Understanding
the theological truth of sexuality happens to be important for understanding
the gospel message (Eph. 5:30-32). An apologist may be frustrated to discover
the primary concern for young church goers is how to address the subject of
homosexuality. What is most frustrating is how often church leaders cannot
explain how God views sexuality. You must have a solid foundation before you
can properly build up any home. If the church is filled with parents who cannot
properly provide a solid foundation for their children, the next generation
will grow even more confused. God wanted the two lovers in the marriage
covenant to come together in His love with His blessing, becoming one in flesh
and spirit (Mal. 2:15). God poses the question, “And why one?” Because he was
seeking godly offspring (v. 15). Furthermore, God warns His people, “So guard
yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.”
The Lord goes on to declare, “I hate divorce… so, guard yourself in your
spirit, and do not break faith (v. 16). The issue is not homosexuality, but all
humans have become confused with regards to sexuality in general, and thus many
are misled.
Instead of
reading Genesis only as literal history the readers must understand the
deeper meaning to each act of creation, especially the details involved with
the formation of Adam and Eve. One must remember Christ is the beginning and
the end (Rev. 21:6). Christ is and always has been the primary protagonist of
this story from the very beginning (Col. 1:16). God placed Adam into a deep
sleep before taking Eve from his flesh and blood, mirroring Christ sacrifice of
His own flesh and blood resulting in the formation of His bride the Church
(Eph. 5: 30-32, 2 Cor. 11:2). For from the side (tsela) of Adam came Eve
and their sexual unity was and is for all married couples a holy and beautiful
act ordained by God and represent of Christ being united with His bride forever
(Gen. 2:24, Eph. 5: 30-31, Mal. 19:8, Rom. 7: 2- 3). Therefore, sexual
immorality is wrong from a Christian perspective because sex was never intended
to be self-centered and about the physical act alone (fornication, divorce,
adultery, polygamy, homosexuality, etc.). The individual who finds their
identity in their felt sexuality is missing the entire point to why God ever
created humanity in the first place. Those who live for the physical act alone
will never be satisfied and will be missing out on a more gratifying sexual
union with their spouse intended to be both spiritual and physical (Song of
Songs).
Many females,
being not blind to a world dominated by selfish men, have concluded men are the
enemy. Sadly, the honest scholar, whether male or female, must confess in most
cultures’ women have not had equal rights, and were often treated like second
class citizens. Though laws in Deuteronomy seem to support the idea of men
viewing females more as property than equal partners, the Song of Songs simply
disregards this idea of the male dominating over the female. The most esteemed
biblical scholars cannot ignore how this book of romantic poetry contrasts with
an ancient culture that seemingly disregarded the romantic desires of women.[1] In these
Holy Spirit inspired writings one must remember the love God has for His
beloved. However, readers must recognize they are looking into the mind of a
female expressing her passion for her human male lover, while in return her
lover unselfishly strives to woo her into his arms.
Song of Songs
has a female voice, perhaps corresponding with the voice of wisdom (Sophia), as
found in the Proverbs and elsewhere in the Old Testament. Regarding the
repeated phrase, “My lover is mine and I am his,” (v. 2:16, 6:3, 7:10), scholar
Richard Bauckham states, “Equality and mutuality can only be presented here as
the female perspective because the text also presents them as the male
perspective.” The point being, regardless of what the surrounding culture deems
to be acceptable, in the home the wife must be treated as a cherished partner.
In laymen terms, just because the guys at work talk as if women are objects to
serve man, this is not to be the case in a Christian home. Truly the selfish
man is not loving his wife as Christ loves the church. The idea of women being
treated like second class citizens is most certainly not supported by Jesus
Christ. The partners in a marriage are intended to serve each other equally.
For as Christ serves the church the male not only serves their spouse in like
manner, but accordingly the other members in the Church as Christ serves them
(Eph. 5: 31-33; Rom. 15).
Adam and Eve
were created to be representatives for God to the rest of the world, and the
first instructions these partners received were to be fruitful and multiply
(Gen. 1: 26-28, Eph. 6:12). Eve was taken out from the side of Adam and the two
were to be united in love and become one flesh. Sex is a beautiful and holy act
represent of Christ becoming one with the church, His bride (Eph. 6). Sex was
made to be enjoyable and without shame between two responsible adults in a
monogamous relationship, hence why the Song of Songs was written. The one who
fails to let Christ be first in their life and chooses to live for
self-centered desires alone, will never be satisfied. An interesting biological
fact is if a woman is not gratified when the man releases his seed her body
responds by seeking to attack and destroy the sperm.[2] Many who
grown up in the modern church become bitter for they have never developed a
personal connection with Christ. Many grow unsatisfied and leave the church because
so many elders have failed to show how being one with Christ is most
gratifying.
