Introduction: The problem: Sexual sin

2. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. … 7 Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that. 8 But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. 9 But if they do not have self-control, let them marry ; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (I Cor. 7: 2, 7-9.)

Oddly enough sexual sin is a type of sin often entered in order to escape loneliness. It behooves us to know that we should not enter sexual sin to remedy our loneliness as it will only be a temporary fill that will yet leave us wanting. In the above scripture portion, the Greek word 'Porneas' (translated above as immoralities) is used in the plural to indicate any and all abuses and misuses that can occur with our innate sexuality. The word is an iclusive, junk drawer term used to indicate all the different sexual sins known to

man. (Think, fornication or sex outside of marriage, adultery, rape, incest, perversions, orgies, homosexuality, sodomy1, bestiality porno,..., etc; the types of sins can vary as much as there are people.) Marriage is therefore, the Bible's, one of two, holy and sanctified alternatives, given to man to curb these manifestations. The other alternative is that of the single calling or choice which is to remain single maintaining purity from all such activities that may be 'Porneas'. This latter choice may not be easy to live out in today's 'naked media' cultures and societies; it can nevertheless be a worthwhile biblical strategy for some. Auto sexual sins and loneliness It’s now part of the common vernacular to speak of metro-sexual, homosexual, bisexual and transsexual persons. How about auto-sexual-ity? This would be having sex with oneself which is commonly known as masturbation. We will try to talk about it in a way that is not embarrassing to readers. It's the one sin most often associated with being single or alone and (may) be classified among sins called 'uncleanness' or impurity in the New Testament. Uncleanness or impurity (A-katharos in our original Greek scriptures) is another inclusive term that describes all sexual activity that may be classified as impure. Auto-sexuality is different from other sexual activities in that it acts on itself rather than on others. Subsequently, outside of the church, it has earned the label 'safe' and is seen as the medically and “morally” benign sexual activity of choice in the post AIDS world. Some have surmised that, we have all done it at some point in our lives presumably more than just a few times. This might be generally true and also seems to be supported by the statistics. In 1994 with the internet still in its infancy, Dr. Archibald Hart revealed that well over half of married Christian men engage in ASB. About 80% of those surveyed do it about once a week while the rest 20% engage in ASB even more

frequently.2 This makes ASB a human frailty or behavior common to many of us. The increase of its employment since the advent of the new technologies has to be considerable as the avenues through which temptation comes to us have multiplied. Many, Christian and non Christian alike, have candidly said that they have participated in, struggled with or fallen into this activity. There is no question that it can be habit forming. Some have confessed as to how addictive it has become and how they would like to be free from it. There is a strong association with auto-sexuality and pornography and in fact porn probably owes its existence, continuance and profitability on the demand side to this human frailty and sin. Of course, one of the ways to curb this behavior and others like it is marriage and The Bible recommends it saying, “Because of 'porneas'....It’s better to marry than to burn”. In the absence of a marriage bed, some will inevitably take matters into their own hands and use auto sexual activity as an outlet. We will tackle the sinfulness of pornography later for now we will just assume accept it to be an undeniable fact. Pastor Mark Driscoll3 of Seattle's Mar's Hill church gets into bold, extensive and graphic discussions about ASB both inside and outside of marriage. We have rather employed a cautious, modest and scriptural approach to this issue. However, we want to point out that our view is certainly not the only one out there and it might be good to compare what we are saying with other writers and teachers on the subject.

Is the Devil in it? If he is, it must not be good! Society has increasingly become tolerant of nearly all forms of sin. It must be this 'frog in slow boiling water' effect happening around us but some people including ministers have questioned whether auto sexual behavior should be classed as a sin or even if there is anything wrong with it. We will not presume to speak this way here, especially since many people's conscience tells them otherwise and their confession bears out to it being detestable to themselves. The Bible clearly teaches that if our conscience condemns us about something and if it's not of faith then it must be sin (Romans 14:23). Therefore, we weigh in on the side that says, it is a selfish, lustful, unbecoming act and therefore should bin the same category. We say this however not to condemn a particular group but in order edify and clear the way for godly alternatives for people who seek to be free from all types of bondages.

