If you think your child might be shoplifting, should you teach him "safe shoplifting," explaining ways he can do it without getting caught? The answer is obvious.
But what about this: “Should Christian parents teach their children safe sex?”
Many Christian parents think they should.
They want to spare their children the consequences of pregnancy and disease, but they miss something critical: God says sexual sin damages our hearts and souls in a deeper way than sins like shoplifting (1 Corinthians 6:18).
There is only one formula for safe sex: heterosexual intimacy following marriage. It’s enjoyable, healthy, meaningful, commitment-building, without regrets, and most importantly, it's biblical (God's View of Sex).
Holding biblical values isn't popular, but genuine believers will teach their children to make the choice Moses made when faced with pagan pleasures: “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” Hebrews 11:25
Can a genuine Christian fall into sexual sin? Yes.
Can a genuine Christian continue in sexual sin? No (1 John 3:9).
There’s only one kind of “safe sex” to teach our children, and God has defined it.
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Note: I am not debating whether a parent should teach their child about preventing pregnancy and disease if that child refuses to avoid sexual activity. Each parent needs to pray through that situation and do as they feel led. But to automatically include safe sex information when teaching our children about intimacy seems like a conflict of beliefs. Parents should never treat the sexual conduct of their children casually. Instead, they should do their best to warn their children of the spiritual and emotional harm that comes from premarital sex as well as the physical problems. And they should limit and monitor the social activities of their children to help them avoid sexual temptations.
In addition, parents should deal biblically with their own sins first. If they were involved in premarital sex before marriage - with their spouse or other persons – they need to repent of those sins (Matthew 7:1-5).
If you are a single person reading this devotion, I urge you to do your best to stay pure through prayer and accountability with an older Christian mentor. If you have already been involved in sexual immorality, I urge you to repent and immediately seek counsel and accountability from an older godly Christian.
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Bible Love Notes
I have a question. This is your favorite pot stirrer, 1 John 3:1-10 is a difficult passage to deal with. It is very blunt and seems impossible to accomplish. Especially when you put it together with what Paul said "those things that I hate I keep on doing " . We are all sinners and will continue to sin until Christ returns. 1st John makes it seem impossible to be a Christian. How do we rectify this with confess your sin one to another? I'm not questioning my faith just the impossibility of this passage this side of heaven and the discouragement of it especially to a new believer.
ReplyDeleteThanks, love in Christ
Hi Glen,
DeleteI learn a lot from "pot stirrers" actually. They keep me on my toes and help me organize my thoughts and force me to study Scripture carefully.
As is true of all Scripture passages, we need to combine these verses with Scripture as a whole.
A few chapters earlier, John reminds us to repent of our sins (1 John 1:5-10).
We are going to sin, but genuine believers are going to be convicted about our sins and have a desire to turn from them. Genuine repentance involves turning from our sins, not just asking forgiveness for them.
Yes, Paul admitted that he did things he didn't want to do. But we know that he put his full energies into being the man God has called him to be. When we read all the Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we can have no doubt that he believed our actions were a reflection of our faith (Philippians 3).
The problem comes when we see our sanctification as completely God's responsibility or completely our responsibility. Either extreme is wrong and Paul explains that perfectly in Philippians 2:12-13. We are supposed to exert great effort (with fear and trembling) to overcome our sins, but as we do that, it is God who actually changes us.
In addition, Paul clarifies what it means to be saved. For example, He starts 1 Thessalonians explaining the proof that the Thessalonians are saved.
In 2 Cor. 13 Paul warns people who keep sinning to examine themselves and see if they are genuinely saved.
I have a devotion I'm working on now that compares the two groups. Both groups think they are believers and both think they do things in Christ's name and both groups are performing empty acts. But one group is unsaved (Matthew 7)and the other group is saved (1 Cor. 3). If you read both Scriptures, you'll find an important difference between the groups. We probably have both kinds of people in our church and we think they are saved because not all sins are evident and we can't know their attitudes toward their sins.
But God knows and He warns us that genuine faith results in good works(James 2:14-26) and in purity (1 Thess. 4:7).
In regard to this devotion, if someone is involved in sexual sin (or any other sin) without regret, it is doubtful that they are believers. And that's not my opinion. That's what the message of Scripture.
We are not saved by being good enough, but knowing Jesus changes us. We cannot meet so dynamic a Savior and have Him living in us and stay the same. It's not about us. It's about what He does in us.
I love this in particular. It deserves to be repeated.
ReplyDelete"We are not saved by being good enough, but knowing Jesus changes us. We cannot meet so dynamic a Savior and have Him living in us and stay the same. It's not about us. It's about what He does in us."