One must
treat their spouse with dignity, or their child in the same manner may someday
fail their partner in marriage. End the cycle and grow up. Adam failed his Queen
who was intended to be treated as an equal. Later Christ would be pierced in
His side and water and blood flowed as His heart broke for His bride, the true
church. Christ literally died for His bride to have hope of spending an
eternity in His love free from all danger and despair. This is the Gospel
Christians must not fail at teaching others who are new in the faith, for if
the foundation is not solid the structure will crumble. Many in the church go
through the motions with blind faith, never understanding the gospel, and thus
failing to properly share the love of Christ.
The enemy did
not sneak up on Eve while Adam was napping or relieving himself, for the
Scriptures make clear Adam was with her (Gen. 3:6). The enemy enticed Eve into
mistrusting God, and Adam blamed her for this mistake instead of taking
responsibility for failing her (v. 12). In contrast one must love Christ who came
to rescue His bride and take direct responsibility for what came of His lover (1
Cor. 15:22; Eph. 5:1-3, Rom. 5:8, 14:9). Throughout history mostly men have
dominated over women, though in some cultures the women felt they should lord
over men, hence the followers of Artemis, or the Amazonian women. Both
extremes, which the confused majority tend to choose between, are wrong. Both
Adam and Eve are to blame, yet Christ promised to reveal Himself by the seed of
the woman (Gen. 3:15). The bitter liar seemingly believed the woman and her
descendants were won over by the persuasive offer for them to become like gods
(Gen. 3:4-5). However, the liar was offering the first couple nothing of
lasting value. Both Adam and Eve were already intended to be immortal and upon
growing in wisdom were meant to bare offspring who would likewise be born again
into the family of God (John 3:1-17; Mal. 2:15-16; Mark 10:2-12, Eph. 5:21).
Instead of being patient and developing a relationship with their Creator, the
first parents decided to listen to the enemy and thus chose to not trust in God
(v. 6).
The seed of
distrust in the love of God is damaging to all relationships. Readers should
reflect on a married couple, where one member is still negatively influenced by
the first lie of the enemy, whereas the other has found genuine freedom in the
love of Christ. In this hypothetical marriage the sex of each member does not
matter, and the truth may apply the same if the sexes were reversed. Imagine
the husband (A), only understands love as meaning their partner is devoted,
protecting, and serving his every desire and need. The wife, (B), genuinely
loves her partner and takes pleasure in serving his needs and unselfish
desires. There is an obvious imbalance in such a relationship, and ironically
(A) will be the one having trust issues. For (A) never genuinely enjoys the
sacrifices he makes for his partner and expects (B) feels the same, for (A)
believes this is an unspoken truth between all couples. Although, (A)
appreciates how (B) serves his desires, he believes (B) only provides her
services because she expects something in return. (A) never truly comprehends
the kind of unconditional love (B) has for him. The one who understands
love as meaning only how their partner shows devotion and serves their desires fails
to understand the love Christ has for the church. The (A) Christian expects God
is angry when he does not serve Him well with their sacrifices. God would
rather one make no sacrifices at all if the person fails to truly know Him,
hence refuses to understand Christ love (Matt. 9:13, 12:7, 5:24; Mark 12:33;
John 6:66-67; Psalm 51: 16-17, 40: 6-8; Proverbs 21:3, Amos 5: 21-24; Micah
6:6-8; Hosea 6:6). God is obviously angry when the one He loves misjudges Him
as being a selfish lover. Those who fall for the first lie of the enemy and distrust
in the word of God, will likewise distrust in His love and care.
The women who
knew Christ somehow understood His love and likewise desired to serve Him. They
understood Christ loved them unconditionally and He longed to do what is best
for them with pleasure. Christ love is patient, is certainly not envious, does
not need to boast, and those Christ knows intimately feel protected in His
love, they trust in Him, and will persevere in His love (1 Corinthians 13:
1-13). God is Love, but sadly so many depraved minds do not even understand
true love (1 John 4: 7-12). Hence one can wonder just how patient God must be
when seeing those made in His image use and hurt His little ones. God is fully
righteous in His discipline when members of the church decide to manipulate and
use each other, while believing their self-centered view of love is the kind of
love God has for His people. In the case of the moralists the yeast of the
Pharisees comes to mind, strict religious leaders who damaged the faith of
those seeking to draw closer to God (Matt. 23). Christ warned these
self-righteous leaders of the law, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and
whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (v.12). What a confused church there
would be where the leaders fail to understand the gospel message. The enemy
clearly has a foothold in such a church which will ultimately fail at leaving a
positive impact in their community. The expert on religious laws does not help
others grow spiritually. However, those who trust in the Lord like the women
who knelt at Christ feet, or the children who humbly came to Him can inspire
others to draw closer to Christ.
