By Renee Johnson
For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery. -Mark 7: 21
I looked up the word sex in the New International Version of the Bible, and it appears at least fifty-six times. Most of the references are found in Leviticus about abstaining from weird sexual practices (like having sex with animals). However, Colossians 3:5 caught my attention. “Put to death… sexual immorality.” Really?
I thought the New Testament was a loving, warm and fuzzy kind of testament. How did the “doom and gloom,” “hell, fire, and brimstone” of the Old Testament make it into the New Testament? I know pastors preach a lot about loving others, but I found it particularly interesting to pair …love with death.
Proverbs also warns us of how quickly sexual immorality ruins a person’s life – even to the point of death. “For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave” (Proverbs 5:3-5).
When I was surveying over 300+ twenty-somethings for my devotional book I was writing, I was shocked. More than half of people, ages 18-35, who took my survey asked about sex and how one stays sexually pure in their relationships.
For instance, Aaron, 27, said, “I think abstinence before marriage is the most important thing. We all fail at that on many levels, and shouldn’t beat ourselves up, but we should strive for purity in this area.”
Many people who say they are Christians engage in premarital sex, and here are a few common reasons why:
Test drive first. Buy later.
How do you know if the person you’re going to live with for the rest will satisfy your sexual appetite?
But we love each other…
Many couples are on their way to true love, but let me ask you this: How many couples who say they love each other end in marriage?
More and more Christian marriages end in divorce. So what’s the point? You’re an adult. You can make your own choices. When the words “death”, “dead”, or “dying” show up in the Bible consistently regarding adultery, premarital sex, sexual immorality and the like maybe we should listen.
Dear Put-to-Death Jesus,
Abstinence in today’s world is a four-letter word. Staying the path of life instead of death can be quite scary. Protect the purity of our minds, hearts, and actions as we follow after you today. Amen.
Renee is a spirited speaker and writer to the 20-somethings and her first book releases in March of 2010. You can buy a copy of Faithbook of Jesus, read her blog, and follow her on Twitter.