When a Good Present Turns into an Idol
“I’m so ashamed.”
“I don’t see a means out.”
“I hate myself for it, and but I hold going again to it.”
The draw to sexual sin is robust. As creatures with our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls—which can’t be extricated one from the opposite—the bodily and nonphysical pleasure and satisfaction provided by intercourse are uniquely highly effective. So highly effective, in actual fact, our tradition enthrones intercourse as our highest good. The message that solely intercourse can fulfill permeates music, films, and social media. Monogamy appears quaint. Celibacy is unthinkable (a message we Christians would possibly even unwittingly ingest). Intercourse has a godlike standing in our age and in our minds. As a individuals, we view it as vital.
To make sure, intercourse is a good present provided to us by our good God who made us good and in his picture (Gen. 1:26–28, 1:31, 2:24–25). This good present, although, when elevated to the finest present—a necessity, a nonnegotiable, one thing we can’t reside with out—causes nice harm.
For Christians who’re satisfied of a biblical sexual ethic (intercourse is reserved for marriage between one man and one girl), giving in to sexual temptation results in a painful cycle of disgrace in ourselves, unbelief that God can meet us, and succumbing once more to sin in the hunt for consolation, reduction, and satisfaction, which brings us again to disgrace another time. The draw to sexual sin is robust, however so is the resultant isolation, self-contempt, and despair. When women and men within the church give in to sexual sin and even change into accustomed to it or hooked on it, they really feel overwhelmed by humiliation and guilt. In concern, they hold their sin to themselves; it festers, feeds the cycle, and robs the Christian of the considerable life Jesus guarantees to his followers (John 10:10).
What will be carried out with this idol which looms massive over our world and our personal ideas, inflicting nice hurt to our souls and relationships? Is there hope for the Christian man or girl who has given in time and again to sexual sin? The story informed by Jesus of the prodigal son in Luke 15 says, Sure! There’s super hope.
Jen Oshman casts a imaginative and prescient for girls to reject the idols of our age and discover actual hope in Jesus, embracing their identification in Christ and recovering his design and objective for his or her lives.
Bear in mind Who Your Father Is
It’s possible you’ll recall within the parable of the prodigal son that the son asks his father for his inheritance whereas his father is but alive. Such a request is a transparent rejection of the daddy and a acknowledged choice for the daddy’s presents over the daddy himself. Nonetheless, the daddy obliges, and the son takes his cash and runs. The son “squandered his property in reckless dwelling” (Luke 15:13) and finds himself ravenous, eager for pigs’ meals, however nobody will give him something (Luke 15:16). It’s at this level that he involves himself and remembers who his father is (Luke 15:17). He remembers the wealth and provision of his father and realizes it’s ridiculous that he would keep there and perish when there may be a lot in his father’s home.
The identical is true for you and me. Even the Christian who has regretfully turned to sin time and time once more nonetheless belongs to our Father in heaven. We who’re saved by grace via religion (Eph. 2:1–10) have been adopted by God (Gal. 4:4–7), and as his little children, now we have entry to all that he has (Eph. 1:3–23). Paul says now we have “each religious blessing within the heavenly locations” (Eph. 1:3) and a wealthy inheritance via Jesus, together with the identical energy that raised Jesus from the useless (Eph. 1:19–20). Christian, now we have Father who won’t ever depart us and by no means forsake us (Heb. 13:5). Nothing in anyway can separate us from his love (Rom. 8:37–39).
You probably have been burned by sexual sin, which has promised you life however given you demise, bear in mind who your Father is. You continue to belong to him. You continue to have all that you just want and a lot extra in him. This battle will be gained. You aren’t with out hope—removed from it. You’re a conqueror in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:37).
