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CAN CHRISTIANS HAVE SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE????<\/span><\/h2>\nI was asked to write on a topic for Patheos. There was a list of topics and I penned another a few weeks ago which, apparently, they liked-at least to the point where they trusted I was not writing with crayons in my dead mother\u2019s basement. I\u2019m sixty-four so that would have made her, well, dead. There was a list of topics and I picked this one. Sex <\/em>is always a good seller. I picked Night Panther <\/em>roll on deodorant by Old Spice because it sounded kinda, well, sexy.<\/em> It replaced my prior scent, Swagger.<\/em> That just has a pole dancing feel all wrapped up in its name.<\/p>\nSo, I picked this topic. Ride along with me. It might be fun. Wait, let me change that. It will <\/em>be fun. And I hope a little thoughtful. Because this question is beyond\u00a0<\/em>the question asked. It is so much bigger than that simple question. It\u2019s about Sin. I gave it a capital letter because it is a big<\/em> deal.<\/p>\nIt could also be one of the shortest articles you read and not what you expect. Let me give you the answer to that pretty direct question.<\/p>\n
Can Christians have sex before marriage. Yes*.<\/p>\n
Whaaaaat???<\/p>\n
I said yes. <\/em><\/p>\nBut\u2014<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Let me explain<\/span><\/h3>\nLet me explain. Notice the little * next to the\u00a0yes<\/em>? That means you have to let me explain.<\/p>\nGod, in the Old Testament, and with our link to the ancient Hebrews, gave us The Law. He inspired the writers to give a way of life to these people-our people.\u00a0 The same people who will eventually give us the Son of Man, Jesus. He will eventually, centuries later, give us freedom from the ravages of sin and pay for ours once and for all. It is through the Son of God we find our freedom. But before he was here, we were told we had to make sacrifices. The best of our crop, the unblemished goat. It all had to be burned or slaughtered on the altar of God. Not sure what you did if you were a knife maker or an auto repair guy.<\/p>\n
The Law gave a people, the line of people chosen by God to bring us Jesus, a way to live. It also gave us a perfect template of how to live and with that, it showed us we could not<\/em> do it on our own. The Law was designed to actually inflame sin. You did the law, you were sinless and worthy of being in God\u2019s presence. Problem was and still is, the Law, was unobtainable.<\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Law was a miracle.<\/span><\/h3>\nThat was the miracle of the The Law. Dad showed us we cannot live, not even a day, without sinning. If it is not in action, our mind will give us up every time. The simple thought of comparing your \u2018sinless day\u2019 with your neighbor\u2019s visible sin, gets you convicted.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0It called for a\u00a0savior<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\nSex before marriage is one of those laws. It was so important, Mary, finding herself pregnant at the very old age of thirteen or so, faced the actual fear of people finding out and stoning her to death for such an act. Only an angel coming to Joseph and telling him it would be okay; Mary was selected out of everyone to answer the prophets calling for the savior. <\/em>The idea of her being pregnant by God himself, was just this side of science fiction. But Joseph believed what he was told, or at least decided to believe it because the alternative was terrible. Joseph stepped out in faith when the law and the world told him differently. Today, they call it Optics.<\/em><\/p>\n\u2018What\u2019s the big deal? Everyone\u2019s doing it.\u2019 Words I heard when I was a teen. Words Shakespeare used, sort of. They go back to when a pretty girl saw a handsome boy. All those switches and circuit breakers in the hormone department get lit up. Why would God not <\/em>want us to have something so pleasing?<\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Dad invented it.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\nHe does. He invented it after all. But he wants us to do it right<\/em>. Right means, first and foremost, we honor and glorify Him. Second, He wants us to do it right so we get the maximum <\/em>amount of pleasure from it. I know I know I know, I heard it too. It sounded like a condom commercial. But the fact is, sex under the marriage vow, especially the first marriage, is a gift you give to each other.<\/p>\nIt is a gift never shared with anyone else. Gentlemen, if you \u2018love your wife like Christ loved the church\u2019 and she sees that, knows that, feels that, stand by for the best sex you ever will have\u2014for the rest of your life. Ladies, if you respect your husband and he feels it, knows it, and knows you are in his corner, you will see his back straighten, his shoulders square away and he will become that funny, brave, man you only read about in the checkout line.<\/p>\n
But you could have sex outside of marriage.<\/p>\n
