Last week, we discussed what it means to trust God and his word as the source not only of our blessings but also of our sense of freedom and independence.

But what happens when a culture comes to see obedience to God as the source of persecution and disparagement? How can a nation live in a manner that the Lord can bless when it has come to accept a sense of toleration and an understanding of morality that are simply incompatible with the kind of morality that he asks of us?

Unfortunately, America seems intent on finding out. And there are a few areas in which that is more clearly demonstrated than in our approach to sex and sexuality.

So, in light of that struggle, what might God say to us today?

Abiding by God’s standards

In Genesis 13, we read that “the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord” (v. 13). God called the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah “very grave” (Genesis 18:20) and could not find ten who were righteous in Sodom (Genesis 18:32).

When two angels came to Sodom, “the men of the city. . . all the people to the last man” sought to rape them (Genesis 19:4–6). After Lot and his family were evacuated, “the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Genesis 19:24; see also Luke 17:29). The Bible later explains, “Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire” (Jude 7).

In addition, “This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy” (Ezekiel 16:49). As a result, Sodom was “overthrown in a moment” (Lamentations 4:6) and became “a waste forever” (Zephaniah 2:9) and “an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6).

As the Jewish people were preparing to enter their promised land, Moses warned them that they would similarly be cursed and face divine judgment for bestiality or sexual relations with family members (Deuteronomy 27:20–23). The Bible repeatedly warns against sexual sin and consistently calls us to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18).

God had to be explicit in these passages because he knew his people were about to encounter a culture in which such behavior was considered normal, and he needed them to understand that they must abide by his standards rather than those of the larger world if they wanted to continue to enjoy a life that he could bless.

From the attempted homosexual rape that led to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, to the immorality that preceded the flood (Genesis 6:1–4), to the idolatrous immorality that led to a plague killing twenty-four thousand people (Numbers 25), to God’s judgment on the Canaanites for their sexual sins (Leviticus 18:24–25), to God’s judgment against “all manner of unrighteousness” (Romans 1:29), it is clear that a holy God cannot tolerate such sin.

And that standard was further explained in the New Testament as well.

Seven ways to model biblical morality today

Rather than accept the culture’s morality, or use their sin to excuse away our own, Scripture commands us to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18) and to help others do the same (see Hebrews 13:4). These commands pertain to the gamut of sexual sin, from heterosexual extramarital sin and adultery to pornography, prostitution, and LGBTQ ideology and behavior.

How can you and I embrace and model biblical morality in this context that is so crucial to our flourishing and future?

1. Recognize all unbiblical sexual behavior as sin. Because it is often private at the time and involves consenting adults, we can be deceived about its devastation.
2. Refuse temptation the moment it appears: “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14–15). It will never be easier to refuse temptation than when it first strikes.
3. Ask God immediately for his strength and help. In this way, we redeem temptation for God’s glory and our sanctification. As Erasmus noted, Satan hates nothing so much as for his evil to be used for good.
4. If we fall, repent immediately and claim God’s forgiving grace (1 John 1:9).
5. If we have harmed others, make restitution when doing so is in their best interest (Matthew 5:23–24).
6. Develop accountable relationships with those who can pray for us and support us, and do the same for them (Proverbs 27:17).
7. Take practical steps to avoid pornography and other temptations as needed. Software programs such as Covenant Eyes can be helpful in this regard.

I once heard a pastor say, “Sin will always take you further than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay.” If you don’t think this warning applies to you, you are, of all people, most deceived today.

Faith of the Founders

Charles Carroll of Carrollton and the Power of Intellectual Faith

Charles Carroll (1737–1832) was the only Catholic and the last surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence.

Known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton or Charles Carroll III to distinguish him from his similarly-named relatives, he was born to a prominent Irish Catholic family and was heir to the largest fortune in colonial Maryland. Trained by Jesuits in France, he was known to rival, if not exceed, even Thomas Jefferson’s erudition.

Carroll served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as Maryland’s first US Senator. His leadership in the cause of independence was especially significant given the anti-Catholic bias in much of colonial America. John Adams noted that “in the cause of American liberty,” Carroll’s “zeal, fortitude, and perseverance” were such that he was willing to endanger his fortune, his position, and his life to advance liberty.

He employed his remarkable intellect and scholarship to become one of the most persuasive apologists for American independence in the revolutionary era. For example, in 1773, he engaged in four debates via letter with the British supporter Daniel Dulany. In them, Carroll drew on figures from the classical, medieval, and contemporary periods.

In his fourth letter, he included quotes from legal theorists, satirists, fellow Founding Fathers, and philosophers, as well as historians Sir Edward Coke, William Hawkins, and Sir Blackstone. He also included references to David Hume, Jonathan Swift, John Dickinson, Alexander Pope, and John Milton, concluding with the words of Horace.

Carroll later argued that the American patriots were the real defenders of the English constitution since Parliament had ignored the colonists’ reporting of abuses through the proper institutions. He ended his letter by quoting Joseph Addison’s play Cato: A Tragedy, a very popular play about the meaning of liberty that emphasized the role of sacrifice in combating tyranny. Later articles in a Baltimore newspaper further encouraged the people of Maryland to seek independence from Great Britain.

Toward the end of his life, Carroll met with Alexis de Tocqueville. The great French historian later wrote of him, “the striking talents, the great characters are rare. Society is less brilliant and more prosperous.”

Carroll is a towering example of the fact that faith and intellect are symbiotic relatives. Jesus called us to love our Lord “with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37), and Paul later encouraged us: “Whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Charles Carroll was convinced that the most important truths of all are those of the Christian faith:

Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion . . . are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the direction of free governments.

Accordingly, Carroll wrote at the end of his life:

I have lived to my ninety-sixth year; I have enjoyed continued health, I have been blessed with great wealth, prosperity, and most of the good things which the world can bestow—public approbation, esteem, applause; but what I now look back on with the greatest satisfaction to myself is that I have practiced the duties of my religion.

When you come to your final year, will you be able to say the same?

 

Denison Forum