Did You Just Say the Word "SEX"?

I am sure that there are plenty of statistics that tell how many times a person thinks about or is confronted with something sexual in nature during a given day. If my experience is like most people, I'd have to say that the average would be high. Every form of media (whether it is radio, television, film, print...) is used to push forth the sexual envelope. We definitely have the "sex drive" in overdrive. As I pondered over our current cultural condition, a couple of things came to my mind.

First, God created us as sexual beings. Adam and Eve were created naked and they were not ashamed(Genesis 2:25); and the task given to them in the garden was to "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Genesis 1:28). Basically, God told them to have lots of sex and babies so that the earth would be filled with image-bearers. They were having sex to God's glory.

Second, eventually Adam and Eve had to cover up because they sinned and "then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew they were naked" (Genesis 3:7). From this point on, the beautiful gift of nakedness and sex became a gift that could (and would) be exploited and abused.

The desire for sexual intimacy is good. It is a God-given desire that is supposed to take place between a husband and wife. Yet, we live in a society that perverts, distorts, and damages the good gift God has given us. How do we pervert the good gift?

First, we pervert the gift of sex by worshipping the gift instead of the Giver.

Second, we pervert sex by taking it and using it in ways that God did not intend for us to use it. The list of our perversions is long: sodomy, adultery, bestiality, masturbation, pornography, pedophilia, and the list goes on.

Yet, in the midst of all of our evil ways, perversions and distortions, there is hope. We must turn to Christ. The hope of our culture and our world is not sex education, abstinence, or any other action that merely seeks to change a person's behavior. We must repent of our sins. We must acknowledge that we have "exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:25). Then, we must turn to the God of mercy so that we can be released from the penalty and grip of sin. Only then, will we be free to be "truly human" once again. Only then, will our perversions be turned into purposeful living. We must be redeemed. And this is the message we must take to our world. "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians, 5:20).