WEBVTT 00:00:00.660 --> 00:00:02.660 Well, good morning to you all. 00:00:03.580 --> 00:00:06.280 This morning, we typically in our church, 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:07.679 we follow the lectionary. 00:00:08.279 --> 00:00:11.400 And so this morning, we come to this reading 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:13.820 in 1 Corinthians chapter six. 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:16.039 And this is one of those passages 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:17.839 that because of all of the things 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:20.240 that have been attached to it in recent history, 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:22.699 it's almost impossible for us to understand 00:00:22.699 --> 00:00:24.699 what this would have been like 00:00:24.699 --> 00:00:27.339 from a first century perspective. 00:00:27.339 --> 00:00:31.579 What was really going on when Paul wrote these words? 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:34.759 So what we're going to spend time doing this morning 00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:37.439 is to look at this passage through that lens 00:00:37.439 --> 00:00:40.759 and recognize that what we really see here, 00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:43.140 what we're really gonna be talking about 00:00:43.140 --> 00:00:45.159 is the sexual revolution. 00:00:46.700 --> 00:00:48.760 When we hear the term sexual revolution, 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:51.079 most people think of the movement, 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:57.100 the events that happened in the 1960s onward in the West. 00:00:57.100 --> 00:00:59.920 But according to Kyle Harper, the classics professor, 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:02.160 the first sexual revolution, 00:01:02.859 --> 00:01:05.340 or what he would refer to as the real sexual revolution, 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:08.700 actually happened in the 60s, 00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:12.099 as in in the first century onward. 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:17.219 And it was all the direct result of the Christian gospel. 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:19.480 From the moment it was first proclaimed, 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:21.939 the gospel began to transform 00:01:21.939 --> 00:01:25.500 every aspect of human life, 00:01:25.659 --> 00:01:29.299 including and really especially the realm of sexual ethics. 00:01:30.039 --> 00:01:32.640 And the lifestyle of the early Christ followers 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:34.159 was a radical departure 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:37.019 from the surrounding cultural norms 00:01:37.019 --> 00:01:40.900 in ways that we have a very hard time appreciating. 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:44.659 But it was a radical departure from the norms, 00:01:44.659 --> 00:01:48.219 and the church grew rapidly in the first few centuries, 00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:50.459 largely because of this. 00:01:51.819 --> 00:01:54.420 Largely because people found this new way of life 00:01:54.420 --> 00:01:58.759 to be breathtakingly beautiful and attractive. 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:01.159 Again, hard for us to imagine 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:03.539 with all of the lenses that we bring to this, 00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:04.859 but that was the reality 00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:07.519 in the first few centuries of the church. 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:09.419 And what this did was to lay a foundation 00:02:09.419 --> 00:02:11.839 for much of what we take for granted 00:02:11.839 --> 00:02:13.019 in the modern West 00:02:13.019 --> 00:02:15.359 when it comes to everything from human dignity 00:02:15.359 --> 00:02:16.939 to universal human rights 00:02:16.939 --> 00:02:18.879 to justice for the vulnerable. 00:02:20.019 --> 00:02:23.139 So what made this revolution possible? 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:25.699 1 Corinthians chapter six shows us 00:02:25.699 --> 00:02:27.679 that it was a result of at least three things. 00:02:28.419 --> 00:02:31.199 A revolutionary view of desire and identity, 00:02:32.339 --> 00:02:34.899 a revolutionary view of sex and the body, 00:02:34.900 --> 00:02:40.300 a revolutionary view of marriage and singleness. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:41.740 Let's pray. 00:02:43.159 --> 00:02:45.300 Lord, we thank you for your word, 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:49.200 and we recognize, we have to recognize every week 00:02:49.200 --> 00:02:50.960 that this is your word, 00:02:51.379 --> 00:02:54.659 and that we're here to sit under your word. 00:02:54.759 --> 00:02:56.680 You promise that wherever your word goes, 00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:59.140 you send it out, and it accomplishes 00:02:59.140 --> 00:03:02.640 all that you desire for it to accomplish 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:04.759 in us, in the world. 00:03:04.899 --> 00:03:06.179 It never returns to you void, 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:08.719 and so we pray that this word this morning 00:03:08.719 --> 00:03:10.259 would be living and active, 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:14.019 that it would challenge those of us 00:03:14.019 --> 00:03:15.059 who may be complacent, 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:16.639 that it would comfort those of us 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:17.859 who may be here 00:03:17.859 --> 00:03:19.539 and be facing extraordinary challenges. 