Excuses

I was thinking the other day about the proliferation of sexual innuendo in this country, especially as it relates to our younger crowd. Granted, sex has always been something that is difficult to turn down, and the desire is a part of our nature. However, it IS under our control, no matter how many excuses we make for it. We can say that it's who we are, we can say that it's not reasonable to wait until marriage, and we can say that waiting is a crazy idea. Yet there was a time in this country where it was not only admirable to wait, it was expected.

Today, turn on BET, VH1, or MTV, and all that you will see is an incentive for young teens to have sex with whoever they want. Our music, as well as their videos, talk largely of sleeping with complete strangers. The lyrics of our "musicians" today is absolutely ridiculous, but is subliminal, and believe it or not, encourages very bad behavior. It sounds absurd that teens would do something because of lyrics in a song, but in reality, it does happen.

The reason for all of this is that we want to believe that as long as it doesn't "hurt" anyone, that it's okay and that there is nothing wrong with it. We apply that idea to pretty much everything, but God doesn't look at it that way at all. God tells us what's right and wrong, but we don't believe Him, and we show that when we ignore His word. The presumption that "nobody gets hurt", isn't as true as we would like it to be, and is simply a rationalization. The Bible says that sex is to be between a man and his wife, not a man and his girlfriend, his fling, or friend. Regardless of how we interpret the Bible, we cannot change that.

One of the biggest problems is our educational system that we have created and have allowed to infiltrate our schools. Our sex ed classes start too early, and only teach certain prevention methods, none of which are morally based. We teach our children that it's okay to have premarital sex as long as a condom is worn, or if birth control is used. We teach abortion as an option if it is necessary. A pretty obvious approach that we avoid is that abstinence is really the only way to completely avoid an STD or pregnancy. What we are really telling our children when we accept this type of philosophy is: "I want you to abstain from premarital sex, but more than that, I want you to avoid the consequences of your actions. I also don't have any faith in you, so I'm not going to try to convince you not to do it, because I know that you will do it anyway." We have basically told our kids that we know that they're not going to do what is right, but provide a way for them to do the wrong things, yet reward them for it. Actions have consequences, whether good or bad. However, we're doing everything we can to participate in sinful activities, yet avoid those negative consequences. We're becoming the notorious Sodom and Gomorrah that is described in the Bible.

From a Christian standpoint, it's sad that most of our churches don't really stand behind the concept of sex within a marriage only. We have become more mainstream, not wanting to offend anyone. We believe that "good people" are all going to go to heaven, regardless of whether they follow Jesus' example or not. Our preachers have preached God's grace only, ignoring Jesus' statement that "narrow is the gate that leads to Heaven, but wide is the gate that leads to destruction." So Jesus Himself said that most people won't enter the kingdom of Heaven, only those that do the will of the Father. We don't like that, because it doesn't create this warm fuzzy feeling. We feel uncomfortable when we realize that sin is sin, regardless of whether anyone involved is hurt. So instead of dealing with it, we pretend that accepting it is an extremist view. Repentance is crucial to forgiveness of sin, which literally means "changing your mind".

To any single parents reading this, my point is not to offend you, and I sincerely apologize for hurt feelings. However, I will not apologize for speaking the truth. Jesus meant what He said, and I would much rather offend a few people here on this Earth and help a few, than have God ask me on judgement day why I didn't speak the truth in love while I was here. The truth is that if I don't speak that truth, and no lives are affected, and others don't enter the kingdom because of it, that is my fault! I'm not doing anyone any good if I keep this truth to myself, and others are condemned because of my silence. So this is spoken in love, and is intended to be encouraging. It is never too late to turn your life to God, no matter what your past may include. If you believe in Jesus, and believe in the Bible, then you have to believe in all of it, not just the parts that are easy to put into practice. Jesus said a lot of things, but He never once said that following Him was easy. Nobody is perfect, and I am about as far from it as one can be. Paul said: "Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst." However, he never once waivered when it came to preaching the truth. Premarital sex is a sin, but so are plenty of others, many of which I am myself am guilty. The reason I mention this specifically is that it is one of the most ignored and accepted. If you haven't waited in your past, it's not too late to start now. God DOES love you regardless of your sin, and will forgive us all, as long as we repent and do our best to live for Him. Which gate do you choose: the narrow, or the wide?