Of the many contrary bible based arguments against ASB, we will give a few here. Firstly, it’s an act usually accompanied by picturing and lusting after an image of someone who is not a spouse. This means that when we engage in ASB, we are committing fornications and adulteries in our heart and mind without leaving the comfort of our abode. Undoubtedly, sexual sin can progress from something as benign looking as lingering on the pages of circulars with underwear models to something a lot worse. Similarly, ASB can also turn into a bondage and become a stepping stone to more and even worse misadventures. Secondly, if one regularly uses ASB as an outlet, the need for seeking a spouse is much lessened or becomes non existent. As sex was intended to be a shared experience, the loneliness of auto-sexuality can be detrimental to becoming a happy wholesome

individual. One might as well sign on a paper that says “lonely for life”. If we can turn on and turn off ourselves why would we need to go search for a spouse? Thirdly, it is hardly conducive to the biblical idea of cultivating a thought life that is pure and chaste and is in fact an antithesis to it. We fail to see how those who defend it can call it pure (Katharos in Greek). The same argument, by the way applies to any other sexual activities which are implied but not specified and which by their act and nature are judged to be repugnant. We conclude from these and other scriptural arguments that, although it may not seem immediately grievous or harmful as some other sins in its effect, auto-sexuality is nevertheless a sin, something a holy people shouldn't perpetuate.

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness" (KJV I Thessalonians 4:7)

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named

among you, as becometh saints; (KJV Ephesians 5:3)

A course of action Based on the same scriptures we council instead that we all strive for a high standard of purity and holiness in the sight of God while we are single. Those who 'burn', let them seek to marry as there is no sin in that. If desire cannot be projected at a spouse it's lust. Our imagination needs to outlaw lust and be exercised to a higher, purer thought life. This is our Christian ideal but it’s not just puritan idealism. It's rather a real, vital, sound Biblical strategy and course of action for the many who earnestly desire holiness and don't want to be overcome by lustful thoughts. Failure is probable and inevitable at times because of our sin nature and our environment. With God’s help we can improve and grow toward having a pure thought life which is abounding with transparent prayer (confession, petition, intercession and intimacy). One of the precious promises of the gospel is to eventually come to a place of overcoming temptation in all its forms the way our lord Jesus did. The Christian answer to sin is neither too sanitary to be ignorant of our struggles with our sexuality nor is it un-wholesomely permissive. It rather strives to stay on the narrow road attended by prayer on one side and holiness on the other side while basking in the grace and mercy of The Lord. If we somehow slip (and it’s bound to happen in a sex laced multimedia world constantly bombarding our senses) we know the way back on this happy road is always through honest confession and genuine repentance which The Lord gladly and lovingly accepts. Thank The Lord; He doesn't put us in front of a firing squad every time we fail because some of us would have died hundreds of times. The compassions of our lord and His grace are such that not only is He merciful to us but He also understands the temptations we are put under especially in today's world. He is there to help and empower us always and give us grace when we need it. Paul’s says the following with regard to the struggle we have with sin in our members,

For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death ? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord ! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7: 19-25)

Keys to overcoming Pornography------Porn as Warfare------ The Devil is in conception and details---The Power of suggestion ------ The suggestiveness of movies -------Porn in the Church and in Christian marriage------A cursed booty-

----Internet Porn: The New Idolatry -----Lies and Excuses------ “You will not surely die----It’s dangerous------ keep your mind out of the gutter----I am addicted to Porn? What should I do?------1. "Look to those things that are above"----2.

“Flee fornication” and “be ye separate” There are probably lots of sources both online and in book form, secular and Christian, that have useful information concerning sex, that can be helpful to a married couple or to those who are to be married soon. The treatment bellow is not directed at such good sources but at explicit hardcore pornographic sites that are sinful and addictive, and detrimental to our spiritual life. Do we really need to establish today that Porn is a hellish sin? Isn't that obvious? Apparently not! Shouldn't a redeemed people shy away from humanity depicted at its worst? Theoretically, they should but practically they don't. We can tell this from statistics4 such as that collected by the Barna group and the response given by people from different backgrounds to questions regarding the use of Pornography. Although well forewarned of the dangers of lust in scripture, a lot of people including Christians naively venture into these internet hell-holes called porn sites that are gateways into the sickest debauchery known to man. This is partly due to Porn being so easily accessible through the net, right inside our home and only a few mouse clicks away. Those who flirt with online porn, soon enough, find themselves getting deeper and deeper to where they become addicted to where they find it hard to free themselves. Once porn gets its hook in us, we become enslaved to it and find it hard to pry ourselves from it. It turns into a regular habitual ritual in which we seek to procure excitement which we were only supposed to get from a marriage bed. How can we overcome the problem of pornography in our homes? The chapter bellow is a short account that seeks to shed God's light on this very serious matter. Porn as Warfare The Devil in the conception and details Luke Ford was quoted by CBS to having said,

