Sexual Immorality pt 2

A few days ago I said I would post another blog for those who would like some more practical advice on "fleeing temptation," specifically answering the question "So, what does that look like?"

The following is a list of books, sermons, websites, computer programs, and blogs that have helped me and that I think would be of help to others.

Email Post

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 7, 2010 at 7:17 PM

    Tim,

    A great couple of posts on this issue. Yet, I wonder the practicality of all this information for the "average sinner" who is tempted in this manner by the tempter. I think I have read every book you listed, heard nearly every sermon (twice on the Piper sermons) and read a couple dozen other books on the subject. I have even begun and laid down many more due to poor theology. None of them (books and sermons; good or bad) seem to address the subject of sin and temptation as being under the supreme providence and power of our Living God. All seem to place temptation and sin as something extant and unfamiliar to God. Almost as if a redeemed people should overnight flee from a nature which has been apart of them since conception, as apart of them as their hands and feet. "He became sin who knew no sin," so that we who were/are in sin could become righteous--even while spending a lifetime putting off sin. I know that MacArthur, et al would argue that the two natures cannot co-exist, but reality would suggest otherwise, and the puritans would not have written so extensively on mortification had this not been as much a process as sanctification. While I have read and nearly completely agree with, and appreciate both of your posts on the subject, I might suggest against a legal prescription for mortification. A pragmatic solution kills the Spirit, and He works in this regard in as many ways as there are sins which we can think up. Additionally, we must not presume that those who struggle, love the Lord any less than those who do not, nor presume that they are not engaged in the Spiritual disciplines any less. Erik Erikson writes in his 1968 work "Identity, Youth and Crisis" that, “if an unlimited imagination as to what one might become is the heritage of the play age[(ages3-5)], then the adolescent’s willingness to put his trust in those peers and leading, or misleading, elders who will give imaginative, if not illusory, scope to his aspirations is only too obvious. By the same token, he objects violently to all “pedantic” limitations on his self-images and will be ready to settle by loud accusation all his guiltiness over the excessiveness of his ambition.” Telling youths in the transescent stages of development what to wear, especially those who are unregenerate, or even those who are new believers (double especially those who are new believers of unbelieving parents) will simply result in a negation of ones perceived intelligence and authority. We are not called to transform lives, but rather to walk along side (discipling), teaching the story of redemption. Through a greater understanding of the God we serve, comes a greater spiritual transformation which guides all that we say and do. Teens wear what they think will make them fit in and what they think will give them identity You cannot take away a behavior without replacing it with another. This is why human efforts at transformation fail. You might change what they wear (through force), but you will not change what they think.

    We need to teach them about their identity in Christ. He will in turn broaden the scope of the relevance of James 4:17 in their (our) lives.

    Hope all is well in your life, bro,

    Kevin

    ReplyDelete
  2. TimothyNovember 8, 2010 at 8:55 AM

    Kevin,

    I could not agree more. My posts weren't meant to take away from our oneness with Christ and His completed work on the cross. Looking back on them and rereading them, however, has made me see that they do not focus on that aspect - the most important aspect of all. When I wrote the original one, I was more focused and frustrated with our nation's idea of Halloween as seen in teens and twenty-somethings, and the visible churches adherence to such practice.

    Corinth, a visible church, was also engaging themselves in such practices to which Paul was incarnating the gospel to in their particular situation. If those practicing such things truly are apart of the invisible church, then they would do well to remember their oneness with Christ and some particular implications and extensions of what that means in their situation. That unfolding of the foundational gospel truth was the main focus of my post. Yet, what I see now is that any absence of foundational gospel truth can wrongfully lead a reader (or anyone, anywhere for that matter) into a legalistic, step-by-step way of sanctification (or a false view of salvation, for that matter).

    As for changing the current youth culture - like Paul, we cannot judge those outside the visible church. In our current time period and geographical setting, I would say that those who have made a profession of faith, are members or regular attenders of a local church body, and participate to some degree in the services and functions of a church are those apart of the visible church (I understand the weaknesses of what I just described, but I am purposefully leaving it vague and general for a reason). For our youth and students who are involved in the above qualities, they need discipleship...and more so, their parents. We can only be with them a few hours out of the week. Therefore we must make every effort to be there for them, discipling them, provoking them, and just hanging out with them.

    But their parents - they are with them for the rest of their lives. They are the main teachers and disciplers of their children. Scripture emphasizes this across the board, beginning with the foundational family unit in Genesis as being the first unified body built by God (before the church), and continued on through the Shema (Deut 6) throughout the rest of Scripture.

    Now, I understand that just because a parent acts in a godly way and does all that the Lord has commanded them, even perfectly, that their children can still be as lost as the rest of the world. I also understand that even if a parent does all that the Lord commands, even perfectly, and the child does believe, that that child is not exempt from the lifetime of struggle with sin that they will encounter.

    So, seeing struggle with sin in the lives of our students at church, as well as with my peers, I desired to provide a list of tools/resources that might be of assistance in the practicalities of addressing the fruit of lust, while at the same time, hoping that those resources would also help clarify the root of the problem in their hearts. In no way was I trying to usurp the gospel truth with mere practicalities. But I was trying to provide aids that, I believe, set forth some clarity of the root issues of lust in the lives of teens and adults.

    And so, if you have skipped down to this last paragraph of the post, all you need to read is this: My purpose in writing what I wrote was to provide aids to the readers which, I hope, help clarify the root of their sin, while addressing some practicalities of how to go about refraining from nurturing their sin. My error was to not include our identity with Christ and the gospel-rooted, intimate, intentional discipleship that is needed in each other's lives. And so I am appreciative of your response. :-)

    Sorry for the book. I need to work on being less long winded.

    Timothy

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts