Read: Proverbs 4:23; 1 Corinthians 6:12-13
A man gets up in the middle of the night, pulls on a robe to dispel the cool night air, and heads to his office in the basement. He glances back to make sure no one else is up. Closing the office door behind him, he quickly turns on the computer. In a matter of seconds he starts surfing scandalous websites he has been looking at for months. In his mind he reminds himself that no one is getting hurt, and better yet, no one really sees what is going on.
A woman agrees to meet an old high school “flame” while on an out-of-town business trip. She tells herself that their romance ended years ago. And after all, she has been married for the past ten years, even though there have been struggles in the marriage in recent months. The woman and her former “flame” have a couple of drinks in the hotel bar. He then asks her if she would like to come to his room to look at some pictures from last year’s class reunion. At first she tells herself that accepting the invitation would be inappropriate. But then she shrugs off her cautious fears and convinces herself that looking at some pictures is basically harmless. Better still, she tells herself that if something “inappropriate” does take place, no one will ever know.
Pastors and counselors who mentor Christians that have fallen into sexual sin will tell you that at the heart of sexual betrayal is self-deception.
People assume they are doing “innocent” things, joining in “friendly” exchanges, and participating in nothing that is really that harmful. Even worse they assume that no one will see them if things turn out worse than they planned.
GOD SEES! HE SEES…EVERYTHING!
In fact, the problem is even more serious for those who profess faith in Christ. How so? Consider one of our texts for this week—1 Corinthians 6:12-18. In the context Paul was writing to a church that was located in the middle of one of the most sensual cities of the ancient world. The church itself was riddled with belief systems that pushed the envelope of morality and modesty. We get a hint of their belief system by what appear to be common quotations from the general public in verses 12, 13, and 18. In summary, these Corinthian citizens and their counterparts in the Christian subculture assumed that they could do whatever they wanted with their bodies.
Isn’t that true? Isn’t that what our own culture tells us in commercial after commercial and movie after movie? “Everything is permissible. You deserve as much pleasure as you want.” However, the Apostle Paul brings sobriety to our sexually inebriated thinking when he states: “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body." (1 COR 6:19-20)
These two verses contain a principle and a command. The principle is that God lives within the bodies of every single Christian. We often do not sense His presence, but God the Holy Spirit still takes up residence in every believer’s life. Not only is He omniscient about what is going on, but He is also present with us in every single context of life. Add to this principle the logical command that follows: glorify God in your body! (v. 20)
If you are finding yourself enslaved to sexual temptation and sin more than you want to admit, do something right! Let me say it another way: do something RIGHTEOUS! First off, you will want to get help from a wise pastor or Christian mentor.
Take every step necessary to come out of the darkness and into the light of God’s truth.
Second, start challenging the untruths of our culture when it comes to the subject of sex. Remind yourself in every way possible that God is within you. He is present in absolutely everything you do. And for that reason, you will want to “run from sexual immorality” and glorify Jesus in your body (cf. vv. 18 & 20).