“Most girls who enter the porn industry do one video and quit. The experience is so painful, horrifying, embarrassing, humiliating for them that they never do it again.”5

We wouldn’t do justice to the topic of pornography if we didn’t try to show that it has satanic roots. Surprisingly, this can be a tricky task as sex was something good given to us by God for intimacy and joy in marriage. Mr. Briggs endearing article to its subject quoted here, that talks about the life of the now deceased porn actress, Linda Boreman

(acting name Lovelace) gives us an inkling into porn's dark, demonic beginnings. The article documents innuendos made by Linda that she was forced to do sex acts with animals, she was threatened and abused often and that there was frequent drug use by her and her husband/producer while working under the mob as overseer.6 If it proves nothing else, Linda's life suggests that porn early on grew as contraband filmed in shady motels where actresses were often on drugs and had pressure put on them to do extremely sick scenes. What is porn but a false fantasy sold to us that is birthed in the deep recesses of hell itself, in order to destroy us. It must be one of the adversaries’ favorite weapons to degrade people and turn them into something animalistic and something much lower than what they were created to be; in God's image. Maybe you don’t believe in the existence of a horned and hoofed fiend. We don’t either; we believe the real devil is much more sinister than Hollywood's classic portrayal of him. How does he operate? Let's take a closer look. The Power of suggestion Perhaps you have had an experience when all of a sudden a sick, sensual thought came into your mind. You sense that it came from somewhere close; you even think it came from you yourself. You could have left it alone but you follow through with it and act on it, only to regret that you did. How many times has that happened to us and yet we fall for it again and again? That is the power Satan has still, to slip in an idea in order to tempt us, make us fall, control us and if possible even posses us. As a fallen celestial creature, yet limited by God in his activities, one of Satan’s methods of attack is the power of suggestion. In the creation and fall story in Genesis, Eve certainly did not come up with the idea of eating the forbidden fruit by herself; it came to her from outside herself.

Begin to filter your thoughts and identify the foreign ones by putting them in light of the whole counsel of God.

The suggestiveness of movies We can take this truth further by saying that, there is nothing more suggestive than a moving picture whether it’s partial or fully pornographic. All Satan has to do is influence and possess unregenerate men motivated by greed, lust and power and use them to produce movies to disseminate his evil, sinister plan. As the god of this world, Satan has temporary access into our realm that allows him to suggest, tempt and lie in order to blind us to God’s truth. He might say things like, “Your husband doesn’t love you.” Or “You are not pretty” or “There is money in the sex industry” Attacking the mind with such suggestions may be all he has to do, to lead us, both men and women with a naturally selfish nature, to do his will; our own fallen-ness and corruption will do the rest.

Therefore, it’s not that far fetched to say that he uses Pornography to tempt, entrap and enslave people into sin. How and why he does this and why he is allowed to continue (for now) is subject for a branch of theology called ‘theodicy’ ( the study about the existence of evil in the world) We won’t get into it very deeply here but we will assert simply that it is true (A study in the book of Job and the gospels illustrates the reality that the devil exists and is sometimes allowed to tempt people through sorrow, disease, lack, desire suffering and other ways) It's a biblically well established fact that Satan's methodology is to lie and tempt people, make them fall and destroy them any which way he can. Eve and Judas7 are prime examples of this in scripture. We will stipulate and try to prove here that pornography is one of major ways Satan does this today. As soon as film became invented in the last century men had already started to use it for making 'naked pictures'. This continues up until today when tech savvy teens do 'sexting'.8 The fact that porn has become a protected form of free speech where as only a few decades ago it was an outlawed contraband is a sad footnote in our history and an indication of where things are moving in our world. The greed and lust of mankind has been allowed to roam wild over and above goodness and righteousness under the cloak of a false democracy.

