Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good day, dear people.

When I looked down at my watch to see the time so I could enter it above, I fully expected it to indicate a time well within the “AM” hemisphere of the day. But now my hands are shaking at the trauma of facing the truth—IT’S NO LONGER MORNING ALREADY! I had expected to have some substantial saw mill work done by now. Oh well—I’ve not been idle. And I certainly do not regret the dialogue time Becki and I have spent together. We’ve covered some pretty important stuff.

I guess I need to post an ad for Hondo and try to find another home for him. A neighbor hates him with a passion. And we’d rather have neighborly peace than have a particular dog. Nor do we wish to be bound to having a dog that must be bound by a chain or kennel. Not sure how this will play out.

I’m aware that the tidal movement within our culture could be rising so as to condemn me in this little devotional essay as being the author of “hate speech.” Whatever. I’m just glad I didn’t author my source of authority.

May your day play out to be a good one.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Four simple words are joined together here to form the most profound, viable, and wise advice on the subject of sex management that anyone could ever be given. And yet the history of man, including our own modern society, reveals the fact that not many have paid careful attention. Ironically, our secular environment is clearly inclined to promote the exact opposite. Television, movies, books, magazines, and even public schools with their so-called sex education programs, are all effectively promoting old-fashioned promiscuity and sexual immorality. The dismal result is more obvious today than it ever has been. Marital failure due to adultery, teenage pregnancies due to fornication, STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) due to all manner of sexual perversion are at an all-time high. And HIV/AIDS, already claiming the lives of multiplied millions since its identification in 1982, holds the potential of exterminating the human race.

The big crusade of a mixed-up world now pushes “safe sex”—which is nothing short of a big lie. It has proven to have absolutely no statistical effectiveness—quite the contrary. Condoms are being applauded as a kind of magical protection for all sexual dangers to accommodate those who are encouraged to be “sexually active.” And homosexuality is being presented as a very legitimate “alternative lifestyle.” But let’s get this straight, and do everything we reasonably can to communicate this truth to our vulnerable youth—THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS “SAFE SEX” OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARIES OF GOD’S LAWS AND DESIGN. It is all very dangerous and destructive emotionally, socially, physically, economically, and spiritually. And today’s Bible reading emphatically exclaims that if this kind of behavior is not dealt with by sincere confession and repentance, it has the ultimate consequence of disqualifying and excluding people from the Kingdom of God. That sure doesn’t sound very safe to me!

I think it is appropriate to observe that the scripture does not say, “Flee from sex.” For God has clearly designed the gift of sexuality and the “act of marriage” (sexual intercourse) to be realized ONLY within an exclusive marriage relationship where there is one man and one woman, with the ideal being chastity (virginity) before marriage, and faithfulness after marriage. That has to be the intended message of Hebrews 13:4: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” So FLEE FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY, or any other use of sex outside the fence of this standard. And where there has been sexual misconduct, the Biblical mandate and Gospel opportunity is REPENT AND CONFESS. The glory of this Gospel is that we can even flee from the guilt and condemnation of SEXUAL IMMORALITY in the past—“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). I’m convinced that we are given no safer view of “safe sex.” And there is no other righteous advice that can produce desired righteous results concerning God’s gift of sexuality..