Smashing Idols
Week 4 | Sex
Lisa Scheffler, author
You can learn a lot about how a culture views the world from the popular media it consumes. Since our culture has no shortage of songs, TV shows, books and movies that revolve around sex and romance, it’s not hard to spot some common themes.
One is a desperate need for romantic love. The movie Jerry McQuire gives us a succinct summary of this ideal. Having separated from his wife, Jerry shows up one night asking her for another chance. At the end of his impassioned speech, he tells her simply, “You complete me.” For many in our culture, the desire to find “the one” becomes an all-consuming quest because they can’t imagine feeling whole without a romantic partner.
Another theme that courses through the culture’s collective stream of consciousness is an unapologetic pursuit for sexual pleasure. Whether it’s within the confines of a committed relationship, or intentionally apart from one, sexual fulfillment is treated as essential to the “good life.” The number of songs, TV shows, movies, and even game shows that promote this idea is astounding.
Pastor and author Tim Keller often says that idolatry is taking a good thing and turning it into an ultimate thing. For many people, that’s what they’ve done with sex. Because it binds people together, offers intense pleasure, and has the potential to bring new life into the world, sex was designed by God to be a powerful and meaningful act. But the Creator’s gift of human connection and intimacy becomes twisted in the hands of false gods. When sex is taken outside of God’s good design and made into an idol, people will use it in all kinds of destructive ways. They will hurt themselves and others.
This week we’re going to take a hard look into the way we think about sex and whether or not it’s an idol that we need to smash.
Day 1
In the beginning God designed sexuality to be an essential part of what it means to be human. According to Genesis 1 and 2, he created male and female in his likeness and gave them the sacred task of multiplying and filling the earth, and ruling over his creation. The sacrificial love of God, his desire to create life and the union found within the Trinity were all reflected in the oneness of the original couple. The relationships in the Garden, between the man and woman, and between God and the pair were exactly as they were supposed to be.
At least for a while. Until the couple rebelled against God.
This is the narrative the Bible teaches, and it helps us make sense of the wrongs human beings commit in and through their sexuality. Humanity has gone off on its own, resisting God’s will and insisting that we know what’s best for ourselves. We’ve deconstructed God’s design for human sexuality, and the results haven’t been pretty. Broken marriages, pornography addictions, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual harassment in the workplace, rape and sexual abuse, sex trafficking, not to mention all the people who feel victimized or ashamed because of a dysfunctional sexual relationship. Perhaps it is because our sexuality is close to the core of who we are that sexual sins can leave us crushed and broken. We can hurt each other, we can hurt ourselves, and we can hurt our relationship with Christ when we sin sexually.
Let’s look at how Paul handled a strong exhortation to stop sexual sin in his letter to the Colossians. Notice how Paul addresses the church’s sinful practices after he reminds them of who they are in Christ.
Read
Colossians 3:1–5
1Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, 3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him. 5 So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry.
Ask yourself
- What “things” should Christians seek? Why?
- What is true of believers now? What will be true of us in the future?
- What things should you put to death? Why?
Reflect
When we place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, Redeemer and Lord, we are born again into the Kingdom of God as a new creation (John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17). All the disordered desires and sinful habits we possess don’t have to control us. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we begin a life-long process of becoming like Christ. We will have to fight hard against sin, and some idols will be hard to smash, but neither the sin nor the struggle against it defines us. A beloved child of God — that’s who we really are.
Approaching any discussion of sin, especially sexual sin, without remembering who we are in Christ can place too much emphasis on the behaviors we are supposed to avoid, rather than the identity we are supposed to embrace. If we are good at following God’s commands in this area, we can become smug and judgmental, looking down on others who struggle. If we often fail, we can be crushed by thinking that our ability to remain sexually pure equals our acceptance by God.
As Christians, our charge is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. We are to worship the Lord with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. We rejoice that we are united with Christ in his death, resurrection and second coming. “To concentrate the mind on the character of Jesus Christ, on that unique blend of love and strength revealed in the Gospels, is to begin on earth to reflect the very life of heaven.”[1]
Having established where the Christians should place their focus and why, Paul directs them with stark language to kill the behaviors that run contrary to their new life in Christ.
- Sexual immorality: any intercourse outside of marriage
- Impurity: the contamination of character because of immoral behavior
- Shameful passion: uncontrolled sexual urges.
- Evil desires: natural sexual desire corrupted by sin. This goes beyond sexual temptation which every adult will experience. “Sin begins when the idea of illicit gratification, presented to the mind in temptation, is not at once put to death, but is instead fondled and cherished.”[2]
- Greed, which is idolatry: these are general terms, but here greed may refer to unchecked desire for physical pleasure or to crave what one cannot have. “In Jewish teaching greed is often combined with idolatry, because whatever is the object of greed (in this case, more and better sex) has replaced God at the center of one’s life.”[3]
Paul says to kill these thoughts and behaviors. Cut them off at the root. All these behaviors are part of the old life and the fallen world, which Christians have been rescued out of. That’s not who we are.
Pray
Let’s begin this week with communal prayer. Pray this as part of a family of believers and a member of Christ’s body.
Almighty God, Source of life and Creator of all,
You have raised us to new life in Christ. We do not have to be slaves to sinful sexual desires and disordered loves. Help us grasp and live out this truth. We submit ourselves to you. Spirit, transform us.
May we find our identity in you, Lord Jesus. May your love satisfy us and give us hope, even as we struggle to reject the idols of this world and turn to you.
We love you Father and praise you for your grace, Amen.
Talk about it
You will benefit from discussing God’s Word with others. The “talk about it” questions are good to answer on your own, but even better to discuss with someone else.
- Discuss how Paul describes sexual sin. What could it mean to “put them to death”?
- How can meditating on who we are in Christ help us resist sexual temptation?
[1] N.T. Wright (1986). Colossians and Philemon: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 12, p. 136). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[2] Wright, p. 138.
[3] Wall, R. W. (1993). Colossians & Philemon. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