A Prophetic insight: At a certain place, The Bible, lumps all such activity, behavior and lifestyle and calls it spiritual Sodom (To what else can Rev 11:8, Isa 1:9 refer to, except the apex of sinfulness), as an emerging element of one of the signs of the last days and very last hours, where moral and

spiritual life would have deteriorated in our world, to the point of requiring God's intervention and judgment, the way it did in the time of Sodom. Just think how much sin we have become used to in our time, it's getting to the point where we are getting a taste of the pressures that Lot must have felt while living in Sodom. Porn in the Church and in Christian marriage A cursed booty

What does a redeemed people have to do with partaking of material showing humanity behaving at its worst? Instead of praying for their conversion should we partake of their sin?

There may be good ways of using one’s imagination in order to make marriage exiting in the bedroom but using pornography will have the opposite effect. Allowing Pornography in a Christian home is like sneaking in Achan’s booty (Joshua 7; 1-26) ; it can only result in judgment and destruction.

In any case, we shouldn’t expect God to bless us unless we have repented from it and stop permitting it's uses in our homes. Also, because the pornography pictures today tend to show extreme depravity, the same

spirit can enter a once wholesome marriage and destroy it. It can create a feeling of

inferiority and an unfair comparison with ‘professional’ actors and their acts who almost always have exaggerated sex drives and and/or over-enhanced physique. These will serve to create cracks in marriages that along with other factors can help destroy it. We will throw this advice out of our hat for someone.

Stop watching porn; you can't use a sinful merchandise to build a holy marriage, you will only destroy it. The way you will see your spouse will start to change and you may never recover that giddy kind of love

you had at the beginning. When Balaam, a prophet for hire and Balak the wicked king of Moab conspired to destroy Israel, they found out to their dismay that ISRAEL was blessed and protected by God. It’s interesting that the mode of attack they tried was not a military one but a spiritual one (Revelation 2:14) according to Jesus words. By making the men of Israel to fall into sin with the strange women of Moab, they

were able to score a considerable victory against a previously impregnable force by making God angry at them. Even so today, Satan uses the same technique to attack and destroy the people of God.

Pornography is really the same ancient technique tailored for today using current technologies. The people of God need to be aware and be forewarned and stay away from it.

Porn: A Red line not to be crossed Porn addiction is an example of the enemies 'trap door' bondage in which people can fall into while on an illicit search for gratification. Besides, if one is satisfied with the imaginary and the virtual why go look for the real thing? Internet Porn: The New Idolatry It used to be people had to go to the seedy part of town wearing a trench coat with the collar up in order to hide their identity, while they browsed the sex shops and the

coin operated peep shows. Today, due to the fact that porn sites are easily accessed and because they can be entered with relative anonymity, it’s easy to think we can get away with surfing porn on the net without fear of being labeled a pervert. It has also become very easy to think we can keep it a secret form everyone and believe that people are not watching. We can also convince ourselves that it won’t harm us or those around us, but this is a serious deception. We might think that no one is watching(Someone probably is; almost all our activities online are logged somewhere!) God is however watching and grieves and the people around us are very much affected by us watching porn. We

might ask how or why is this true? It's true, because of the spiritual lukewarm-ness[6] that ensues from sin. While we are supposed to be burning filaments and be a light to those around us[7] we will have our spiritual light extinguished due to this idolatrous sin of worshiping in front of gross lewd images coming through our computer’s screen. Men who are the designated leaders and priests of the home will have become prisoners who are ineffective in discharging their holy duties to lead and minister to their families. Lies and Excuses “You will not surely die”