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:22.239 We pray that you would speak to us as your children 00:03:22.239 --> 00:03:23.879 in the ways that you promise to do. 00:03:24.379 --> 00:03:25.339 In the power of your spirit, 00:03:25.419 --> 00:03:26.859 and in the name of Jesus, amen. 00:03:26.860 --> 00:03:31.100 So a revolutionary view, first of all, 00:03:31.160 --> 00:03:33.020 of desire and identity. 00:03:33.640 --> 00:03:36.600 Our society today, in some ways, 00:03:36.660 --> 00:03:39.620 feels very distant from the first century world, 00:03:39.760 --> 00:03:40.840 but in many ways, 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:43.260 we actually have a lot in common with Corinth, 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:45.420 and I think arguably we have more in common 00:03:45.420 --> 00:03:48.180 in this last century with Corinth 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:49.880 than many previous centuries. 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:53.360 In verse 12, Paul quotes a common phrase 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:55.100 that you might just as easily hear 00:03:55.099 --> 00:03:57.500 on the streets of D.C. as in Corinth. 00:03:57.840 --> 00:03:59.460 He quotes this slogan, 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:01.939 all things are lawful for me. 00:04:02.939 --> 00:04:04.340 In contemporary terms, 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:06.759 my body is my business. 00:04:07.419 --> 00:04:09.560 What I do is my business. 00:04:09.879 --> 00:04:11.400 It's not anyone else's business, 00:04:11.539 --> 00:04:13.859 and I have a right to do as I please. 00:04:14.019 --> 00:04:17.399 Most everybody operates that way in our society. 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:19.860 But look at what Paul does here. 00:04:20.379 --> 00:04:21.500 He quotes the saying, 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:23.439 all things are lawful for me, 00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:24.300 and then he says this, 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:26.680 all things are lawful for me, 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:29.740 but I will not be dominated by anything. 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:32.699 Now that's a key insight 00:04:32.699 --> 00:04:36.939 into the nature of desire. 00:04:38.540 --> 00:04:39.600 He's not saying, 00:04:39.819 --> 00:04:41.120 no, I don't want you to be free. 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:43.519 He's rather challenging them, 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:45.960 are you as free as you think you are? 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:50.500 Desire can be extraordinarily powerful, 00:04:50.500 --> 00:04:52.339 and if we're not extraordinarily careful. 00:04:52.339 --> 00:04:54.799 Our desires can, 00:04:54.799 --> 00:04:55.639 Paul says, 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:57.560 come to enslave us. 00:04:58.199 --> 00:04:59.839 And in the previous section, 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:00.879 verses 9 through 11, 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:02.439 Paul gives us a list. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.039 And this is not meant to be comprehensive, 00:05:05.339 --> 00:05:07.019 but it is meant to make a point. 00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:10.339 Here's what Paul is saying with this list. 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:13.539 Regardless of what your particular desires 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:16.060 or proclivities might be, 00:05:16.060 --> 00:05:18.540 whether we're dealing with sexual desire, 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:20.860 and he includes several examples 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:23.500 that encompass both heterosexual 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:24.939 and same-sex examples, 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.040 whether it's the realm of sexual desire, 00:05:28.520 --> 00:05:31.140 whether it's the desire for other people's property, 00:05:31.300 --> 00:05:33.980 kind of a material desire for money, 00:05:34.740 --> 00:05:35.879 food and drink, 00:05:35.879 --> 00:05:39.939 or whether it's the passions within you like anger, 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:41.240 whether it's something like anger 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:43.439 that leads you to revile other people, 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:43.939 in other words, 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:46.379 to speak abusively to other people. 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:49.040 There's always a danger, he says, 00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:51.500 of our desires coming to dominate 00:05:51.500 --> 00:05:53.420 and then define us. 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:55.459 So it may start out 00:05:55.459 --> 00:05:58.259 with occasionally drinking too much here and there 00:05:58.259 --> 00:06:02.600 or occasionally sort of fantasizing about adultery, 00:06:02.699 --> 00:06:04.639 what would it be like to be with that person, 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:07.680 or occasionally your temper gets the better of you 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:09.419 and you say hurtful things 00:06:09.419 --> 00:06:10.899 that obviously you don't mean. 