“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
Genesis 2:24
“While the king was on his couch,
my nard gave forth its fragrance.
My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of Engedi.”
Song of Solomon 1:12-14
Let’s talk about sex, shall we?
God designed the bodies of man and woman for sexual union. Those parts fit as He designed them to. Sex is about physical, emotional, and spiritual union between a man and his wife; the emotional and spiritual components can’t be disconnected. During orgasm, the brain releases a surge of the hormone oxytocin, generating a strong sense of emotional bonding, trust and affection. We bond to the person we climax with. Oxytocin is also known for being released as a woman gives birth, fostering a strong bond between the mother and her newborn child.
Sex has the power to create life, making it an incredible life-force.
The pleasure of skin to skin and heart to heart intimacy in the sexual experience is like no other, with the potential to produce wonder, joy, and bonding. Sex is about giving and receiving; a journey to a glorious mountaintop with your loved one followed by the warmth of the afterglow.
At least, that’s how God-designed sex between a man and his wife is supposed to work. We’ve been screwing it up for centuries, mainly with the influence of Satan, Self, and the Institution of the Church.
Let’s start with self.
During masturbation there is no person to bond to so a bizarre emotional misfire fires and we end up bonding with self. Now life and sex become all about self; what self wants, when self wants it. Pride mushrooms. There is no joy. Immediately after masturbation, instead of the afterglow there is a crash that includes emptiness, feeling numb, and shame. Since masturbation is about getting to the finish line quickly, the person who engages in it trains themselves to be a short story, robbing their spouse of pleasure in the process. The spiritual effects are no less profound; who can say they feel close to God after having sex with themselves?
Pornography is a satanic product that promises pleasure and freedom but destroys those who create it, ensnares those who use it, and causes widespread wreckage in marriages and families. It’s not a stretch to say that porn is playing a part in sending many to hell. Porn continues to explode nearly unhindered, with new product lines being released often. AI porn, sex robots, and AI girlfriends and boyfriends are recent arrivals. (Prostitutes are protesting because sex robots are stealing their business). Porn reverses the sex drive to the point where the man desires porn more than sex with his wife. I have sat with couples who haven’t had sex for years because the husband had been so ruined by pornography that he was a sexual cripple. His wife is sitting next to him, in tears, wanting sexual intimacy with her husband, as he sits there with a blank look on his face.
Sex outside of marriage is a sin that can’t satisfy or bring peace like that in marriage. As one who had sex before marriage with women other than my spouse (including prostitutes), and picked up an STD along the way, I can attest to this. The promiscuous person walks around like a loose wire, looking for the next fix to plug into. Adultery is devastating to all sides involved, as I know from experience.
Then there is the institution of the church, parts of which are more concerned with protecting its reputation, maintaining the status quo, and keeping everyone comfortable than the holiness of God. Read through the Old Testament and you’ll see how many times the nation of Israel went corrupt, especially with sexual sin, and, after many warnings and even pleading, God allowed their institutions to be destroyed. Solomon’s temple and the temple in Jerusalem of Jesus’ day are dust in the winds of history.
Paul confronted the church of Corinth for the sexual sin of one man (1 Corinthians 5), and Jesus warned two out of the five churches in Revelation about allowing sexual sin to run rampant, with severe consequences. Where are the churches of Corinth, Thyatira, and Pergamum today? Pergamum is known as the compromised church. Is not our modern church compromised, with many viewing pornography and partaking in promiscuity while few do anything effective about it?
Sexual abuse in the modern church is widespread, with a flow of stories of cover up to protect the institution. Better to allow the institution to collapse under the weight of its sin than ignore the holiness of God to our peril.
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:15
The institutional corruption I speak of is far more than a leadership issue. I’ve spoken in churches and had glares and dirty looks from the flock because I was speaking openly about sex on a Sunday morning. We modern Christians love our comfort bubbles; woe to anyone who messes with them.
The church has the corner on sex; we should be out front in this arena and boldly proclaiming God’s standards and the blessings of sex. Instead of being the corner, we cower in it. I have no doubt that many of you have heard more about sex from this newsletter than the past decade at your church. It shouldn’t be that way.
Satan must be quite pleased when the institution of the church runs from the topic of sex or lightly touches it while the world rams sexual sin down our throat. We’re not even showing up to the fight.
And so we Rogue Christians reject the status quo, pray for boldness, and speak openly about the truth. We know we are called to make disciples and that it’s impossible to do so when we go ostrich regarding sex. We equip God’s people and we minister to the sexually broken, no matter what the Institution does.
I will leave you with more from Song of Solomon:
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;
your anointing oils are fragrant;
your name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
Draw me after you; let us run.
The king has brought me into his chambers.”
Song of Solomon 1:2-4
What do you think they will be doing in the king’s chamber?
I sure don’t think it will be a Bible study…