Wisdom Wednesday

Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfil his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:1-3

The ethics of sex have never been more confused. The hope of the 60’s and 70’s was to liberate people from the evil oppression of religious sexual morality. And yet freedom has not turned out to be all it’s cracked up to be.

Consider the eye-opening sex scandals of the Sydney Private Schools. Boys and young men fostering a culture of sexual predation and exploitation that makes you sick to your stomach. It seems misguided to think that the problem is simply single-sex schools or consent culture.

Now, witness the next stage in sexual liberation within trans-culture. Young people are now being primarily defined (by themselves and others) by who they are sexually attracted to/engaging with. But has that been truly liberating? The rate of mental health issues that comes with identifying as LGBTQI at least should allow us to ask the question.

The next big issue is how can our culture hold it all together. Consider this. Consent mixed with new understandings of power in relationships and contexts. Is there ever any such thing as true consent?

Surely there is a better way? A healthier way? A more responsible and socially safer way? It won’t fix all the issues. But gee, it certainly fixes a bunch. What if first, we stopped making life all about sex. We weren’t made to have sex at the centre of our identity. We were made to honour God with our whole lives. That’s where we start.
 
Secondly, we were made to have sex but within the relative safety of marriage. Now, I totally understand that marriage is not always safe. Rates of domestic violence prove that and I’m not unaware of domestic violence historically and currently. However, I do note that there are studies suggesting that more engaged Christians are less likely to experience domestic violence.

Here’s the thing. What if God’s ethics are better than the world’s when it comes to sex? I rekon they are in every sense.

For Today:

• What do you think about the world’s sexual ethics?
• What do you think about God’s?
• Is living for God the centre of your identity?

 
Pray: Praise the Father that He is God and He created us for good. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who shows true Christian identity. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others see God’s way of thinking on sex and live by it.