller sense of God’s love. To know as we are fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12) is the appeal to everyone – everyone I’ve ever talked with about it wants the kind of love we find in 1 Corinthians 13, but most don’t realize how far away our culture and its hold inside our minds puts us. Ultimately, only in a three-way relationship – us and God – can we find the true fulfillment in the relationships He has made us for. So why shouldn’t a groom said something like this to his bride: “You are not the first sexual relationship I have known. I know this is something I have to deal with, because I have to unlearn anything I thought was important about pleasing a woman, and learn how to please you in your unique ways… And in the process of discovering each other, I intend that our sexual life, whatever that comes to look like, and regardless of what anyone else thinks it should be, will become our time of most intense prayer and thanksgiving – the time when we get a true glimpse of the overwhelming awesome love that is the very nature of God.” I believe this has something to do with the way God planned it from the beginning. OTHER PARTS OF THE SERVICE. Thanks to Frank Cowans, who led us in some of the worship songs. While our musicians are always better than the taped music we use, this was especially true today when the CD player was working only some of the time. We welcome back Winona Hicks, who has joined us now for the fourth week in a row (She has attended a few years ago). If you would like to send a card, make a phone call or a visit, please call the office for her information. FURTHER SERVICES. I appreciate your prayers – these talks on general topics are difficult for me, and dangerous – because it is too easy to speak words that sound right but stray from the authority of the Scriptures. This is tricky enough in trying to speak generally about politics and sex, but all the more so the next two weeks: APR 29 – abortion, MAY 6 – homosexuality FINANCIAL REPORT. On
the next page is the first quarter report.
A couple of differences you might notice from previous reports: 1. While
the balance of the Trustee bank balance is still negative, this compares with
-$3,357.75 back on October 31, 2006. 2. In
2006 our total Benevolence giving (giving to denomination and other
ministries outside our church) was $2,622.
In the first three months we have already passed that. We can once again claim to be a tithing
church – in fact, so far we are not only making the 17% goal, but we are on a
pace to come close to paying all of our obligations for the first time since
1994. As promised, for now our giving
is to the Conference Pension Fund, the District expenses, and to our local
ministries. When we reach the point
where we have money to give to other Conference funds, we will discuss which
of these should get our attention. Yours in Christ,
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