Chapter 19: Myth—Sexuality Doesn’t Matter
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A simple test for lewdness is this: “Are your sexual ‘preoccupations
and obsessions’ of the heart beginning to interfere with your daily life?” For example, are you routinely showing up late for work because of your sexual activities? When sexual activities start interfering with normal day-day life activities and the responsibilities that you have to your family and work, it is
a sign that you are becoming a lewd person. This is the time when a spiritual reality check should take place and a healthy fear of God should set in.
Jesus said: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:21-23
Paul taught: “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.” Romans 13:13
“Lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.” 2 Cor. 12:21
Jesus taught that lewdness was an evil action from the heart, which defiles us in God’s eyes. Paul taught that those who have “put on the new man” are no longer practitioners of lewdness. Paul laments that he expects
to be humbled by God for so-called Christians who never did repent of their lewdness in spite of his teachings and their presumed belief. In Paul’s eyes they were “insincere” believers who did not take his teachings to heart. It isn’t an act of lewdness that gets us in trouble with God. It is the continued
practicing of such evil or the practicing of any evil activity. God expects us to return to righteousness if we want eternal life. This doesn’t mean we are no longer sexual beings. To deny our human sexuality is to deny God’s wonderful and creative design for the male and female body and for much of
Christianity that is what the church does, either implicitly or explicitly in spite of graphic biblical teachings on sex. The church is scared of sex talk!
Copyright 2005 Edward G. Palmer, All Rights Reserved. Book of Edward—Chapter 19