I was forwarded an article by a friend recently. It is linked here so that you can read it.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/12/health/monogamy-sex-kerner/
As you can see, it's an article about having more than one sexual partner within a marriage. While both, "sides" are presented, the thrust of the article is to inform the reader that monogamy - staying sexually exclusive with only your husband/wife - is not necessarily healthy or beneficial for all marriages. I will quote one sentence at the beginning of the article:
"consensual non-monogamy can be a healthy option for some couples and, executed thoughtfully, can inject relationships with some much-needed novelty and excitement."
I am not going to spend much time in this blog debunking the above sentence - or the article as a whole for that matter. This blog is not about marriage or exclusive sexual relations within marriage. I take those things to be self-evident.
Instead, I am going to spend the rest of this blog on the underpinning philosophical grounds that gives license to an author to make such ridiculous statements as the one above - and the grounds are this: I get to decide what is good, right, and moral for myself; and what I decide IS moral.
Basically, as the blog is entitled, the new American philosophy is, "I am god..."
It used to be that the world would look to their, "god" to find out what was good. People recognized that they needed authority to inform them of what is right and wrong. Well, interestingly enough, that is still true today. It is simply that in America, to a great extent, we have unashamedly declared that our, "god" is self and the self's desires. Desire trumps all other things. If I desire it, it is good.
I know that in the past people have mocked the old adage, "if it feels good, do it." But I am convinced we have reached new heights in our adoration of self. No longer do we even hide the fact that we are stripping away any moral constraints given to us from outside of ourselves. At least in the past we used to make rationalized arguments about why we were allowed to break the moral code; but no longer. Now, from popular news organizations we simply make it clear, "I get to decide what is right and wrong for myself."
This will not end well. It cannot. Reality will have its say. Or, better stated, God will have His say. When Jesus stated in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." He wasn't being arrogant; He was speaking truth. He is that which is true - He is truth personified. So when He says in Matthew 19:5, "A man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one flesh - so they are no longer two, but one" He was not stating opinion. He was stating truth. This is the truth of marriage. When the Father spoke to Moses and said, "you shall not commit adultery" He was speaking truth. Therefore, even if it feels good, healthy, and exciting to cheat on your spouse and have multiple sexual partners, it is adultery, it is bad, and it is unhealthy. Even if she agrees you ought to do it and she can do it to. Simply because two people consent to break the rules does not for that reason change the rule. It does not matter if you, "feel" the negative effects of immorality right away - God will have His say. Truth will have its say. It will not end well.
But some people do not find mongamy pleasurable. Some people do not find life-long marriage pleasurable. So they fit to change it. In the past, we used to make excuses for our adultery. There were reasons why, "well in my case I had cause for my adultery..." The existence of the excuse was evidence that the conscience was not entirely seared; the adulterer thought up an excuse. But now, no excuses are necessary. We simply say, "marriage is not what the ancients taught...it can be something that I make up for myself..."
Marriage is not the only area. All throughout the landscape of our society we see the evidence of, "I am god..." We get to decide what is moral and right in our schools, society, etc...But this will not end well.
Beloved, the Bible calls us all sinners. What that means is that we have all failed - miserably. This is why God gave us His Son - so that He could take our sins upon Himself and pay for them; and then rise from the grave to give us new life. However, if we are not sinners - if adultery is no longer adultery - if we can simply change the rules to fit our sinful desires - who will repent? Why will we repent? If we are not wrong, if we get to make it up, then why change? The Bible's beginning premise is no longer true - we are not sinners after all! Who knew!
The evidence is in. You and me making up morality does not benefit anyone; including ourselves. Reality has its say. Our over-sexualized culture has produced no good benefits. Disintegrating families, children born without involved fathers, and 55 million abortions that have left the physical, emotional, and psychological toll inform us of this. We cannot wish away moral constraint - it is built within us by the God who is - whether we want Him to be or not.
It is time we come face to face with the facts. If we do not like the moral code, the problem is with us and our sin. Come to terms with it. We are wrong. You are wrong. I am wrong. God is right. His way is right. His way is holy, good, and healthy. If we do not like that which is objectively healthy that is because we are in dis-health; or put another way - we are sinners.
But beloved, here is the good news. God loves sinners. He loves sinners so much that He sent Jesus to right our moral selves. He healed us every place we were hurting or wrong. He died to pay for our wrongheadedness and sinful selves; and He rose again to give new life.
Beloved, please do not try and rewrite the rules; they are etched in stone. They cannot be changed. Let us just admit we have gone awry of the stated rules - and seek forgiveness and restoration.
