 During the time of the New Testament, Corinth was a place of high culture and fast living. Whatever one did was no one else’s business. This led to rampant and unfettered sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:12).
To them, food was for the stomach and the stomach was for food. Both were temporary, similar to body and sex. Another idea was that body and spirit were separate and unaffected by each other. This led to some people only focusing on the mind, while others focused only on the body. Paul disagreed with such beliefs and behavior. He considered our spirit tightly integrated with our body, one significantly influencing the other (1 Corinthians 6:15-20). To him, the body was not meant for sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:13). Our current culture idolizes sex. In 2009, Atlantic reported that more than 90% of Billboard top 10 songs had messages on sex. Some people are even considered inferior if not actively involved in sex, with being celibate or single as boring, broken, and abnormal. But our culture also despises and stigmatizes sex. Some consider the media evil for promoting casual and consequence-free sex. Others blame pornography for causing distorted views on sex and leading to women being sexually assaulted. What should be our attitude towards sex? For Christians, the key is not sex. The key is our identity. We are valuable to God. God sacrificed Himself to wash away our iniquities and to make us holy. Such wonderful gifts were bought at a very high price (1 Corinthians 6:11, 19, 20; Philippians 1:6). Understanding our value is paramount. Sex should not be idolized or stigmatized. It is God’s design and therefore good. It is a gift for marriage. Having said that, being single is wonderful also (1 Corinthians 7). In the 1500 years after Christ, singles sat before the married in church gatherings, illustrating the importance of the singles. Both being married and staying single can be blessed. The key is our identity in Christ. Having been bought at a hefty price, we aren’t our own anymore. We should live a life to glorify God and honor Him with our bodies. God’s ways and designs far exceed ours. Follow Christ and we will flourish. Summarized from a sermon by Nicole Unice: https://menlo.church/series/thats-a-great-question#/modal/message/4946/mlo 上帝反对性欲吗？ 在新约时期，Corinth是一个有高度文化，生活繁荣的地方。无论一个人做什么，都不关别人的事。 这导致猖獗的不道德性行为，没有任何禁忌 （哥林多前书6:12）。 对他们来说，食物是為了肚子，肚子是為了食物。 两者都是暂时性的, 相似身体和性欲。 另一种想法是身体和心灵是分开的，一方不影响另一方。 这导致一部分的人完全专注于精神/心灵，而另一部分的人完全专注于肉体。 保罗不同意这样的信念和行为。他认为我们的心灵与我们的肉体紧密结合在一起，一方对另一方影响很大 （哥林多前书6：15-20）。对他来说，身体不应用于不道德的性行为 （哥林多前书6:13）。 我们现在的文化将性视为偶像，视为极重要的。Atlantic报告说，2009年 Billboard前10首歌曲中有90％以上都带有性爱信息。有些人认为性生活不活跃的人是低等的; 独身或单身的人是无聊，残破和异常的。 但我们的文化也鄙视和诬蔑性欲。有些人认为媒体邪恶因为它们鼓励滥交。有些人责备色情行业歪曲对性的观点，导致妇女受到性侵犯，造成长期创伤后遗症。 基督徒对性欲的态度应该是什么? 对于基督徒, 关键不是性欲。关键是我们的身份。 我们对上帝是非常宝贵的。 上帝牺牲自己来洁净我们的罪孽，使我们成为圣洁。通过这牺牲，我们被接纳成为上帝的儿女，与天父一起到永恒。祂付出高昂的代价使我们得到如此美好的礼物 （哥林多前书6：11,19,20；腓1：6）。 了解我们的地位以及我们为什么能到达那里是非常重要的。 至于性欲，它不应该被偶像化或被鄙视。它是上帝好的设计, 是结婚的礼物。 话虽如此，单身也很棒 （哥林多前书7）。基督之后的1500年里，在教堂聚会中，单身人士坐在已婚者前面, 显示着单身人士的重要性。已婚与单身都同样得到祝福。 因此，关键是我们在基督里的身份。我们是以高价购买的。所以我们不再是我们自己了。我们应该活出荣耀祂的生活。以身体尊敬神。上帝的方式和设计远远超过我们的方式。 跟随基督吧，那么我们也将活得丰盛。 Comments are closed.
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