PORNOGRAPHY AND THE LAW OF LOVE

If you were to ask a Christian why it is wrong to watch porn, that person would probably respond that it is because it creates lustful and impure thoughts. Some may respond that it is a form of adultery, as prohibited in Mt. 5:28. Others may respond that it is because we are to remain sexually pure in the sight of God, and pornography promotes fornication. While all of these reasons are certainly valid, I believe that the issue goes much deeper than that, and actually touches on the first and greatest commandment…..the one by which all other commandments hang, and by which Christ commanded that we live our lives and relate to others.

Mt. 22:36-40    Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him (Jesus) a question, testing Him, and saying “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

According to this verse, the most important law, the standard by which all of the other laws and commandments are judged, is the law of love, summarized in two laws: Love God, and love your neighbor. When the Pharisees asked Jesus to explain who our neighbor is, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, which illustrates that anyone around us, friend or foe, who is made in the image of God as we are – he or she is our neighbor.

So, then, our friends, our next-door neighbors, our co-workers….even those in the porn industry….Jesus considers to be our neighbors. Our fellow human beings are our neighbors, and we are expected to treat them with kindness and respect.

As Christians under the new covenant, we are no longer under law, but under grace. We are no longer required to abide by the letter of the law, but even so, we are still required to abide by the Spirit of the law, which is basically this law of love:

1 Cor. 3:6,13   (God) also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life…..Now the Lord is Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty

Gal. 5:13-14     For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself

....Rom..... 13:8-10    Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments…are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Everything that we do, how we treat other people, is to be determined by this perfect law of love, which is also called the law of liberty:

James 1:22-25  He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 2:8  If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the whole law as transgressors.

All of these Scriptures point to one truth – that if we are really Christians, and are truly abiding by God’s law, then everything we do will be governed by this perfect law of love. This is how we know that we are truly following God’s law – if we think of others the way God thinks of them, and treats them the way the Lord treats them.

Jesus said that all of the commandments hang on this one, and that if you’ve broken one commandment, you’ve broken all of them. Basically, if you violate this law of love, then you’ve violated all of the commandments.

So, then, how does one define this law of love? Basically, love is looking out for the best interests and needs of others, to care about them and be concerned for their welfare. 1 John 3:17 tells us that if we see our brother in need, and shut up our heart from him, that the love of God does not abide in us. So, then, love is a genuine concern for others. Romans 13:10 tells us that love does no harm to another. Likewise, love does not take advantage of others, and stands up for their humanity.

If you look at the porn industry – I mean seriously and honestly look at it – You can see how what goes on is the complete antithesis of this kind of respect and love. Porn does great harm to people on so many levels…It completely dehumanizes them, and robs them of their dignity.

If you’ve read any of the testimonies on the Pink Cross website, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I know the kind of damage, because I was one of those people. There is no love in the porn industry. Pornography degrades, dehumanizes, and uses people, and just because those people choose to be in the industry doesn’t mean that they are not being hurt, or that we should condone their abuse. The girls in the industry are manipulated, abused, and taken advantage of (I speak as a female from a female POV), and to watch pornography is, in a way, a perpetuation of this abuse.

As Christians, we are to practice love, as Christ practiced it. Love is looking out for the welfare of others, and in this respect, porn is a direct violation of this law of love. It’s impossible for the love of Christ and the love of porn to dwell in a person’s heart simultaneously, especially if that person is aware of the abuses that go on in the porn industry. No one who loves Christ should want to watch the degradation of others.

1 John 3:18   Let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and truth. And by this we shall know we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him

Oswald Chambers writes: The springs of love are in God, not in us. The love of God is only in us when it has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and the evidence that is there is the spontaneous way it is manifested….We have to dedicate ourselves to love, which means identifying ourselves with God’s interests in other people. (My Utmost Devotional Bible, pp. 113)

I guess what I’m saying is that in order to practice love as Christ practiced it, we must have the Holy Spirit working in us. It is the Holy Spirit which allows us to follow the Royal Law of Love the way that God intends. The Bible says that He guides us into all truth – not just truth in doctrine, but also in action.