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Return House
After the son involves himself, he determines to return residence. Within the historical communal and agrarian context of Jesus’s parable, the son’s return residence would have been a public spectacle. The group would have identified about his preliminary reprehensible request for his inheritance as a result of it seemingly required the daddy to dump land to present his son the money. The tight-knit group would have identified the son left, bringing disgrace to his complete family. A return residence can be a public declaration that the son was improper and needs to repent. The son can’t think about his father will obtain him again, so he devises a plan to supply himself as a servant who will work for his hold (Luke 15:18–19).
However whereas the son “was nonetheless a good distance off, his father noticed him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). The daddy had been ready and anticipating his beloved boy to return. And he doesn’t wait a second longer. With out regard for what the neighbors will suppose, he runs to his son. The daddy doesn’t rebuke him, belittle him, or reject him. Regardless of the son’s seemingly filthy state, the daddy hugs him, kisses him, provides him his personal gown, ring, and sneakers, and tells his servants to organize a feast to allow them to have a good time (Luke 15:22–24).
This, too, is the reception that awaits the repentant Christian. Our personal instinct and the enemy of our souls say the Father will reject us, belittle us, and don’t have anything to do with us. However that’s not true! He’s ready now—even for the one entrenched in sexual sin—to return to him. He can’t wait to lavish his damaged, needy, and meek little children with good presents.
However buddies, we should truly return. These good presents are in our Father’s home, inside his good embrace, not out right here the place we’ve squandered our inheritance. The return house is public. Confession and repentance aren’t carried out in secret however fairly declared to God and shared with group. Whereas this return and confession could also be terrifying, John assures us, “If we confess our sins, he’s trustworthy and simply to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). And Paul reminds us repeatedly that we’d like each other to beat our sin (see Gal. 6:1-2, Rom. 12:5, 1 Thess. 5:11, 14). Mercy and forgiveness await the prodigal son or daughter who returns residence and confesses sin to each Father and group.
Will we serve our good, lovely, and true God or the false god of sexual sin?
Renew Your First Love
Music, dancing, and feasting ensue as the entire family and group have a good time the return of the prodigal (Luke 15:25-27, 32). We will assume—based mostly off the son’s plan to be his father’s servant—he’s relieved and overjoyed to be again residence, bearing once more the standing of a beloved son. He’s seemingly on the dance ground celebrating greater than anybody. What presents of unconditional love, limitless mercy, and unmerited generosity he has obtained!
Now, what issues going ahead is the son’s response to those good presents: Will he adore and cherish his father for the remainder of his days, or will he be wooed again to reckless dwelling? Will the cycle of sin and disgrace persist, or will he stroll in freedom?
An ever-growing love for the Father is important if a prodigal is to stay free. In our fallen world with our fallen hearts, life within the far nation will at all times be considerably engaging. This aspect of heaven, the enemy will deceive us, and our flesh will fail us. Our solely hope to remain right here, at residence within the arms of our Father, is to like him extra than we love our sin.
Jesus says, “Nobody can serve two masters, for both he’ll hate the one and love the opposite, or he can be dedicated to the one and despise the opposite” (Matt. 6:24). And whereas he’s referring to the love of cash, it pertains to the love of intercourse as effectively. Will we serve our good, lovely, and true God or the false god of sexual sin?
Our love for our Father will result in our obedience to him (John 14:21–24). If we treasure him greater than the moment gratification of sin, we can be keen to say no to sin and sure to the Father. Now we have to determine in our hearts who our first and closing love can be (Rev. 2:4–5). And fortunately, we’re not left to our personal power. For we who’re in Christ, the Holy Spirit is in us, serving to us to like God greater than the world (John 14:26-27), enabling us to persevere to the top.
Is there hope for individuals who’ve made intercourse an idol, who worship the present fairly than the Giver? Completely, sure. Our God is a sort Father, eagerly and expectantly ready for the return of those that have rejected him. He’s watching even now, stuffed with immeasurable grace, in search of his wayward little children on the horizon. Prodigal, bear in mind who your Father is, return residence, and renew your past love.
Jen Oshman is the creator of Cultural Counterfeits: Confronting 5 Empty Guarantees of Our Age and How We Had been Made for So A lot Extra.
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