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:12.419 And it starts out like that, 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:14.519 but what Paul's saying is that over time, 00:06:14.839 --> 00:06:16.939 the more you indulge those desires, 00:06:17.500 --> 00:06:20.919 the more you let them have their way in you, 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:23.219 the more you will cross boundaries 00:06:23.219 --> 00:06:24.979 and the more you will take liberties 00:06:24.979 --> 00:06:27.360 and the more you will push limits 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:29.500 until one day you realize, 00:06:29.639 --> 00:06:30.979 as you look back on your life, 00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:33.680 you've become a full-blown alcoholic 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:36.459 or a serial adulterer 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:38.900 or a reviler, 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:41.220 a verbally abusive person. 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:43.819 And even if we're not aware 00:06:43.819 --> 00:06:46.240 of being dominated by any particular desire, 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:47.639 you can hear this and think, 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:50.040 well, I don't see anything like that 00:06:50.040 --> 00:06:50.960 at work in my life. 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:55.139 We all live kind of in this constant oscillation 00:06:55.139 --> 00:06:57.879 between pleasure and pain. 00:06:57.879 --> 00:06:58.379 Right? 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:02.920 And that's its own kind of domination. 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:07.759 This inescapable pendulum between pleasure and pain. 00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:10.100 I escape the pain of sadness 00:07:10.100 --> 00:07:13.120 with the pleasure of junk food. 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:16.259 I escape the pain of boredom 00:07:16.259 --> 00:07:20.899 with the pleasure of scrolling on Instagram. 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:25.459 The pleasure-pain cycle is sort of never-ending. 00:07:26.159 --> 00:07:29.060 And one of the things that set the early Christians apart 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:30.739 was their apparent ability 00:07:30.739 --> 00:07:32.620 to transcend 00:07:32.620 --> 00:07:35.679 and to overcome their desires. 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:40.040 It wasn't the extinguishing of desire. 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:41.079 This wasn't Buddhism. 00:07:41.579 --> 00:07:42.560 It's not Stoicism. 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:45.740 This is something more. 00:07:45.879 --> 00:07:47.600 This is people who have the ability 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:49.120 to have desires, 00:07:49.379 --> 00:07:51.960 to choose to indulge those desires, 00:07:52.060 --> 00:07:54.439 or to choose to not indulge. 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:57.120 The desires had no control over them. 00:07:57.680 --> 00:07:59.980 They were the ones in charge. 00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:02.240 And that was extremely appealing. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:06.620 So God's desire for us is freedom. 00:08:08.139 --> 00:08:09.280 It's true freedom. 00:08:10.439 --> 00:08:11.879 And people in the world 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:13.720 begin to look at this Christian community 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:16.480 and realize these people seem to be free. 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:19.120 You know, if you want to read a great paper 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:20.340 on this particular point, 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:21.759 Father Jeff Bailey, 00:08:21.960 --> 00:08:23.620 who's a member, part of our church, 00:08:24.060 --> 00:08:25.860 actually wrote a fantastic paper on this. 00:08:25.900 --> 00:08:27.259 I'm sure he'd be happy to send it to you. 00:08:27.540 --> 00:08:28.900 But the question that we want to ask is, 00:08:29.139 --> 00:08:31.300 how was this kind of freedom possible? 00:08:31.300 --> 00:08:33.200 And the answer that Paul gives is very clear. 00:08:33.580 --> 00:08:35.620 Through spiritual transformation 00:08:35.620 --> 00:08:40.620 that brought about whole life transformation. 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:43.899 So Paul says, you were washed. 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:46.460 You were sanctified. 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:49.159 You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:50.919 and by the Spirit of our God. 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:55.419 He's saying, you used to be dominated by these desires, 00:08:55.580 --> 00:08:57.440 but then you came to Jesus. 00:08:57.680 --> 00:09:00.120 You admitted your spiritual brokenness. 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:03.820 You admitted to Jesus that everything about you, 00:09:03.899 --> 00:09:07.279 every part of you needs to be redeemed and healed. 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:09.440 And what did Jesus do? 00:09:09.500 --> 00:09:10.659 He welcomed you in. 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:14.220 He forgave all of your sin because of his sacrifice. 00:09:15.299 --> 00:09:16.919 And then he gave you a new identity. 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:18.799 How do you know your baptism is a marker 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:19.659 of that new identity? 00:09:19.779 --> 00:09:21.799 He said, no longer belong to the world. 00:09:22.060 --> 00:09:23.720 You no longer belong to your desires. 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:24.940 You belong to me now. 