Re: lust & weeds/vegetables
Submitted by John Guard on March 15 1999 at 21:15:46
In reply to lust & weeds/vegetables Submitted by Ray on March 15 1999 at 10:16:23
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One of the most powerful distinction between the Old Covenant (pre-redemption) and New Covenant (post-salvation) is what would be called the "Rule of Law". Before salvation by grace through the Messiah, people had to abide by the "dos and donts". Things are largely looked at as black and white. You murder and you die. You commit adultery and you die. You work on the sabbath...well, you get the picture. People had to be perfect, literally in order to appease the requirements of the Law. Most of us think of the 10 Commandments. Where in the Bible does it say that there are only 10 Commandments? There were over 600 of them....some as picky as picky can be. Furthermore, if you break even but one of the commandments, you break everything. That is why grace is the only way that salvation can be obtained (by faith). Without grace, we are all lost...saints and sinners alike. The uniqueness of Christianity is that it is not a religion, but a relationship...a relationship between God and humanity, and humanity with each other. It is a relationship built on grace, running by love, steadfast in faith and hope. It is no longer bound by the dos and dont of religion, but transcends it. The Law has tons of loopholes in it. It said do not commit adultery but men still live in lust (one can easily discern just how sex-dynamic the old testament is). That is why I lament where Christianity is going. Well, to be fair, a lot of Christians have always been self-righteous. However, it is still extremely sad to see a lot of so-called Christians going back to the dos and donts..and forgetting the more important aspects of what Christianity is. Christianity is not about works...its about a life-transforming relationship. I still remember one of my former employers...a pastor. Before he was "saved", he was an alcoholic and a physically abusive person. Now that he is a pastor, he is a control freak and would frequently verbally abuse his employees over the most frivolous matters. His employees are all scared stiff of him. He preaches and practices a very strict dos and donts message. I finally left in frustration...because how can this man say that he is doing God's work when his life is not changed...just externally, but not internally. Yeah, he doesn't drink, nor do drugs, nor beat up his wife...but inside, his life is still the same: the same self-absorption, the same power-hunger, the same "make them respect you by fear", etc. Christianity is not about dos and donts. Works are only manifestations of a changed life..not a condition thereof. Paul said that everything is permissable, but not everythingis edifying. He said that to the barbarians, he was a barbarian, to the Jews, he was a Jew. Throughout the entire New Testament, the people largely responsible for the woes of the believers were not the unrighteous but the self-righteous. The issues we usually talk about: man-child sex, mastubation, lust, desires, et al are but more dos and donts...we have to go past that and simply ask if it is in GOD's will (which is based on Love and Holiness) and how is it edifying. Is it edifying to have ones cock force inside the body of a 8 yr old boy or girl? Is it edifying to spend hours and hours dwelling in and gratifying lust? Is it edifying to collect and make sure of images that portray children(or women or men for that matter) as sex objects? Is there a Holy Love in that? You simply have to ask yourself if what you are doing is helping you grow in the LORD or not. I found that out the hard way a few years ago. I fooled myself by believing that its okay to become lustful for pics. Afterall, no one was being hurt by it. It started out with just a little bit..then became more and more...involved..until I was spending thousands of dollars collecting, taking, trading pics. Yeah, they may be decent and legal and innocent..from a worldly standard, but the time that I should had been using to grow in the LO RD and spreading HIS Love went instead to things which were not productive. Kids became mere objects...to tantalize oneself and others. How I lament that now..because there were so many kids that I could had helped better had I not been so foolish. We have to be careful not to allow the influence of self-righteous AND/OR unrighteous people get to us. The former would want us to believe that unless we do this or dont do this, we cannot be saved or happy...while the latter wants us to believe that everything is okay to do. The vast majority of the Christian world is self-righteous, while a lot of Western culture is unrighteous. One side would stress that any kind of sex is evil, while the other side would say that all sex is good. Well..God created sex..and sex drives, and sexual desires... David was a man after God's own heart..and he was obviously a sex addict. Solomon was the wisest man alive..and he was a sex nut. The linege of the LORD JESUS included whores and incest. However, when we put sex before GOD...when we allow our self-interests (and the rationalization thereof) to get in the way of our relationship with GOD, then its asking for trouble. David was fine with his dozens of wives until he went sex-crazy and committed both adultery and murder and dishonesty. Solomon was fine until he allowed his sex-obsessiveness with his wives to stray him away from GOD. We, as Christians, should always fix our eyes on the author and finisher of our faith. Instead of asking whether it or that is right or wrong...we should ask whether this is pleasing to GOD and thus, edifying for us. Trying to fool ourselves or rationalize or whatever people like to do will accomplish litttle, except for a little short-term fun and a lenghty long-term problem. Just my two cents again, In Christ, John Guard |