Those of us who succumb to wondering into online porn sites, tell ourselves the same lies Satan told Eve “you shall not surely die, but your eyes will be open to be able to see good and evil” Porn is most certainly the forbidden fruit of our generation that we ought

to stay away from. Some of the lies we tell ourselves to ease our conscience when we open up this literal and figurative window to watch porn are the following. Common lies we tell ourselves:- 0. I am lonely, god will understand 1. It won’t affect me or harm me. 2. I can stop any time I want. 3. To watch Porn is not a sin it's those who produce it that are sinning. 4. I am doing research to study the subject. (please! C'mon! ) 5. It will bring excitement to our marriage. 6. It will help me to learn techniques to spice up my marriage. 7. God must have allowed it to exist for a reason(C'mon!). It’s dangerous keep your mind out of the gutter The dangers and pitfalls of being involved with porn are many. There is plenty of research from unbiased scientists about the adverse effects of porn on people, like for example the onset of depression on some. We will only state a few here from common observation. Let’s begin with what it does to us individually. First, Porn introduces us to perversions and debauchery of the worst kind and stains our mind and stays in our memory’s registry for a long time. Therefore, we can say that every time we read or watch Pornography we are being permanently marked with sick, lewd images of debauchery and the words or images will stay in our memory bank for quite some

time affecting us in our daily lives. Our self esteem can also be hurt by the use of porn which is no doubt habit forming. Secondly, we can be led to try to act out what we see in porn, in real life. Most rapes for example, have porn as some sort of ingredient before they occur. Thirdly, it demeans and degrades our perceptions of people around us, making us to see them as objects for sex and lust. It utterly corrupts us and can turn even the most innocent from among us into a pervert. No generation had to deal with what we have seen happen with the proliferation of porn happening in the world today. It has spilled over into the main stream affecting everyone and sparing no one including our very young, who are getting exposed to it at a much earlier age than ever before. Lastly, as the sin that it is, porn will drain us of a healthy thriving spiritual life. If we don’t repent from it our prayer life will dry up, lacking fellowship, intimacy and life from God.

Also being that we have brought in a detestable idol in our midst, it will stand as a wedge between us and our God hindering our intimacy and prayer. We need to get rid of it, if it's present in our home.

Besides us, porn can hurt others around us and near us. It can hurt marriages by introducing sex acts that may not be healthy, violent or unnatural. Couples who partake of porn get cheated out of real love and intimacy, instead to emulate strange sex acts from the satanically inspired world of porn. When we surf porn we risk exposing someone young or impressionable which is a heinous sin according to Jesus. (Mark 9:42). Many serial rapists and murderers trace the inception of their crime spree to porn. The convicted and executed serial killer Ted Bundy for example said in his last interview that soft porn was the gateway drug into his crime spree. If we don’t stop feeding our minds with Porno, we are in serious jeopardy of coming into a bondage that can destabilize our spiritual life, our walk with God and how we see and relate to people around us. We might succumb to seeking to live out the fantasies from porn in real life situations; we will start to see people around us with a sexually evil eye. We might think that won’t ever happen to us but all it takes is the slight impairment that comes from use of drugs or alcohol to put us over the edge and do something we thought we would never do. We would then have graduated from the world of fantasy into reality and actual commission; from the sin of the mind and heart to the sin of the flesh. I am addicted to Porn? What should I do? 1. "Look to those things that are above"

We in fact become complicit in the sin of others when we purchase or even simply consume porn. “Shall I then take away the members of

Christ, and make them members of a harlot .. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit”(I Corinthians 6:17) Therefore, Stop! Granted we will sometimes need to inquire good information about making love and the anatomical and physiological functions of our bodies, we should be careful about where we go to get information and advice. We are deceiving ourselves if we tell ourselves that we are visiting Hard Core pornographic sites or magazines to get good information on how to make love with our spouse. There are many good secular and Christian sources both off and online geared towards helping a married couple. It’s better to remain naive and discover the joys of sex by experimenting with our spouses than rely on something evil and sinful like hardcore pornography and drink its venom. The Bible teaches that we remain innocent concerning things that are evil (Romans 16:19, Revelations 2:24). Porn is definitely one area where curiosity killed the cat.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4).