Since a house
divided shall fall the enemy will seek to infiltrate the church and the home
with the goal of influencing weak-willed leaders (1 Tim. 6:3-5, 2 Tim. 3: 1-6).
Hence, some allegedly well-intentioned Christians push their spouses, children,
fellow church members, and those outside the faith further away from
understanding the love of Christ. Those who tend to damage the faith of others come
from one of two extremes. There is either the hedonistic, resulting from a
misunderstanding of God's grace, or the legalistic who misunderstand His
righteous anger. Many passages in the Scriptures are misunderstood because the
truths shared here about the heart of God are incomprehensible to those with
hardened hearts. Regardless of the troubles in this fallen world, the Lord is
indeed a compassionate and gracious God, being slow to anger, and abounding
in love and faithfulness (Exodus 34: 6). Church Parents tend to be either
one extreme or another for their hearts relate more with a wrathful God, or
opposite being a gracious God in whom they have far too little reverence. Both
cases add problems for the next generation. The one whose heart is set on
honoring God and growing closer to Christ will never cease growing in
knowledge, but the one set in their ways has limited their growth. The enemy
has no power over the one who resists him, thus the one who loves and trusts in
Christ through the trials, will not be put to shame (Rom. 10:11, James 4:6-8).
Adam
and Eve failed to trust the Lord would share more truth with them through the
process of a developing relationship, (as any wise parent must with their
child.) Instead, they chose to cease trusting in God, and believed He was intentionally
keeping them ignorant, (holding out on them.) The enemy planted this seed of
doubt in their hearts which has spread to each generation. Like mass hypnosis
the enemy has fooled multitudes, but evidently this devil cannot create
anything of value. The liar takes what God has already created and seeks to
corrupt the art; thus, he seeks to destroy beauty. The chief of liars operates
likes a masterful marketing executive. The product is garbage, worthless like a
pet rock, but the human mind against God is too easily persuaded. Hence, the
need to protect the minds of the children is most important, for with the rise
of social media garbage is much easier to promote and receive.
Christ warned
in the last days children will revolt against their parents and will put them
to death (Matt. 10:21, Mark 13:12). Christ also warned the house will be
divided, with son against father, and daughter against mother (Luke 12:53). The
enemy finds ways to keep people distracted from noticing something harmful
entering the household. Hence, after teaching on how children should honor
their parents, and how parents should teach their children the instruction of
the Lord, Paul instructs readers to put on their full armor of God (Eph. 6:1-4,
10-17). If one understands how and why the war is not against flesh and blood,
their whole perspective will change. The war is against spiritual forces of
evil, these rulers and authorities in the unseen realm who seek to wreak havoc
in this darkened world (v. 12). Hence the faithful must be motivated to stand
their ground and be strong in the Lord and His mighty power (v. 10-13). To wear
the armor of God and thus valiantly stand against the enemy one must trust in
the authority that comes with being in a relationship with Christ (v. 10). The
first essential piece of the armor is the belt of truth which is needed if one
is to keep their breastplate of righteousness in place (v. 14-15). If one fails
to trust in Truth their righteousness will be out of place, thus the one who
does not trust in Christ will be vulnerable to thinking what is wrong is right.
Consequently, the parent who fails to trust in Christ will leave their children
vulnerable to the influences of the enemy. For example, Critical Race Theory is
being taught in schools today, which is blatant racism in accord with the forty
first goal of the communist elite.[3] Many schools
are directly teaching children to view humans as being separated into two
groups, the oppressors (all white people) and the oppressed (all other races).[4] Those who
support the goals set against the Christian faith would love for readers to
recognize how successful the enemy has been at winning the hearts and minds of
the younger generation.[5] If young
vulnerable minds are being taught in public schools to believe a certain form
of racism is justified, anyone with common sense can see where this slippery
slope leads.
Naturally, God
is right to be frustrated when members of the church fail to discern the truth
from the lies. God is certainly right to be displeased when His children do not
trust in the truth of His love, or when they fail to accurately represent His
love and justice (Micah 7:18; Ezra 8:22; 1 John 2:5, 3:10; 4:18). God is
wearied by the foolish words a church mumbles when the confused lot tends to go
towards one extreme or another. Whether misunderstanding His grace, and contending
God is not displeased with those who do evil or being like those who call out
for the justice of God with a vindictive heart (Mal. 2:17). Both
extremes are wrong. God is not a push over who allows His bride to take His
love for granted, hence why no woman genuinely loves a man whom she cannot
respect. Neither is God a cruel possessive lover who Lords Himself over those
who wrong Him before taking pleasure in the pain or death of those who rebel
against His love (Eze. 18:32, 33:11, Isa. 25:8; Deut. 9:4). Hence, the disciple
of Christ wears the boots fitted for delivering the gospel of peace, to go and
share the reason for their hope with gentleness and respect (Eph. 6:15, 1 Pet.