You friend,
Chris
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/12/health/monogamy-sex-kerner/
As you can see, it's an article about having more than one sexual partner within a marriage. While both, "sides" are presented, the thrust of the article is to inform the reader that monogamy - staying sexually exclusive with only your husband/wife - is not necessarily healthy or beneficial for all marriages. I will quote one sentence at the beginning of the article:
"consensual non-monogamy can be a healthy option for some couples and, executed thoughtfully, can inject relationships with some much-needed novelty and excitement."
I am not going to spend much time in this blog debunking the above sentence - or the article as a whole for that matter. This blog is not about marriage or exclusive sexual relations within marriage. I take those things to be self-evident.
Instead, I am going to spend the rest of this blog on the underpinning philosophical grounds that gives license to an author to make such ridiculous statements as the one above - and the grounds are this: I get to decide what is good, right, and moral for myself; and what I decide IS moral.
Basically, as the blog is entitled, the new American philosophy is, "I am god..."
It used to be that the world would look to their, "god" to find out what was good. People recognized that they needed authority to inform them of what is right and wrong. Well, interestingly enough, that is still true today. It is simply that in America, to a great extent, we have unashamedly declared that our, "god" is self and the self's desires. Desire trumps all other things. If I desire it, it is good.
I know that in the past people have mocked the old adage, "if it feels good, do it." But I am convinced we have reached new heights in our adoration of self. No longer do we even hide the fact that we are stripping away any moral constraints given to us from outside of ourselves. At least in the past we used to make rationalized arguments about why we were allowed to break the moral code; but no longer. Now, from popular news organizations we simply make it clear, "I get to decide what is right and wrong for myself."
This will not end well. It cannot. Reality will have its say. Or, better stated, God will have His say. When Jesus stated in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." He wasn't being arrogant; He was speaking truth. He is that which is true - He is truth personified. So when He says in Matthew 19:5, "A man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one flesh - so they are no longer two, but one" He was not stating opinion. He was stating truth. This is the truth of marriage. When the Father spoke to Moses and said, "you shall not commit adultery" He was speaking truth. Therefore, even if it feels good, healthy, and exciting to cheat on your spouse and have multiple sexual partners, it is adultery, it is bad, and it is unhealthy. Even if she agrees you ought to do it and she can do it to. Simply because two people consent to break the rules does not for that reason change the rule. It does not matter if you, "feel" the negative effects of immorality right away - God will have His say. Truth will have its say. It will not end well.
But some people do not find mongamy pleasurable. Some people do not find life-long marriage pleasurable. So they fit to change it. In the past, we used to make excuses for our adultery. There were reasons why, "well in my case I had cause for my adultery..." The existence of the excuse was evidence that the conscience was not entirely seared; the adulterer thought up an excuse. But now, no excuses are necessary. We simply say, "marriage is not what the ancients taught...it can be something that I make up for myself..."
Marriage is not the only area. All throughout the landscape of our society we see the evidence of, "I am god..." We get to decide what is moral and right in our schools, society, etc...But this will not end well.
Beloved, the Bible calls us all sinners. What that means is that we have all failed - miserably. This is why God gave us His Son - so that He could take our sins upon Himself and pay for them; and then rise from the grave to give us new life. However, if we are not sinners - if adultery is no longer adultery - if we can simply change the rules to fit our sinful desires - who will repent? Why will we repent? If we are not wrong, if we get to make it up, then why change? The Bible's beginning premise is no longer true - we are not sinners after all! Who knew!
The evidence is in. You and me making up morality does not benefit anyone; including ourselves. Reality has its say. Our over-sexualized culture has produced no good benefits. Disintegrating families, children born without involved fathers, and 55 million abortions that have left the physical, emotional, and psychological toll inform us of this. We cannot wish away moral constraint - it is built within us by the God who is - whether we want Him to be or not.
It is time we come face to face with the facts. If we do not like the moral code, the problem is with us and our sin. Come to terms with it. We are wrong. You are wrong. I am wrong. God is right. His way is right. His way is holy, good, and healthy. If we do not like that which is objectively healthy that is because we are in dis-health; or put another way - we are sinners.
But beloved, here is the good news. God loves sinners. He loves sinners so much that He sent Jesus to right our moral selves. He healed us every place we were hurting or wrong. He died to pay for our wrongheadedness and sinful selves; and He rose again to give new life.
Beloved, please do not try and rewrite the rules; they are etched in stone. They cannot be changed. Let us just admit we have gone awry of the stated rules - and seek forgiveness and restoration.
You friend,
Chris
