Sex in Christ: Must read! (long)

Whiling doing some research on sex, sexual activities, and how sex relates to us as people as told by God, I came across a very disturbing website.
The website is www.sexinchrist.com, and you cant tell who or what organization runs the website as it is not present. The website disturbed me not because of the content: anal sex, sex, bondage, masterbation, but rather how it presented Gods view on the situation. First the person grossly misinterprets passages to fit his view of sexual activities. Simple criticism, and critical thinking into the Scripture shows this right off the bat. Even the language (Hebrew and English alike) both defeat the authors usage of the passages.
Our society and our world is trying to conform God, rather than conform to Him. This person decided to take the Word of God, and grossly use it to further things that God has made clear as NOT being His will, nor His purpose. Lets dig in!!

From actual website:

Topic: Anal Sex

"Are you saving yourself for your wedding night? The Devil wants you to fail, that’s why he puts stumbling blocks in your way. But God wants you to succeed, and that’s why he has given us an alternative to intercourse before marriage: anal sex. Through anal sex, you can satisfy your body’s needs, while you avoid the risk of unwanted pregnancy and still keep yourself pure for marriage."

~(any where you see this squiggly line its my response to the above information)
Look at this statement, the devil wants us to fail with sexual purity (ok I agree), and God wants us to succeed ( I can agree with that too!), and thats why he has given us anal sex so that we may remain pure for marriage ( now he has got it completely wrong!!!!!!!!!!)

For what he is saying God has given us anal sex so that: 1. you stay pure for marriage, 2. to satisfy your bodily needs, 3. you avoid unwanted pregnancy.

1. He is correct in the notion God has called us to keep ourselves pure for marriage. God from the beginning with Adam and Eve declared that these holy beings that He created would become "one flesh" or the "two will become one". ( Gen. 2:24) God instituted a holy monogamous marriage between Adam and Eve, one without impurity.
But for God to use anal sex to keep the marriage bed undefiled is to say that God uses sin for something pure. Doesnt fit.
Look at 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.

~Will Mcdonald ( religion professor, and Bible scholar) puts it perfectly, " any sexual relations outside of the bounds of marriage are sin."

Now some might say that its only adultry, and they would be wrong also. Any sexuality commited outside of marriage: premarital sex, oral sex, anal sex is sin. All of those things are sex outside the bounds of marriage. Sex was created by God, but the second part is that God designed sex to be used in a certain way. Which leads us back to Genesis as our description and example of what and how sex is to be conducted. God created 2 people to be united as 1: this is our bond of marriage and it is to be kept today!
To think that performing anal sex still keeps you pure is false. Sex is a mind, body and spiritual journey. Too many breaking the hymen is consider actual sex. Teens think having oral sex isnt really having sex and there okay. Its all sex! Anal, oral its still sex. It isnt in the bonds of marriage, and is sin.

1 Thess. 4:3-4,7 "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable." "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."

-sexual immorality--what does this word mean?
--sexual ( Implying or symbolizing erotic desires or activity)
--immorality--( an immoral act or practice.)
So sexual immorality is implied or symbolized erotic desire or activity that is acted or practiced!
God's call and will is for us to avoid sexual acts or practices because it was never His intention for it to be used in that manner.

-Leviticus 18+20

-Acts 15:29-" You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these..."

-Romans 13:13-" Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

-1 Corinthians 6:13-"The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."

-Ephesians 5:3-" But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

-Colossians 3:5-" Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

2.-" to satisfy bodily needs"
~ This was the second part of that 3 part intro. He already has told us that anal sex has been implemented by God to satify our bodily needs. Well I am trying to figure out when it has ever been about us?? God created sex, and he created it for us to enjoy, but within the bonds of marriage. (explained above) Anal sex was never created by God, nor supported in any Scripture for our bodily needs. That is what the pagan or the heathen does-("...that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen do who do not know God." 1 Thess. 4:4-5) The bodily need for anal sex comes from the passion lust that derives in the heart and distorts the mind. It increases its craving, telling the individual that its ok, even distorting it to the point that someone will try to find scripture to support their sin.

