Pastor Choi talks about purity today which we the believers are called to pursue in our lives. Examining the biblical and historical background of Greek word porneia (which was translated as sexual immorality, fornication, sexual promiscuity, and adultery in various translations of the Bible), he urges the congregation to avoid sexual immorality by all means, let no vulgar talk or greed be among the saints. Instead, honor God with body, be thankful, and be content, he exhorts them.
Following is a summary of the sermon:
Grow in Christlikeness (3): Purity Ephesians 5:1-7
5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. (New Living Translation)
Introduction
As children of God, we do have a promise and assurance of being in Heaven. We are invited to the wedding in Heaven between Christ and His Church. We are Heaven-bound with the wedding invitation (that is, salvation) in our hands. As you have guessed right, our enemy Satan makes every effort to snatch it from us. We are fully aware of such schemes so we need to be very careful not to lose our salvation. If the Devil fails to snatch it away from us, then he tries his next strategy: making us unfit for the occasion.
Here’s how: I am sure most of us have attended a wedding or two before. Imagine that you are ready to go to the wedding. You are all washed up and dressed up to spit and polish. Then, out of nowhere, as you walk to the church, someone throws dirty water on you so as to stain your clothes entirely. You know that you are no longer acceptable at the wedding with such soiled clothes. Your day is totally ruined! In the same way, on your way to Heaven, the Devil throws dirty water on you. He wants to defile you in every possible way so that you may be unfit for the Heavenly wedding of Christ and His Church. Beware of the Devil who wages a constant war against your soul.
Contents
Let’s recap: it is God’s will for us to be holy, pure, and blameless (Leviticus 19:2). Yet, our enemy would make sure that the opposite is true. He employs and deploys all kinds of sins to defile us. In today’s text, three contaminants of our soul and body are identified: sexual immorality, vulgar talk, and greed.
1. Sexual immorality (v. 3): In various Bible translations, Greek word porneia (πορνεια) was translated as sexual immorality, fornication, sexual promiscuity, and even adultery. From this word English words such as pornography or pornographer originated. Here’s a little background information how the word was understood in the 1st Century when Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians. I am going to quote a paragraph from the commentary by Gordon D. Fee:
“The word porneia (“sexual immorality”) in the Greek world simply meant “prostitution,” in the sense of going to the prostitutes and paying for sexual pleasure. The Greeks were ambivalent on that matter, depending on whether one went openly to the brothels or was more discreet and went with a paramour. But the word had been picked up in Hellenistic Judaism, always pejoratively, to cover all extramarital sexual sins and aberrations, including homosexuality. It could also refer to any of these sins specifically, as it does here (meaning 1 Corinthians 5:1–mine). In the NT the word is thus used to refer to that particular blight on Greco-Roman culture, which was almost universally countenanced, except among the Stoics. That is why porneia so often as the first item in the NT vice lists, not because Christians were sexually “hung up,” nor because they considered this the primary sin, the “scarlet letter,” as it were. It is the result of its prevalence in the culture and the difficulty the early church experienced with its Gentile converts breaking with their former ways, which they did not consider immoral” (The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Gordon Fee, p. 200).
My research on the same word in the New Testament reveals that porneia covers prostitution, adultery, and sexual indulgence (1 Corinthians 10:8: 23,000 perished in the desert after an orgy and debauchery provoked God to anger). Basically, it means any sexual activities outside God-defined/sanctioned boundaries, that is, marriage between a man and a woman.
The same porneia became an issue at the Church of Corinth in the first century. Back then, the Church of Corinth was a hip church. It took pride in being open-minded, sometimes even more progressive than the secular culture. Here’s an example:
One day, Paul received the news that a member of the church was living with his father’s wife (1 Corinthians 5:1). It wasn’t even a “one-night stand” but continuous living with her sexually (it’s not clear whether it was the mother or step-mother). When Paul heard about this, he couldn’t hide his dismay because it was unheard of even among pagans: such a practice, cohabiting of father and son with the same woman was forbidden by all ancients, both Jewish and pagan (G. Fee, ibid.). Paul lamented that such a life style was accepted among the saints. He was even more horrified that the church didn’t do anything about it!