If we truly love others the way that Christ loves them, I can’t imagine that we could get any sort of enjoyment out of watching them being degraded and abused, unless of course we deny that they are being degraded, which is to deny the truth. Pornography feeds on the degradation and abuse of women. If a person loves Jesus, then he/she must also love others, which means that person cannot watch porn and still be abiding by the law of love that Christ commanded us to live by.

The thing about porn is that it’s so easy to get sucked into the fantasy and lose sight of the fact that the people onscreen are made in the image of God, and are our neighbors, and that their human dignity is being stripped away. At first glance, porn may seem glamorous and harmless, but if you really look deeply and honestly at it, past all of the make-up and scripted lines and contrived orgasms, you’ll see that at it is a dehumanization of others that goes against everything that Christ commanded us to be as Christians.

So lately, I’ve been going through the epistles of Peter. God has really been speaking to me through these epistles, and so I’ve decided to just share some of the things that God has placed on my heart . The first I’ve already posted, with the previous blog regarding the church. This second blog has to do with holiness, and what God expects from us in thought and in deed.

1 Peter 1:14-16   As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written Be holy as your Father in heaven is holy

1 Peter 2:11,12  Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation

The Trump Tower is one of the most famous hotels in New York City. It stands 58 stories high, the tallest structure of this type in New York City when completed. When we think of the Trump Tower, we automatically think of Donald Trump, who financed the design and construction of it.

Most people, when looking at it, would not say “Wow, look at that fabulous hotel that the guys at Joe’s Construction (or whoever built it) put together.” No – we would automatically think of Donald Trump, and say “Wow, look at this fabulous hotel that Donald Trump built.” After all, he was the one who financed, organized, and spearheaded the project, and even though he hired other people out to build it, it is his hotel, and his name is on it

I thought of this as I was reading 1 Peter 4:10,11: As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers let him do it as with the ability which God supplies

Here, Peter is speaking about spiritual gifts as they are used in the church. The Bible describes the church as God’s temple, and His people as the stones that comprise that temple (1 Peter 2:5).

Notice what the verse points out: It is GOD who supplies the ability. Even though God uses people to carry out His work, it's ultimately His building, and He supplies the materials (abilities) for the work to be carried out -- just as a businessman supplies all the materials necessary for a general contractor to carry out the work, but it is ultimately the businessman’s project.

It occurred to me that a lot of times, we see what goes on at church, and we automatically focus on the people rather than God. We hear the sermon on Sunday morning, and we think what a great job the pastor did in expositing the Scriptures, or we see the worship team praising the Lord, and we think about how great they sounded. This is somewhat natural, but the Bible reminds us the church is God’s handiwork, and that we are merely instruments. It’s so easy to look at the different ministries, and have our attention automatically focus to the people rather than God, but the Bible says that we are to be mindful of who it is that actually builds up the church.

Just like we wouldn’t look at the Trump Tower, and think about the guys he hired to build it; likewise, when we look at the goings-on of a church, we are to look at the master builder, Jesus Christ. We are to focus on how He is working through His people, and give glory to Him, rather than focusing only on the people themselves.

Moreover, 1 Cor. 12:11 tells us: But one and the same Spirit works all things, distributing each one individually as He wills

God not only supplies the materials necessary to build His house, but He also distributes those materials necessary for His work to be carried out. Not only is God in charge of construction, but also administration, namely of spiritual gifts. The worship team, the Sunday school teachers, the pastors – they are all stewards of what God supplies to them. It is God working through them, rather than their own talents or efforts.

1 Cor. 4:7   For what makes you different from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

I love how Eph. 2:20-22 lays out how the church is put together: having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit

It basically reminds us that, not only is God supplying the materials necessary to build the church, but He is also shaping us and refining us as individual stones to fit together perfectly for the work that He has for us.

When Solomon built the temple, there was no mortar used to hold the stones together, but each stone had to be individually and precisely hewn and shaped so that they all fit together perfectly, with no gaps between the stones. That’s sort of how Jesus working in our lives – individually, He is shaping and molding us, so that we fit together perfectly with one another as a unit. He is refining us individually as stones, and gifting us as ministers.

I just love the thought of Jesus Christ as the Master Builder.