3. "you avoid unwanted pregnancy"
~Gods way of avoiding unwanted pregnancy is all over this blog, not to have sex unless it is in the bonds of marriage end of story.

NEXT SECTION:
“I thought the Bible said anal sex was a sin.”

Nowhere does the Bible forbid anal sex between a male and female.
~this was just explained, anal sex is a form of sexual immorality, it doesnt conform to Gods perfect union that He set at the beginning of time. Therefore IT IS forbidden!! Use above passages to reference this.

Many Biblical passages allude to the act of anal sex between men and women.
Lamentations 2:10 describes how “The virgins of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground,” indicating how a virginal maidens should position themselves to receive anal sex.

~This interpretation could not be farther from the truth than the east is from the west! He regards this passage as evidence of Jewish maidens with their heads bowed as being a position to recieve anal sex????!!!!! NOOOOO This passage is a passage speaking of MOURNING, and GOD'S WRATH!! Here is the full verse:

"The elders of the Daughter of Zion
sit on the ground in silence;
they have sprinkled dust on their heads
and put on sackcloth.
The young women of Jerusalem
have bowed their heads to the ground."

~The elders are sitting in silence, the young women have there heads bowed to the ground because the Lord has brought his anger upon them. The word sackcloth were ("Garments made of this cloth, worn as a symbol of mourning or penitence.)
It is shown throughout the entire chapter. Here is a snippet of verse 2 that gives us the preview of why they might be low to the ground:

"Without pity the Lord has swallowed up
all the dwellings of Jacob;
in his wrath he has torn down
the strongholds of the Daughter of Judah.
He has brought her kingdom and its princes
down to the ground in dishonor.

~ Notice the words highlighted, the elders, the young men, the entire nation of Israel was bowing low because they are dishonored for they rejected God and now must deal with the consequences of the Lord handing them over to their enemies. The Lord has displayed his anger with them and they are in a state of dishonor, and mourning for the wrath the Lord is dishing out to them. Nothing about sex, nor anal sex is in this passage!


Another suggestive scripture tells of a woman’s pride in her “valley” (referring to her buttocks and the cleft between them) and entices her lover to ejaculate against her backside: "How boastful you are about the valleys! O backsliding daughter who trusts in her treasures, {saying,} ' Who will come against me?' (Jeremiah 49:4)

~Now the author takes a verse from Jeremiah, lets look at it deeper!
"Why do you boast of your valleys,
boast of your valleys so fruitful?
O unfaithful daughter,
you trust in your riches and say,
'Who will attack me?"

~ In this passage the Lord is sending a punishment out to the Ammonites because they possesed the territory of Rueban and Gad. They prided themselves on the land they had taken, and in verse 1-5 the Lord describes what He will do to them. Verse 4 is no different, we see the boasting of the Ammonites because they have the valleys of the territory and boast of there new found riches (which they trust in) and remain prideful in saying "Who will attack me?" Once again this verse has been grossly misused by the author to try to make it fit something it has NOTHING to do with.


And in the Song of Songs, the lover urges his mate to allow him to enter her from behind: “Draw me after you, let us make haste.” (Song of Solomon, 1:4)
Heres is the whole verse:
"Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers."
We rejoice and delight in you ;
we will praise your love more than wine."

in the Message:
Take me away with you! Let's run off together!
An elopement with my King-Lover!
We'll celebrate, we'll sing,
we'll make great music.
Yes! For your love is better than vintage wine.
Everyone loves you--of course! And why not?

Once again this passage is taken way out of context. Now if you have ever studied the S.O.S you would understand that yes there are several passages that refer to sex. But you also would know that the book is filled with love, and not the mere physical sexual act. Now I have read several interpretations of this passage: Many have said that the "king" is God and his inner chamber is us being taken into a intimate communion with him. Also there is the interpretation that this "king" is Solomon and that the Beloved woman is ready for him to take her into his inner chamber (private) and to be taken away from everything to be with him.
I choose the later interpretation. I think the first one is good but from reading the entire chapter it shows us a more intimate loving conversation between 2 lovers. But what has happened is the person with this site has misinterpreted the passage to make it sexual. This is the reason why I put 2 translations on here. (NASB, and NSRV have the same general language of NIV.) I wanted you to be able to see what they were saying if you heard it today. The Message provides a very plain conversation and shows:
#1- the woman wants to be taken away to be alone with him and him alone.
#2- both translations use the "we" word which can help us cite the fact that the concubines, the wives and friends were admiring this Solomon. His love is like vintage wine.