Comparing the two cultures, I am not sure America in the 21st century is any better than Corinth in the 1st century in terms of sexual morality. Our sexual standards today are so lax and low that many people even believers fall into this trap of fornication. The sex revolution in the 1960s started it and the following decline in morality has broken too many individuals, marriages, and families to count. E.g. Some years ago, one marine “was in a hut of forty-eight fellows. Over ninety percent of them then or in the past had venereal disease. The whole unit was shot through with an illicit lifestyle” (Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations and Quotes, p. 292).
E.g. 2. The Lost Children in Rockdale County (pbs special, 1997: many young affluent white teenagers acquired syphilis):
Here are some alarming statistics: In 1996, the U.S. had the highest rate of sexually transmitted disease (STD) among industrialized countries. 12 million Americans would acquire a STD every year; 1 out of 3 Americans will acquire an STD in their lifetime (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/georgia/outbreak/stats.html)
The 2010 CDC (the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimated 19 million new infections every year in the United States (http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats10/trends.htm).
“According to The New York Times, a new study has found that American youth have the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among wealthy nations. The U.S. also ranked highest in teen pregnancies. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans between ages 15 and 24 are diagnosed with nearly 50 percent of all new STDs in the nation in a 2009-2010 study, though young people only make up a quarter of the national population” (http://www.stdtestexpress.com/std-news/us-has-highest-std-rates-among-developed-countries-800943204/).
We must guard ourselves against sexual immorality. Here’s why. (You are about to hear of the consequences of fornication.) When it comes down to fornication, God commands us to repent, abstain, avoid, shun, flee, and put it to death (Colossians 3:5). Why guard against sexual immorality? Because, it has no place before the holy God. God judges those who practice fornication (Hebrews 13:4). Furthermore, the Bible repeatedly says that those who practice fornication will not enter the Kingdom of God (Ephesians 5:5, 1 Corinthians 6:9). In fact, the final destination for those who practice fornication (along with murderers and sorcerers) is Hell known as “the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). That’s why I would avoid fornication by all means. And, I urge you to do the same.
One more thing before I move on. As much as we blame Satan for the sin of sexual immorality, and as much as forgiveness is available when we repent of this sin, Jesus also points out that we need to curb the desire for fornication in our own heart (Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:21): out from what we have stored up in our hearts, the desire comes and says ‘YES’ to the Devil’s temptation. So, we need to diligently watch what goes in and comes out of our hearts daily so that, when tempted, we may be able to control the desire of the flesh.
Consider the case of pornography. Many a people are addicted to pornography and easy access to the Internet makes things worse. E.g. Ted Bundy’s warning 2o years ago (one day pornography will invade your living room and lure so many vulnerable souls into this sin) has been fulfilled.
One of the children’s Sunday school songs:
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little feet where you go
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little feet where you go
2. Let there be no foolish/vulgar talk and things that are inappropriate for the children of God. Rather, let there be thanksgiving. Be careful about what you hear and say.
O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say
3. Greed: “a strong desire for more wealth, possessions, power, etc. than a person needs” (Oxford Dictionary). Our society promotes greed big time: you deserve it, you are entitled to more! Greed is an act of idol worship. Why? “It takes ownership of the love and trust that belongs to God” (Matt Katzenberger). Anyone who worships wealth, possessions, and power beyond their needs fits this category. Like idol worship, greed is violation of the first Commandment. Alternative is contentment.
Conclusion
The Bible says that those who partake in those things (fornication, vulgar talk, greed) will have no part in the Kingdom of God. God has called us not to impurity but in holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Honor God with your body. Be thankful. Be content. That will help us to stay pure and blameless until the Day of the Lord. Amen.