However, If you have somehow opened the door to internet pornography and have become addicted and want to be free, you can do so by simply repenting, asking for forgiveness and committing to use the net only for its better purposes. Install software filters to protect you family and have an accountability pact with your spouse where you both promise to be transparent, pray for one another and assure each other of your love. There are many anti-virus software like Zone-alarm's security suite, which include a parental control feature that locks out pornographic and Hack websites, that can be downloaded and installed for less than $50. The Bible teaches that we set our imagination on things above, not beneath and have a though life focused on things, good pure, productive and clean. 2. A Good counsel “Flee fornication”9 and “be ye separate” 10

God’s Word concerning any form of sexual Immorality is always to run from it and stay away from it. It’s as simple as that. Because we are inundated with sexually provocative material in magazines, billboards and

commercials, we have to be creative in how we practice these two simple pieces of advice from God’s word. The word “Parabis” in Greek meaning a 'trespass-sin' in the New Testament and is used to mean trespassing a clearly stated commandment (Romans 4:15, 5:14; Galatians 3:19).

Likewise we need to be convicted that going to a porn site is a ‘Parabis’, a spiritual trespass of God’s word which repeatedly says “do not enter, the sin of lust kills.”(Matthew 5: 27-30; Leviticus 18:29). As it turns out the

internet has evolved to have some more safe guards in-bedded due to the outcry that followed its heyday when it was flooded with free flowing porn access. It's still not that hard to find and watch pornography online. However, as voluntary courtesy porn sites that charge money ask users to verify their age before allowing people to enter their website. This is done by submitting a valid credit card. This ‘age verification’ page is the first page you encounter before you enter the website.

Next time you stumble upon this first page, consider it a warning not to go inside. If you do, you are committing a ‘Parabis’, a trespass into somewhere where the Lord does not want you to go. If you find that you habitually do this please take this time to ask God for forgiveness and take

steps to eliminate the use of pornography in your life. Grace If you were born on this planet you will find yourself on the wrong side of God's righteous laws numerous times. This continues after we are born again although our incursions may vary in degree and kind. The good news is that He promises to forgive, cleanse and give us grace when we come to him in repentance seeking it. We can illustrate grace this way.

If Gods grace extended to you is the size of Moses' staff (about 6-7 feet) then your many s-excursions will only have covered about a hand's grip. (This truth is

emphasized to encourage the repentant not to ease the conscience of the rebellious; may such be terrified as hell is said to be littered with souls with that kind of attitude.)

It doesn't mean that we won't “get a whipping from daddy once in a while when we need it.”11 However, if you are his beloved child you will not be able to exhaust his mercy and

grace towards you in a lifetime's career of sinning. His mercy towards us is renewed daily (Lamentations 3: 2 - 24). We need to praise God even if just for this and nothing else, because that is how deep, great and wonderful His love and mercy is toward those who come to him in repentance. David's answered prayer12 asking for mercy after falling into adultery, deception and murder illustrates this point.

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51)

That having being said, the aftermath to disobedience can be ugly; damage will be done to those around us, to our reputation and testimony. Sex outside the context of marriage is sin; it's not something the Lord winks at (or looks at lightly) even if He is many times very patient and forgiving of our trespasses. We have to realize sin has consequences; if it doesn't kill us immediately, it pulls us behind and can stunt our spiritual growth13. We have to therefore earnestly seek after the holy life God desires for us to have through his son Jesus.

When we don't repent, The Lord allows us to reap what we have sown and the things we have done in secret will to come to light. People who didn't pay attention to us in better times will feel compelled to write an expose about us. Even in this there is mercy! Just like king David, it's when put in such precarious situations that many of us will come to wake up from our deceptions to acknowledge our own sins. We would otherwise continue to do damage to ourselves and others. Practicing repentance, daily, hourly and minute by minute of any sin we become aware of will stop its progress14. In order to have victory over sin, we will also need to be aware of and repel, the enemy's evil plans and devices which he orchestrates to tempt and trap us in order to make us fall and ultimately to destroy us. The wrong attitudes about sex, un-repented, can bring contempt and judgment15; so we need to be careful that the casual attitudes that prevail in the world don't infect our own thinking and attitudes about sex. Free Love

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage (2 Peter 2:19 (KJV)) But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body: (1 Corinthians 6:13 (ASV)) Tentative.