And even though I didnt have to dive greatly into this, there is no Hebrew language that supports any anal sex, or sexual position or anything in this passage. Does the book contain sexual things, sure, once again God create sex, but no where does it encourage anal sex for anyone. Grossly misinterpreted by the site.

THE POINT:
1.-This website is false, its teachings are false, its use of Scripture is false and is not to be trusted.
2.-This site uses the Word of God to further the satisfication of the self rather than give glory to God. It tries to create loopholes through the Word of God regarding sex. IT doesnt work and they failed.
3.-God created our bodies not for sexual immorality and not even for sexual satisfaction but for holiness. God's will is that we remain pure in mind, body and spirit so that we may give glory to God. "For God did not call us to be impure but to live a holy life." 1 Thess. 4:7
4.-Sex is and has always been designed through the bonds of marriage, if it is not through the bonds of marriage it is sexual immorality.

May God Bless you!

Exclusivity of Christ part 2: Jesus is the only way!

In short Jesus Christ is the Onetruth! What does that mean? Well Jesus is the only way to heaven, the only access to God, Jesus was God incarnate and the only way to have eternal life is to go through the ONLY doorway: Jesus Christ.
Don't like the sound of that? Sounds judgmental doesn't it? Too narrow minded huh? But we need to love dont we?

Though this may sound harsh in no way does this take away from the love that God has for all people and the love Christians are to display. Just because Jesus is exclusive doesnt mean He isnt inclusive.
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son."
~Ring a bell? God loves everyone, but to attain His perfect love, and to have eternal life you must go through Jesus Christ, not anywhere else.

Lets get started:

The Bible is clear, Jesus is the only way. I wrote a blog earlier about the exclusivity of Christ explaining this notion. Jesus Himself declares his exclusivity with John 14:6, Hebrews 5:9, John 3:35, Acts 4:12, Galatians 1:8 and etc....

The Bible continues to show without a doubt that Jesus was God in the flesh, and the only way to heaven and salvation.

John 4:1-3 "Dear friends do not believe every spirit but test the spritis whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

~This passage is very in its point but lets look at what John and who John was talking to. Historically we know that there were several different kinds of Christianity running around during the 50-150 A.D.

In his book 1 John--John is attacking the Gnostics. They were prevalent at the time of John and were spreading there theologies of Jesus ( which was that Jesus was totally divine and not human. Jesus was a different God than the God of the OT, believed at his baptism that he became the divine being Christ.)

What John does in this passsage is tell people:
#1-do not believe everything you hear, but in fact test everything because there have been many false prophets to come and teach a false gospel.

Well then how do we really know who is false and who is right in their teaching????

"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledgews Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God."

John answers by saying we can recognize a spirit of God by that spirit(teaching) acknowledging that Jesus came in the flesh.
~First the word spirit in this passage probably refers to teachers. We can see from the text that in order for a spirit to be true or a spirit that is from God they must acknowledge that Jesus came in the flesh. Some try to reduce this flesh portion by saying that it simply means that Jesus was human, but this is incorrect. In fact it is the confession of a living Person, and acknowledges Jesus as the Christ Incarnate. Will Mcdonald says of this verse "The Spirit of God calls on all people to acknowledge that Jesus Christ as Lord and commit their lives to Him."


"Whoever does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.."

~ here is a spirit that is false--It DOES NOT acknowledge Jesus as the Christ and IS NOT from God. This is a bold, and exlcusive statement made telling that any teaching, any notion, any spirit that does not ackknowledge Jesus for who he was---God in the flesh, incarnate--it is a false spirit. This puts many many religions under this catagory: Judiasm, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism, and the list is endless. These groups dont acknowledge Jesus as being God but simply a great teacher or moral man, not the Christ, not Incarnate.
Therefore the next verse labels any group:

" this is the spirit of the antichrist..."


