Our society has drastically\u00a0changed over the last fifty\u00a0years. For the critic of this\u00a0statement, I challenge them\u00a0to review the statics on sexual\u00a0deviance. Regardless of personal\u00a0\u201cfeelings,\u201d I believe most would agree\u00a0that our culture has become lax in the\u00a0area of restraint. Fifty years ago, the\u00a0Christian male wasn\u2019t confronted with\u00a0the sexual explosion found on television,\u00a0Internet, advertising, billboards,\u00a0movies, etc. Because of the negative\u00a0connotation of sex, we often recoil from\u00a0this discussion. We can\u2019t turn our heads\u00a0and hope \u201cthat it just goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biblical principle teaches that\u00a0sex is wholesome and appropriate\u00a0when confined to marriage; it should be\u00a0taught. So, what does the Bible teach\u00a0regarding God\u2019s intention? Why are we\u00a0losing so many to pornography\u00a0and premarital relations? Let\u2019s\u00a0study this issue together.<\/p>\n
God created sex<\/strong>:\u00a0 <\/span>In the Garden of Eden,\u00a0God told Adam and Eve to \u201c\u2026be fruitful\u00a0and multiply and fill the earth\u2026\u201d (Genesis\u00a01:28, ESV). One purpose of relations is procreation\u00a0to repopulate the earth. Our\u00a0wonderful Creator didn\u2019t want us to be\u00a0alone and gave Adam a \u201chelper\u201d (Genesis\u00a02:18). God, being rich in mercy, knew that\u00a0humans needed companionship. The husband\/\u00a0wife relationship is another example\u00a0of Jehovah\u2019s kindness and foresight.<\/p>\n God intended sex for pleasure.<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/span>Sex is\u00a0not dirty\u2014fornication is. Our culture has\u00a0stained God\u2019s true intention. I challenge\u00a0you to read Song of Solomon. Because\u00a0humans are given free will, we have to\u00a0decide not to participate in certain\u00a0actions. Let me give you a couple of examples.<\/p>\n Sex is designed to be confined to\u00a0marriage. Can one choose to participate in\u00a0premarital relations outside of God\u2019s purpose?\u00a0Sure they can. Eating is another\u00a0pleasurable avenue. Were we designed to\u00a0eat food in order to absorb the calories, \u00a0thus maintaining life? Absolutely! May one\u00a0choose to indulge in food as a comfort,\u00a0thus abusing its sole intention? Of course.\u00a0There are many things created by God for\u00a0our benefit, but we must \u201c\u2026 no longer\u00a0[live] for human passions but for the will of\u00a0God\u201d (1 Peter 4:2, ESV).<\/p>\n Why, then, do men lust? This question\u00a0has been pondered for many generations,\u00a0yet the answer was addressed by Jesus.\u00a0He said, \u201cYou have heard that it was said,\u00a0\u2018You shall not commit adultery.\u2019 But I say to\u00a0you that everyone who looks at a woman\u00a0with lustful intent has already committed\u00a0adultery with her in his heart\u201d (Matthew\u00a05:27-28, ESV). As with all of our behaviors,\u00a0intention or motivation is at the root. As\u00a0males in our current society, we should\u00a0strive as Job did when he stated, \u201cI have\u00a0made a covenant with my eyes; why then\u00a0should I look upon a young woman?\u201d (Job\u00a031:1). His goal was to be pure; he was\u00a0focused. So, let\u2019s answer the question\u00a0\u201cWhy do men lust?\u201d<\/p>\n First<\/strong>, men want to lust. Jesus clearly\u00a0conveyed that the root cause for lust is\u00a0\u201cintent,\u201d noticing and lusting are totally\u00a0different. If your motivation is as Job\u2019s, you\u00a0are striving not to have impure thoughts; a\u00a0male should \u201cmake a covenant with his\u00a0eyes\u201d (Job 31:1). \u201cNoticing\u201d is accidentally\u00a0seeing someone or something that could\u00a0elicit desire; the faithful Christian at this\u00a0point looks away and \u201c\u2026 takes every\u00a0thought captive to obey Christ\u201d (2\u00a0Corinthians 10:5). \u201cLusting\u201d is acting as\u00a0David did when his gaze fell upon\u00a0Bathsheba; rather than looking away, he\u00a0fed his desires. In the end, David\u2019s actions\u00a0caused much heartache upon all involved.\u00a0\u201cLust\u201d is fantasizing or thinking about any\u00a0impure image. This can be a picture, television\u00a0pixels, or someone standing in front\u00a0of you.\u00a0Christianity is about personal\u00a0accountability; it\u2019s about self-control. By\u00a0prayer and focus, men need to desire to be\u00a0faithful to God and not \u201c\u2026 look at a\u00a0woman to lust after her \u2026\u201d (William F.