So, I found something in an old FFOZ eDrash that does a nice job of summarizing my feelings about modern sexuality and followers of Messiah.
source: http://ffoz.org/resources/edrash/acharei_mot/a_people_set_apart.php (registration required, but it’s free if you’re really that interested.)
In the First Century, sexual immorality was intrinsically connected to the popular worship systems. Devotees to the gods followed their sexual exploits and imitated their base behavior in temple rituals which incorporated sanctified prostitution. Roman culture, for all its austere talk of moderation, was one of perversity, indulgence and depredation. In the midst of the sexually charged atmosphere of the First Century, the believers stood out as a people quite set apart.
Unfortunately, believers within our modern Egypt and Canaan have adopted the dress and behavior of the sexually depraved culture around us. This has created an unbearable contradiction. We dress our women like Canaanite women and tell our men not lust. We send our children on dates, little practice-run love affairs, and tell them to remain pure. We tell our singles that it is all right to kiss and touch here but not there, and the arbitrary lines keep moving. It’s not kosher. We attend sensual movies and tell ourselves to close our eyes in the naughty bits, but we are peeking. We enjoy an endless supply of drama and comedy premised upon sexual deviancy. We shake our heads at the immoral culture around us, but we are voyeurs feeding off of it. It is self-defeating and psychologically harmful to simultaneously feed the wayward desire of the flesh and fight against it. We have lost the fight before we have begun.
God’s solution is a total break from this culture. We are to be completely different. We should look different, act different and be different. That is the meaning of holiness.
Lest anyone think I’m judging, I’ll admit that I’m just as guilty as anyone else. So, why is it that we take the easy way out and avoid being set apart? I need some time to think on this, so expect another entry on this subject later this week. Until then, feel free to comment!