1 John 5:1 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God....."

~another exlusive statement about Jesus. It doesnt have the names of Buddha, Vishnu, or the Law, it doesnt say that everyone who believes whatever they want is born of God, nor does it say that there are many ways to God therefore we are all born of God. IT SAYS THE OPPOSITE--only through Jesus Christ are we born of God, end of story.



1 John 5:4-5 "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

~Who overcomes this temptful, trying to drag us away from God world?
---It is only the one born of God through faith that has overcome this world. Well we established how to be born of God, but who specificially overcomes the world? Only believing that Jesus IS the Son of God. Notice first that it says is and not was or could have been. Second Son of God is attributing divinity to the persons mentioned. It is through ONLY Jesus that we overcome the world and in part have salvation from the world!!


1 John 5:11-"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

~ in this passage John continues to show the overwhelming evidence that he has seen with his own eyes ( 1 John 1:2) that Jesus is the Christ and He is God. There is no other way to attain this eternal life. Jesus claimed it himself, his disciples understood it and has offered it to everyone who accepts it. This verse tells us God has given us a way to live with him forever, and this life is in His Son. There are NO other substitutes, no other ways, no other teachings, religions, science theories, by which someone has life. The only is through Jesus Christ.........the one who does have the Son of God does NOT have life. This includes the list of religious groups I mentioned above. ( notice that it is not merely acknowledging Jesus from a historical point, nor a moral teacher point of view but of the divine Son of God)

THE POINT:
#1-that once again the Bible is ever so clear that Jesus is the only way to heaven, and eternal life with God.
#2-Christianity is an exclusive religion with an inclusive message.
~To believe that God might have manifested himself to other religions is a fasle spirit or teaching. To believe in another religion other than one that preaches that Jesus is fully man, and fully God and gives us eternal life is false. To preach that there are many ways to God and many different truths is false. Jesus is the only way! He said it, his disciples knew it, and have given us this same message. To give into any other message or gospel is false......as Paul says in Galatians 1:8 "But even if we are an angel preaches another gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned."

God did not leave it to us to decide what is the right truth, He declared it as Jesus and only Jesus!!

May God Bless you!

A little Journey through 1 John: Jesus IS God!

Currently I am studying 1 John. This has been an interesting journey as I have read this book before but wanted to take a look at it again to see what the mind and heart may have missed. One thing that I was very intrigued was the bluntness of John. This is the same John who wrote the Gospel, and Revelation. John has a more black and white approach to issues and topics going on. Instead of leaving a grey area, he describes things exactly like his Gospel: either children of light, or of the devil, (1 John)-you either walk in the light or walk in darkness, either a follower of Christ or your an anti-christ, you either love the world or love God. See the contrasting examples?

But what most struck me was how God once again shows us that Jesus is the only way , and that Jesus was unique over every other religion because He WAS God!

Lets begin:
1 John 2:22-23

#1-"Who is the liar? It is the man whoo denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies Sonhas the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."


vs.22- "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ."

-John focuses his attention to deity of Jesus. To deny that Jesus was God or His diety means to deny the Father. You can look at the Gospel of John and the others for many many many references of Jesus being God but this is the clearest:

John 10:30-"I and the Father are one."


-Jesus is telling us that He and the Father (God ) are one. He was speaking to Jews who were trying to debate him. Later in the verse they are ready stone because He claims to be God.


vs. 22 cont.--"Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son."

-John isnt saying that it is the actual antichrist, but simply someone who doesnt recognize Christ as being God Incarnate. Anti means "to be opposed to." Therefore an antichrist is someone opposed to Jesus being the Christ--(God, divine) But one must remember that when one denies the Father he also denies Jesus.

vs. 23--"No one who deines the Son has the Father: whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

-now vice versa because the Father and Son are 1--the one who denies the Son doesnt have the Father. You cannot have the Father without the Son! This needs to be taken into account with other religions and groups: Islam, Jews,Christian scientists, Jehovahs witness...etc.