Hey, everyone;

I am planning a missions trip to Israel for this September, and I could really, really use your prayers. I am very excited, and I know that the Lord is going to do marvelous things!!! I will be helping a church out there, helping to distribute food and Bibles, and also helping with a building project.

I have never been to Israel, and I am so excited about being able to serve the Lord there. I have wanted to go on a missions trip for over a year, and the Lord is so good, He has opened this awesome door of opportunity for me. I will be going to apply for my passport this week, and I need to figure out a way to raise the money. It's a lot of money, but where God guides, He provides.

Please pray that the Lord, even now, begins to build me up. Pray that He fills me with His wisdom and knowledge, and that He empowers me to be an effective witness to His people. Pray that He fills my heart with compassion and love, and that He guides me according to His will, and in His perfect wisdom.

I know that Satan is going to try and distract and discourage me in the months to come, and I can tell he already is. I have been feeling rather depressed lately, and there are times when I just feel so useless for God, or thinking that He doesn't want to use me. I know that there is no truth to this at all, and that it is just a ploy from the enemy to try and distract me from what God has called me to do. Even so, thoughts can be quite overpowering, but we all know that God's word is a million times more powerful.

It is crucial that I am built up in God's word, and I know that He will help me with this -- but I also know that I am in a spiritual battle. Even so, it's not my battle, but the Lord's. Psalms 108:13 promises us that through God, we shall do valiantly.

I want to serve God to the best of my ability, and I know that it's not me, but God working in and through me. I pray that He ministers through me, as I reach out to others. Please pray that God allows everything to go smoothly, in every single area. Pray that I get my passpot quickly, and that my boss allows me the time off of work. Also, pray that God provides the funds in a timely manner.

Thank you all so much, and God bless you for your prayers. Please, also continue to pray for all of our brave missionaries who risk their lives every day to share the Gospel, and further God's Kingdom.

http://www.hsminc.org/ 

Do you ever think about the idea of God being a consuming fire in your life?

I've been thinking a lot about this lately -- just the idea of God's Spirit completely consuming mine, and burning away everything that isn't pleasing to Him.

I know that when the Bible talks about God being a consuming fire, it is almost always referring to God's judgment; but even so, I often think about God's Spirit as a consuming fire in my own life. As I grow closer to Him, His Spirit consumes mine....not consume as in destroy, but consume as in His Spirit completely taking over mine, burning away the dross, and refining me into the person that He wants me to be. Basically, transforming me into His image.

I think this is such a beautiful thought, because I know that there are so many things that we struggle with on a daily basis....so many things that can become strongholds in our lives -- fears, addictions, things that are holding us back spiritually. In Genesis 4:7, God tells Cain:

If you do not do well, sin lies at the door, and it's desire is for you, but you must rule over it 

That's why we need the consuming fire of the Lord to burn all of the sin and impurity from our lives. As we grow closer to Him, His Spirit begins to refine us, and all of the impurities and strongholds in our lives start to be consumed.

I think about the person I am now, as compared to how I used to be. I think about all of the things that defined me before I met Jesus -- insecurity, drug addiction, depression, loneliness. This was who I was, and all of these things were a part of me. Before silver is refined, it contains a lot of impurities. Before it is burned, these impurities are actually a part of the silver's molecular make-up, but as it is refines, the impurities burn away. They were once in the silver, but they become separated from it.

This is a lot how I see God's Spirit working in us -- He takes things that were once a part of us, strongholds that kept us in bondage, and the consuming fire of His Spirit burns them away, refining and beautifying us.

Zech. 17:9   And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people'; and they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"

As His Spirit continues to consume mine, I am able to walk according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh. All of things that used to hold me captive, and that I used to struggle with, God continues to consume those things in my life....all of the sin and insecurities and fears. I just want God to completely consume all of those things, and just overwhelm my spirit with His.

I really think that this goes so well with the idea of bring transformed into His image. Going through the refining process can be very painful. It's always painful when things that used to define us are taken away. It doesn't even have to be a habit or an addiction -- It can be friends, or things that you enjoyed, but were holding you back spiritually. It's really a whole shift in identity, which that can be painful. Even so, it makes us stronger, and brings us even closer to God.

If we are not consumed by God's Spirit, then we will be consumed by His judgment.