\u00a0Beck, Th.D., The New Testament in the\u00a0Language of Today, 1963, p. 8).<\/p>\n Men will\u00a0fail because people are sinful, but there is\u00a0no excuse for a rebellious attitude of, \u201cI just couldn\u2019t help it. God made me this\u00a0way.\u201d As James clearly states, \u201cBut each\u00a0person is tempted when he is lured and\u00a0enticed by his own desire\u201d (James 1:14,\u00a0ESV). We are tempted by what we want\u00a0and the devil knows this. We must be \u201c\u2026\u00a0transformed by the renewal of [our]\u00a0mind[s] \u2026\u201d (Romans 12:2, ESV). We live in\u00a0an era that is much different from one\u00a0hundred years ago. We must remain\u00a0steadfast in not diluting ourselves with the\u00a0world.<\/p>\n Second<\/strong>, we have dopamine. In God\u2019s\u00a0ingenious design, humans were given a\u00a0brain. This is often referred to as the\u00a0\u201cheart.\u201d An example of this is in Matthew\u00a015:19 when Jesus says, \u201cFor out of the\u00a0heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,\u00a0adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,\u00a0blasphemies.\u201d Everything we feel,\u00a0smell, taste, or think is processed in the\u00a0mind. That is why the New Testament is\u00a0riddled with admonitions for the Christian\u00a0to be clear-headed and prepared. This\u00a0organ is the microprocessor of the body.<\/p>\n When it comes to sexual desire, the male\u00a0brain is equipped with a chemical called\u00a0dopamine. This can be equated to drugs\u00a0like cocaine. As Dr. Archibald D. Heart\u00a0writes in his book Healing Life\u2019s Hidden\u00a0Addictions, \u201cThis form of addictions\u00a0[addictions that tranquilize], like the others,\u00a0probably has a basis in the chemistry\u00a0of the brain. It has become quite clear in\u00a0recent years that the brain has its own\u00a0natural system of tranquilizers \u2026. The\u00a0best known of these natural tranquilizers\u00a0are called \u2018endorphins\u2019 [dopamine].\u201d<\/p>\n So, God created men to\u00a0have this desire for the opposite sex. Left\u00a0unchecked, this can cause problems outside\u00a0of marriage. When a man sees an\u00a0image that is impure, his body releases\u00a0dopamine. This is the reason why so many\u00a0Christian males are losing their families,\u00a0their jobs, and their souls over pornography.\u00a0God formed us to have pleasure, but\u00a0as we detailed earlier, we must control\u00a0ourselves.<\/p>\n Third<\/strong>, men don\u2019t understand their temptations.\u00a0How often do commanders lead\u00a0troops into battle without understanding\u00a0the enemy? Generals will sit down and\u00a0discuss the weaknesses, flaws,\u00a0strengths, past attacks, and countless\u00a0other strategic plans in order to be prepared.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why Paul exhorted the\u00a0Christian to prepare for spiritual battle in\u00a0the book of Ephesians when he said, \u201cPut\u00a0on the whole armor of God, that you may\u00a0be able to stand against the schemes of\u00a0the devil\u201d (6:11, ESV). We must understand\u00a0ourselves; we must understand our weaknesses.\u00a0The following are some points\u00a0that I believe will help us to adhere to\u00a0God\u2019s standards, thus helping us remain\u00a0pure:<\/p>\n 1. Be careful what you take in.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Jesus\u00a0taught, \u201cFor out of the heart proceed\u00a0evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications,\u00a0thefts, false witness, blasphemies\u201d\u00a0(Matthew 15:19). As the\u00a0famous expression goes \u201cyou are\u00a0what you eat,\u201d so we are what we\u00a0take in. We should abstain from\u00a0movies, T.V., or activities that we\u00a0would be ashamed of. Ask yourself:\u00a0\u201cWould I watch or do this with friends\u00a0from church? Would this glorify God?\u201d\u00a0The following statement that we hear\u00a0often rings true: \u201cWhat would Jesus\u00a0do?\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Stay away from your temptations.<\/strong><\/p>\n Self-reflection reveals weakness; failures\u00a0manifest why we fall. Often times\u00a0some will continue making the same\u00a0mistakes without realizing they bring it\u00a0upon themselves. The devil knows our\u00a0weaknesses. That is why he \u201c\u2026\u00a0prowls around seeking someone to\u00a0devour.\u201d We must examine ourselves;\u00a0test our motives; constantly strive to\u00a0change. Pray, study, apply.<\/p>\n