What??<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0We all sin<\/span><\/h3>\nI\u2019m not proposing it. It comes back to that big sin statement up front. Look, we all sin\u2014daily. In Mary\u2019s day, it was hard to hide the outcome. But the response was always a bad ending. Stoning. Sin equals death\u2014always. The Jewish people still have Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Washing those sins away once a year. I always wondered what would happen the day after<\/em> you went to the temple with your sacrifice and all was good but the next day you stole something, then the next day you died from getting run over by a wagon. Some parts of today\u2019s society would say \u2018Well, that\u2019s just Karma.\u2019 A term I am not sure how it works.<\/p>\nHere is what I know\u2014God loves me. Actually, He adores<\/em> me. The wages of my sin is death. Every sin, every time. If I think about it, I\u2019ve sinned. If I daydream about it but don\u2019t act on it, I\u2019ve sinned. And my only response to that, is to die. A death forever separated from God and Heaven\u2014forever. Seems a little harsh, eh?<\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0God is perfect<\/span><\/h3>\nGod is perfect. He made us perfectly. But we got infected with sin and it is in every cell of our bodies. The only thing which can remove it, heal it, cure it, not only that, but make us so pure we are \u2018white as snow\u2019 as the song says, is the sacrifice of God\u2019s son on the cross for me\u2014and you.<\/p>\n
Dad wants us to do things well. He also knows we won\u2019t much of the time. Our example is Adam and Eve. What a wonderful example of parenting I say sarcastically. The one <\/em>thing they were told not <\/em>to touch, they devoured. Adam and Eve could have anything else in the garden. They slept with tigers for holy sake! The two of them ate food God Himself made for them. But noooooo, they had to have the apple<\/em>. I bet it wasn\u2019t even a Honeycrisp. These two are walking <\/em>with God and they couldn\u2019t follow his commands. What makes anyone think we could?<\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0God lives in me as the Holy Spirit<\/span><\/h3>\nBut the Holy Spirit, God himself, is living in us. I have God, in me. <\/em>Even with that, I will stumble. But my sins are completely washed. The ones from the past, the ones now, and the thousands I have yet to do. Which means I don\u2019t have to have sex before I am married. I can wait for the prize. But if I do, I won\u2019t get stoned for it either. My Lord paid that ticket-forever. He is not disappointed in me. Dad is not angry at me. He is sad sin claimed that from me, but he is never-ever angry at me.<\/p>\nSo, my answer is the same. Yes, you can have sex before marriage. God knew you would and he paid it. We don\u2019t even really think about the sin, like the sign on the lawn at the hotel which says \u2018DON\u2019T WALK ON THE GRASS.\u2019 Well, I didn\u2019t even think of walking on the grass until you told me not to. Now, all I can think about is maybe just putting my toe, or part of one foot on the grass. Just to be, well, a rebel. Don\u2019t focus on the sin, the sex. It will cause you to want to walk on the grass. God took care of that on the cross. When you let it go, I have found, it makes the craving easier to manage. Age dramatically assists in that as well.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0God knows about sex.<\/span><\/h3>\n
So, I picked this topic. Ride along with me. It might be fun. Wait, let me change that. It will <\/em>be fun. And I hope a little thoughtful. Because this question is beyond\u00a0<\/em>the question asked. It is so much bigger than that simple question. It\u2019s about Sin. I gave it a capital letter because it is a big<\/em> deal.<\/p>\n It could also be one of the shortest articles you read and not what you expect. Let me give you the answer to that pretty direct question.<\/p>\n Can Christians have sex before marriage. Yes*.<\/p>\n Whaaaaat???<\/p>\n I said yes. <\/em><\/p>\n But\u2014<\/p>\n Let me explain. Notice the little * next to the\u00a0yes<\/em>? That means you have to let me explain.<\/p>\n God, in the Old Testament, and with our link to the ancient Hebrews, gave us The Law. He inspired the writers to give a way of life to these people-our people.\u00a0 The same people who will eventually give us the Son of Man, Jesus. He will eventually, centuries later, give us freedom from the ravages of sin and pay for ours once and for all. It is through the Son of God we find our freedom. But before he was here, we were told we had to make sacrifices. The best of our crop, the unblemished goat. It all had to be burned or slaughtered on the altar of God. Not sure what you did if you were a knife maker or an auto repair guy.<\/p>\n The Law gave a people, the line of people chosen by God to bring us Jesus, a way to live. It also gave us a perfect template of how to live and with that, it showed us we could not<\/em> do it on our own. The Law was designed to actually inflame sin. You did the law, you were sinless and worthy of being in God\u2019s presence. Problem was and still is, the Law, was unobtainable.<\/p>\n That was the miracle of the The Law. Dad showed us we cannot live, not even a day, without sinning. If it is not in action, our mind will give us up every time. The simple thought of comparing your \u2018sinless day\u2019 with your neighbor\u2019s visible sin, gets you convicted.