In 2020 the Pew Research people wanted to know how religious affiliation affected views on sex. They found that, among those not affiliated with religion, 78% believed that casual sex was always or at least sometimes accepable. That was over against 57% of Christians. Broken down further, Evangelicals were most likely to say that casual sex without commitment was never acceptable -- 47%. Less than half. (Interestingly that was the same percentage for those who attended services monthly or more.) In contrast, atheists were at 2% and agnostics at 3%. Clearly "Evangelical" had an effect but, clearly, even Evangelicals were not in full agreement ... with God. God's Word is abundantly clear on a whole lot of things, but even unbelievers know that it is uncompromising on the topic of sex outside of marriage. Many have tried to reinterpret Scripture around many things -- homosexuality, marriage, divorce, etc. -- but no one has been able to reason around God's absolute proscription of sex outside of marriage.
I pick this particular issue because it is abundantly clear and everyone knows it, yet among Christians there are many who ignore it. People who claim to know the truth -- God's truth -- still ignore His commands. I'm not talking about occasional slips or excursions into sin followed by repentance. They go there without apology and don't much care. So it is disturbing to me to read, "For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness" (2 Thess 2:11-12). For what reason? They "did not receive the love of the truth" (2 Thess 2:10). It's not that they didn't know it; it's that they refuse to love it. And the result is God will further their blindness for the purposes of judgment.
John wrote, "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9). The text says it is an impossibility for one truly born of God to sin without repentance. So what are we to conclude about all those self-identified Christians who do it with regularity and vigor? "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us" (1 John 2:19). It is Scripture like this that causes me to pray much for Christians I know who sin freely and think there is nothing to fear. We all sin. That cannot be denied. No true believer should be comfortable doing it. Are you?
4 comments:
When I see professed Christians either engaging in, defending, or excusing this sort of regular practice of sin, I can't help but conclude that they are doing so willfully. To use your example, anyone who has even a rudimentary knowledge of scripture, yet regularly engages in sex outside of marriage has no way to argue that they are mistaken, or that scripture isn't clear.
Yet another reason I wish for hard persecution to fall in the church in the West. Far too many people are willing to call themselves something they are not because it costs them nothing to do so. We have had it too easy for too long and have not been faithful, which is why God has brought the punishment of sexual immortality into the churches.
I too have noticed the slip among professing Christians towards accepting sexual sin, as worldly influence infects the Church more and more as the generations pass. My own 20-something single son has said to me numerous times, “Oh, Mom, no one does that anymore!” (referring to restricting sexual activity to married life). I always reply, “Christians do.” As you point out, not so much anymore, sadly.
And yes, it is a foolish and scary thing for any such “Christians” (true believers or perhaps not) to invite God’s judgment into their lives. I appreciate this prompt today to consider my own behavior. I know that as a Christian indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who will convict me of sin (John 16:8), I will not love that sin but will forsake it (1 John 3:6-8a) and receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). Rather than “sinning boldly” as you titled this post, I hope to be “sinning badly,” as in not doing it well or very much ;).
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