3:15).
Ultimately, there
is nothing worse than when religious leaders use God to manipulate misguided
desperate souls into providing sexual favors. The one who claims to be a
follower or teacher of Christ is on the most dangerous ground according to
Christ, especially when hurting His little children (Matt. 18:6, Mark 9:42).
This goes back to the enemy taking advantage of the first young daughter of God.
Yet, as the Father promised, from the woman the second Adam came, the One
destined to crush the enemy (Gen. 3:15, 1 Cor. 15:21-23). Jesus Christ, the
protagonist of this story came to defeat the devil on the cross where He made a
public spectacle by disarming the powers and authorities against His children (Col.
2:15). Christ declared, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of
this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). Christ said, “I have told you these
things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). If there is to be true
love, there must be freedom to accept or reject this love. Hence, the disciple
of Christ must hold onto the shield of faith, remaining faithful even when the
church is shaken, and leaders fall away (Eph. 6:16). With the shield of faith,
the disciple of Christ will remain standing even if many others fall around
them, for the flaming arrows of the enemy cannot pierce the faithful (v. 16).
If faithfulness is not accurately represented in the church her members will be
vulnerable to being fooled. Those sinful religious leaders who manipulate the
vulnerable are of the enemy who has been sinning since the beginning of this
story, but Christ will bring justice (1 John 3:8, 1 John 3:8, Rev. 20:10).
In a world
where hope exists one feels compelled to assume there must be a greater good
outweighing the evil in the world. In this story those on the side of the
sacrificial hero win over those who oppose Him. So, although one might accuse
the faithful of reasoning like a child, the wiser choice seems simple enough.
Thus, the faithful will not be surprised by the counterfeit wonders the enemy
will perform, which will fall short compared to the creating power of the one
true God who can and has raised the dead (2 Thess. 2:9, Heb. 2:14). The enemy
cannot fool the one whose head is guarded with the helmet of salvation, as
those who are saved have guarded their minds with the help of the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17). Hope, and faith sustain the one
who understands the love of the Father, but the greatest strength for the
disciple of Christ is love (1 Cor. 13:13, Gal. 5:6, 1 Thess. 1:3). Those with
the most promising hope are the humble who have received grace for loving their
Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love (Eph. 6:24, James 4:7, 1 Pet. 5:6).
The enemy is
addicted to what God has allowed him to do, but what the enemy does serves a
purpose. Despite the lying, slandering, inflicting disease, opposing, tempting,
removing of the seed, and the weeds sowed by the devil, the faithful destined
to bring glory to the Author of this story arise victorious (John 8:44, Job
1:9-11, 2:7, Zech. 3:1, Matt. 4:1, 13:19, 38-39). The obstacles and trials in
life have helped mold the character of these vessels who remained dependent on
the counseling of the Holy Spirit. The enemy does look for whom he can devour,
but those who trust in Christ will be self-controlled and alert to the schemes
of the enemy (1 Pet. 5:8). There will be suffering in this world but have peace
and be of good cheer knowing Christ, the hero of this story, has overcome this
world for those destined to trust in Him (John 16:33).
[1]
Richard Bauckham, Gospel Women:
Studies of the Women in the Gospels, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co., 2002), 13.
[2]
Charles Detwiler, Kimberly Mitchell,
Norman Reichenbach, Life by Design, (Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2014),
399-401.
[3]
US Congress, House of Representatives. Current
Communist Goals: Extension of Remarks of Hon. A. S. Herlong, Jr. of Florida,
Congressional Record – Appendix, pp. A34-A35, January 10, 1963. Mrs. Patricia
Nordman of DeFland, in being dedicated against the dangers of communism in
America, identifies “Current Communist Goals” as verified in The Naked
Communist by former FBI agent Cleon Skousen.
Cleon
W. Skousen, The Naked Communist, Ninth
ed., (Salt Lake City: Ensign Pub. Co, 1961), Chap. 12.
[4]
Alex Newman, “Echoes of Mao: Weaponizing
Schools With ‘Critical Race Theory,’” The Epoch Times, April 21-27,
2021.
[5]
Skousen, Chap. 7.
[1]
Lincoln Barnett, The
Universe and Dr. Einstein, New York: William Sloane Associates, 1948, p. 106; Robert Jastrow, God and the
Astronomers New and Expanded Edition, New York / London. W.W. Norton &
Company, INC., 1992), 27-28.
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