There is no such thing as being free to do what we want with our sexuality. Those who preach free love and sexual freedom do not understand the real moral and spiritual consequences of what they affirm let alone the social, psychological and medical effects; none of us fully do. The Lord in his wisdom however does, and He gave us commandments for the reason that we should protect ourselves, our neighbors and communities. Casual sex is not really that casual! The aids epidemic of the eighties and nineties came on the heels of the sexual revolution of the seventies and put a sobering brake on the euphoria of free love. Famous athletes, personalities along with millions of people around the world were stricken; many would later die. Unlawful sex or sin as it's called in The Bible, is never free or cheap and it can have a steep price tag16. The recent shocking death of quarterback Steven McNair at the hand of his young mistress while he was still married with several teenage children is a sad poignant example.

Are You Saved? From what, you ask? Let me tell you. 1. Believe If you have not had the privilege of knowing that you are saved from sin; we would like to give you an opportunity to do so here. Understanding what we said so far depends on this one terribly vital truth. This is that you can be saved by trusting "He whom God sent"17 our messiah Jesus. It's that simple; put your trust in him and follow Him and His Word for the rest of your life and you will be saved, so the bible teaches. "Believe upon The Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved; you and your family."18 2. Repent

"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins ; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (NIV Acts 2:38) You will need to repent of the sins in your life and forgive people. You may have to make restitution19 to those whom you have wronged. The blood of Jesus will then cleanse you from all past and future sins and is able to give you a good conscience with confidence to approach your God (1 John 1:4-10 ; Hebrews 10:19-22) You are also promised to receive the gift of The Holy Spirit. He will come and live in your heart and home. 3. Obey the gospel The mini Gospel bellow found in the Book of Titus contains all of the main elements of Gods offer of salvation to fallen mankind,

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly , righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2: 11-15) Jesus: The God-man "There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Our lord Jesus Christ, the only GOD-MAN (Theo-anthropos)20 is by his unique nature, the only person capable of standing in our stead and on our behalf in order to reconcile us to the side of God that is holy, righteous and just. That is the reason for his exclusivity as a saving and mediating21 agent. It was not something that arose from the bias, bigotry or narrow mindedness of his followers. He is the only way by which God has designed for men and women to know him, be free from sin and be ready for the life to come.

Further Scriptures for study Numbers 25:1 (KJV) And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. Matthew 15:19 (KJV) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: Mark 7:21 (KJV) For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Acts 15:20 (KJV) But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. Acts 15:29 (KJV) That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. Acts 21:25 (KJV) As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. Romans 13:13 (KJV) Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 1 Cor. 5:1 (KJV) It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 1 Cor. 6:13 (KJV) Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 1 Cor. 6:18 (KJV) Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 1 Cor. 10:8 (KJV) Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

Galatians 5:19 (KJV) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Ephes. 5:3 (KJV) But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Col. 3:5 (KJV) Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 1 Thes. 4:3 (KJV) For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: Jude 1:7 (KJV) Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Rev. 2:14 (KJV) But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. Rev. 2:20 (KJV) Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. Rev. 9:21 (KJV) Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Works cited. 1 There may not be direct references to ASB in scripture just as there is none for smoking or certain types of drug use. We believe and argue that it fits in and can be classed with references having to do with sexual impurity or uncleanness. We also believe sodomy belongs in the same category. 2 Archibald, Hart D, Dr. The sexual Man, Word Publishers, 1994 3 http://lakecity.marshillchurch.org/ 4 http://www.blazinggrace.org/cms/bg/pornstats 5 http://www.blazinggrace.org/cms/bg/pornstats 6 Joe Bob Briggs, Linda’s Life: A sad story, and its impact on us all. http://old.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-briggs042502.asp 7 John Ch. 13

8AMANDA LONGOBUCCO 'Sext' and the pity: Parents rip NY schools' 'meddling' XXX ban The New York Post June 20, 2010

9 NASB I Corinthians 6:18 10 II Corinthians 6:17 11 Hebrews 12:5-11 12 Psalms 51; II Samuel Chapters 11 & 12 13 Romans 6: 1-3 14 James 1: 14-15 15 Hebrews 13:4 16 Romans 6:23 17 John 3:29-36 18 Acts 16:31 19 Luke 19:1-10 20 I Timothy 2:5 http://www.theanthropos.org/ 21 I Timothy 2:5