<\/p>\n Sex before marriage is one of those laws. It was so important, Mary, finding herself pregnant at the very old age of thirteen or so, faced the actual fear of people finding out and stoning her to death for such an act. Only an angel coming to Joseph and telling him it would be okay; Mary was selected out of everyone to answer the prophets calling for the savior. <\/em>The idea of her being pregnant by God himself, was just this side of science fiction. But Joseph believed what he was told, or at least decided to believe it because the alternative was terrible. Joseph stepped out in faith when the law and the world told him differently. Today, they call it Optics.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018What\u2019s the big deal? Everyone\u2019s doing it.\u2019 Words I heard when I was a teen. Words Shakespeare used, sort of. They go back to when a pretty girl saw a handsome boy. All those switches and circuit breakers in the hormone department get lit up. Why would God not <\/em>want us to have something so pleasing?<\/p>\n He does. He invented it after all. But he wants us to do it right<\/em>. Right means, first and foremost, we honor and glorify Him. Second, He wants us to do it right so we get the maximum <\/em>amount of pleasure from it. I know I know I know, I heard it too. It sounded like a condom commercial. But the fact is, sex under the marriage vow, especially the first marriage, is a gift you give to each other.<\/p>\n It is a gift never shared with anyone else. Gentlemen, if you \u2018love your wife like Christ loved the church\u2019 and she sees that, knows that, feels that, stand by for the best sex you ever will have\u2014for the rest of your life. Ladies, if you respect your husband and he feels it, knows it, and knows you are in his corner, you will see his back straighten, his shoulders square away and he will become that funny, brave, man you only read about in the checkout line.<\/p>\n But you could have sex outside of marriage.<\/p>\n What??<\/p>\n I\u2019m not proposing it. It comes back to that big sin statement up front. Look, we all sin\u2014daily. In Mary\u2019s day, it was hard to hide the outcome. But the response was always a bad ending. Stoning. Sin equals death\u2014always. The Jewish people still have Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Washing those sins away once a year. I always wondered what would happen the day after<\/em> you went to the temple with your sacrifice and all was good but the next day you stole something, then the next day you died from getting run over by a wagon. Some parts of today\u2019s society would say \u2018Well, that\u2019s just Karma.\u2019 A term I am not sure how it works.<\/p>\n Here is what I know\u2014God loves me. Actually, He adores<\/em> me. The wages of my sin is death. Every sin, every time. If I think about it, I\u2019ve sinned. If I daydream about it but don\u2019t act on it, I\u2019ve sinned. And my only response to that, is to die. A death forever separated from God and Heaven\u2014forever. Seems a little harsh, eh?<\/p>\n God is perfect. He made us perfectly. But we got infected with sin and it is in every cell of our bodies. The only thing which can remove it, heal it, cure it, not only that, but make us so pure we are \u2018white as snow\u2019 as the song says, is the sacrifice of God\u2019s son on the cross for me\u2014and you.<\/p>\n Dad wants us to do things well. He also knows we won\u2019t much of the time. Our example is Adam and Eve. What a wonderful example of parenting I say sarcastically. The one <\/em>thing they were told not <\/em>to touch, they devoured. Adam and Eve could have anything else in the garden. They slept with tigers for holy sake! The two of them ate food God Himself made for them. But noooooo, they had to have the apple<\/em>. I bet it wasn\u2019t even a Honeycrisp. These two are walking <\/em>with God and they couldn\u2019t follow his commands. What makes anyone think we could?<\/p>\n But the Holy Spirit, God himself, is living in us. I have God, in me. <\/em>Even with that, I will stumble. But my sins are completely washed. The ones from the past, the ones now, and the thousands I have yet to do. Which means I don\u2019t have to have sex before I am married. I can wait for the prize. But if I do, I won\u2019t get stoned for it either. My Lord paid that ticket-forever. He is not disappointed in me. Dad is not angry at me. He is sad sin claimed that from me, but he is never-ever angry at me.<\/p>\n So, my answer is the same. Yes, you can have sex before marriage. God knew you would and he paid it. We don\u2019t even really think about the sin, like the sign on the lawn at the hotel which says \u2018DON\u2019T WALK ON THE GRASS.\u2019 Well, I didn\u2019t even think of walking on the grass until you told me not to. Now, all I can think about is maybe just putting my toe, or part of one foot on the grass. Just to be, well, a rebel. Don\u2019t focus on the sin, the sex. It will cause you to want to walk on the grass. God took care of that on the cross. When you let it go, I have found, it makes the craving easier to manage. Age dramatically assists in that as well.<\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Let me explain<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Law was a miracle.<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0It called for a\u00a0savior<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Dad invented it.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0We all sin<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0God is perfect<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0God lives in me as the Holy Spirit<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0God knows about sex.<\/span><\/h3>\n