From all that I have read, the Baptist Conference on Sexuality and Covenant [Herald, April 30] went just as I feared it would. Many speakers used fanciful and complex, but misguided, theological arguments to persuade participants that some homosexual and premarital sex is not sinful.
Sharyn Dowd was correct in saying, “Unless we recognize our depravity at every level of life and relationships, we can never even begin a journey toward wholeness.” But we are not recognizing our depravity when we look to anything other than God’s revelation of himself for moral guidance. When we look to our own ideas, feelings, thoughts, bodies (as Melissa Browning suggested) or culture to make decisions about morality without using Scripture as our authority, we will be misled and we are being our own gods.
Guy Sayles said, “Faithful reading of the Bible should form and transform Christians’ lives more than give detailed answers to complex ethical and moral issues.” In correctly claiming that the “Scriptures point beyond themselves to Jesus,” Sayles needs to not forget that Jesus himself gave many detailed answers to complex moral issues. However, what is so complex about the commands to abstain from sex outside marriage? I once heard a preacher say it is wrong to put forth a simple answer to a complex issue. It is equally wrong to make something complex out of something simple.
Jenell Williams Paris said, “Christians no longer share a consensus that sex outside of marriage is always wrong and must find new ways to deal with that reality besides splitting into smaller and smaller groups over issues like homosexuality.” First, it doesn’t matter what the consesus is; it matters what the word of God says. Second, this reality should be dealt with biblically. 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 says, “I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral …. With such a man do not even eat.”
This being true, neither should we associate with brothers and sisters who approve of sexual immorality. Such associations could lead unbelievers to think that the rest of the church and/or God himself approves of sex outside of heterosexual marriage.
Don’t whine that some of us are not being “Baptist” in not wanting to fellowship with such people. If being “Baptist” means being unbiblical, our allegiance to the word of God is greater than our allegiance to our denomination. The Baptist principle of the priesthood of the believer does not give one a license to be irresponsible with very plain biblical boundaries.
David Gushee said, “Long-term committed relationships are the best model for Christians struggling to make sense of changing morals about sex.” First, biblical morality about sex has not changed. Second, long-term committed relationships could include homosexual couples or heterosexual couples who are living together without being married. These are not good models. Just because one is committed doesn’t mean one is committed to the right thing. He rightly emphasizes covenant and laments that the practice of covenant seems to be disappearing. However, it doesn’t contribute to the practice by breaking covenant with God in committing acts which are clearly contradictory to his word.
In the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s magazine that was issued before the conference began, they declared that they did not intend to make a statement as to what is right and wrong sexually; they just wanted to talk about the issue. What is the problem with making a statement? Again, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Scripture is very clear about sexual morality.
If they are afraid of scaring some people away, they need to look to Jesus. He didn’t sugarcoat his teachings; he told it like it is. Many were turned off, but those who continued to follow him were true disciples. We want to make true disciples, not disiples of humanistic philosophy. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17), not the word of man. Hearing the word of man results in unbelief.
Some might say that making a declarative statement that sex outside of marriage is wrong is not being loving. I say what would we know about love without God’s revelation of himself? Again, apart from God we are depraved. How would we know how to exercise love or what constitutes love? Love is expressed by doing so according to God’s directions and boundaries. How dare anyone presume to have a better understanding of love than what God has revealed?
The reason they did not make a statement is that many cannot agree with what the Bible plainly says about human sexuality. Well, Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Man continually wants to be able to decide for himself what is right and wrong and continually thinks himself wiser than he is.
Psalm 19:17 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (italics mine). Trusting God’s word and obeying it leads to wisdom. Rejecting it leads to foolishness, no matter how “wise” one’s arguments might seem. Life that is based upon human reasoning, which is necessarily faulty, can never lead to the abundant life which Jesus came to give us.
“If anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him” (John 2:5a).
Mark Davis, Monterey, Va.