To further this Jesus is God, and the exclusivity of Jesus being God we look further into

1 John 4:2
"Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God."

First John is addressing the growing group called Gnostics (gnosis: Greek for Knowledge) or Gnosticism which taught that the divine Christ came upon the human Jesus at baptism then left him at the cross. Also John is stating that the best way to figure out who are false teachers are ones who do not acknowledge that Jesus is God in the flesh (meaning God "embodied in human form").
This is reinterated later in the chapter:

1 John 4:15
"If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God."

First the book has used the word acknowledge several times...lets dissect this word and gets its definitition.

Acknowledge: 1. to admit the existence or reality of.
2. to recognize as being valid
3. to express recognition
synonyms--admit, own, avow, concede, confess...

If anyone admits...
If anyone confesses...
The fact of this verse is that the person who recognizes that Jesus is the Son of God ( the title is a title of divine nature) God is dwelling in Him and he in God. Meaning that Jesus being God Himself dwells in you. This is the reason why to come to salvation we must acknowledge, or confess that Jesus is God, (Romans 10:9) we must believe that Jesus was who He said He was. That He was what was prophesied for thousands of years!

THE POINT:

1. That these verses continue to further the fact that Jesus was God in the flesh. (1 John 4:2) Which is exclusive to only Jesus. No other religion can claim that there intercessor or person IS God.
2. To know the Father you MUST know the Son no excuses.
3. You cannot have the Father without the Son---Jesus and the Father are 1(Jn 10:30)
4. Any religion claiming Jesus to be anything other than God in the flesh are considered to be antichrists and rejected. (1 John 2:18, 1 John 4:3)

May God Bless you and keep you!

He Knew!

I rarely ever cry. I can almost distinctly remember when I have cried in my life it is so rare. Not because I am trying to be macho but it really takes alot for me to cry.
~I was returning to school and began to think of something. I listened to the Passion of the Christ soundtrack (instrumental) and I got to the tracks of the actual nailing and death of Christ and finally the last track titled resurrection. Then I remembered the movie and one distinct feature came to my mind. When Jim Caviezel (Jesus) is carrying the cross after being beaten ( now this is the part in the movie where he grabs the cross for the first time and is about to walk the Via Dolorosa) he grabs the cross and smiles. Smiles??!! Not smiles in a giddy way, but a comforted smile, in a way we can hardly understand. Then it hit me harder than ever before.....He knew.

Matthew 16: 21--"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

(Cross reference: Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22)


What is most intriguing is the fact that Jesus early on in his ministry explained his death, but not only his death but the pain, suffering, and ultimate rejection that he was prepared to endure. He was preparing his disciples for his coming suffering, his eventual death and resurrection. It almost was like softening the on-coming blow they were to recieve., but He knew.

Jesus knew the pain was coming so much that He asked His Father if He was willing to take this cup from him. (Lk. 22:42)
He knew with what intensity--flogging, mocking, spitting
He was God incarnate, of course He knew. He was a man, of course He knew it would hurt. Jesus like others in this time period knew what flogging was, knew what happened to people who the Sanhedrin deemed a threat. (For examples look at the final passages of Jesus' discussion with the Sanhedrin, or Acts 4)

Look at this next passage:

Mark 10:32-34--"Again He took the 12 aside and told them what was going to happen to him. We are going up to Jerusalem, he said, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. they will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him, and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."
(cross reference-Mt. 20:17-19, Lk. 18:31-33)

Jesus was very clear--I will be betrayed ( to whom?) the chief priests and teachers of the law. ( what will they do?) condemn me to death and hand me over to the Gentiles
( Romans--what will they do?)--mock me, and spit on me, flog me, and then kill me. (so then what happens after all this Rabbi?) In 3 days I will rise!

The clip in the Passion gives us as people a visual of what Christ is telling us in these and many other verses. That He knew, yet even knowing He still did it for you!

THE POINT:
Jesus spoke frequently to his disciples about what was going happen. Why? Because He knew what was coming, and wanted to comfort the ones who didnt. Just like the disciples we dont know what is coming. We cant look past the next minute, hour, day nor week.
The most comforting part of all these passages is when Jesus declares that he will rise in 3 days. Stop and just think. Maybe pop in the Passion of the Christ and just look at Jesus' bloody face, beaten body, bloody thorns, and think He smiles because He knows what comes next!
Be blessed!