Sex, Guilt and Shame

Last updated on: February 5, 2015 at 10:45 pm by Abra Carnahan

Sex, Guilt and Shame 2015-02-05T22:45:12-07:00 Abra Carnahan

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As with all the creation, sex is meant to point to something more glorious in the gospel. Let me explain. We’re all big people in here, so think about the physical act of sex. In the physical act of sex, a man rises. He enters into his bride. He fills her to bring forth new life. This is a picture of the gospel, that Jesus is raised from death to life, that he enters into his bride, that he fills her with the Holy Spirit, and the seed within the woman then is born and brings forth life.

Our physical birth is a picture of spiritual rebirth. The gospel and spiritual rebirth is not an afterthought; it’s part of God’s glorious plan of redemption even before the fall. It’s not that God was caught by surprise when mankind fell into sin. So he has provided a way back. Here are a couple of observations I would like to make about sex.

There is greater joy and pleasure in the spiritual than in the physical, and you will never enjoy sex the way God has intended it as long as you are looking to it for ultimate satisfaction. As we look to sex for ultimate satisfaction, it becomes a lust, which, by nature, you cannot satisfy. One other thing here, as we see this glorious picture sex is to represent: God does not enter into those he is not in covenant with, nor should we.

In the Greek language, the word porneia means any form of sexual immorality, including engaging in homosexuality, asexuality, bisexuality, fornication (that’s operating sexually outside of the covenant of marriage), bestiality, pedophilia, incest, rape, adultery, or anything else we could try to conjure up with our depraved minds that does not reflect God’s intended design.

Obviously, as we look around at the culture and look back maybe on the tragedy of our own lives, we see the fall is very evident. Again, Satan’s seduction into sexual immorality… It’s something that he would dress up that God would say is so bad, so detrimental to us, and make it look so good. Romans 1:25 says the worship of creation in the fall becomes the agenda. Instead of sex being the overflow of worship before God in loving your spouse, the worship of other things becomes paramount: pleasure, security, safety, people, acceptance, etcetera.

Romans 11:36-12:1 says, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.” All of creation is meant to glorify God, to be worshipful to God. “I appeal to you therefore [based on that statement], brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

This is an excerpt on a talk produced by The Village Church, given by a former sex addict called, Sex, Guilt and Shame. The whole talk is excellent, a really helpful resource for folks who struggle with sexual sin and particularly for folks who don’t have any experience, but are interested in understanding all this. If you have been weighing in on the 50 Shades discussion, especially, without having any real experience in that kind arena of sin, please take the time (about 50 minutes to listen which is kinda funny), to stop and hear or read this lecture before continuing to share your thoughts publicly. Remember, Proverbs 15:1.

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