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:28.800 And in the love of Christ, 00:09:29.760 --> 00:09:32.940 people began to find something greater 00:09:32.940 --> 00:09:34.900 than anything they might desire 00:09:34.900 --> 00:09:37.260 in the material world. 00:09:37.380 --> 00:09:40.180 These lesser desires began to be displaced 00:09:40.180 --> 00:09:43.960 by the greater desire of the love of Christ. 00:09:44.220 --> 00:09:46.940 And then the Spirit begins to work. 00:09:47.040 --> 00:09:48.160 He says, you were sanctified. 00:09:48.280 --> 00:09:51.980 The Spirit begins to work this new life out in us 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:53.379 to sanctify us. 00:09:55.259 --> 00:09:58.039 The early Christian church took this very seriously. 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:00.259 And that's why they were committed 00:10:00.259 --> 00:10:01.720 to transcending desire 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:03.960 and to not being mastered by it. 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:06.680 So the first point is this. 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:08.840 God's desire for us is freedom. 00:10:09.800 --> 00:10:10.680 True freedom. 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:13.860 And one of the greatest threats to our freedom 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:14.940 is not external. 00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:17.480 It's not laws that determine 00:10:17.480 --> 00:10:18.899 what we can and cannot do. 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:20.560 We can have lots of laws. 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:21.559 We can have no laws. 00:10:21.619 --> 00:10:22.799 One of the greatest threats 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:25.479 to our freedom is actually in here. 00:10:27.059 --> 00:10:29.279 It's the dominating power of desire. 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:32.779 And I actually think there is a longing 00:10:32.779 --> 00:10:35.500 for this kind of freedom in our culture today. 00:10:35.719 --> 00:10:38.359 There's a rise of what we might refer to 00:10:38.359 --> 00:10:41.719 as neo-stoicism in our culture today. 00:10:42.339 --> 00:10:43.939 Just one example of this, 00:10:43.979 --> 00:10:47.500 if you look at the many young men in our culture, 00:10:47.500 --> 00:10:49.320 and it's up to you to determine 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:50.700 whether or not you fit that category, 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:55.240 many young men follow people like Ryan Holiday 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:58.840 or there's a Navy SEAL, Jocko Willink, 00:10:58.940 --> 00:11:00.039 I think is how you say his name, 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:02.480 or Tim Ferriss or Jordan Peterson. 00:11:03.139 --> 00:11:06.940 And all of these gurus are advocating 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:10.419 for self-improvement centered on seeking 00:11:10.419 --> 00:11:11.580 a more virtuous life. 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:13.000 Right? 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:16.580 There's a term among some people, simping. 00:11:17.060 --> 00:11:18.100 Don't be a simp. 00:11:18.540 --> 00:11:18.720 Right? 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:20.780 You know, if you're a young man, 00:11:21.020 --> 00:11:23.139 and you know, don't show or demonstrate 00:11:23.139 --> 00:11:25.120 or display your interest in women. 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:27.940 Focus on, you know, your goals. 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:29.759 Focus on improving yourself. 00:11:30.520 --> 00:11:31.639 Let them come to you. 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:31.920 Right? 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:33.340 But there's a spirit, 00:11:33.460 --> 00:11:34.460 there's an undercurrent, 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:36.320 right, in all of this 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:38.720 that people are responding to. 00:11:38.800 --> 00:11:39.639 And what is that undercurrent? 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:40.500 It's people, I think, 00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:42.399 realizing we live in a culture 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:44.800 where everybody around you is saying, 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:46.019 indulge your desires, 00:11:46.180 --> 00:11:47.120 indulge your appetites, 00:11:47.379 --> 00:11:48.940 let your desires define you, 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:50.040 give in to them. 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:51.379 That's what true happiness is. 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:52.980 And I think people on an instinctive level 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:54.259 know that's a lie. 00:11:55.420 --> 00:11:57.399 And they're tired of being dominated 00:11:57.399 --> 00:11:58.320 by their desires. 00:11:58.420 --> 00:11:59.639 They're tired of being stuck 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:00.860 in the pleasure-pain cycle, 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:02.040 and they want a way out. 00:12:02.860 --> 00:12:04.279 And so you have these gurus 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:06.600 who are offering a way out. 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:09.040 But the difference is, 00:12:10.100 --> 00:12:11.279 the difference is, 00:12:12.040 --> 00:12:14.860 there were two key factors 00:12:14.860 --> 00:12:15.800 in the early church 00:12:15.800 --> 00:12:17.040 that we need today 00:12:17.040 --> 00:12:18.120 if we want to truly be free. 00:12:18.220 --> 00:12:18.740 Number one, 00:12:19.019 --> 00:12:20.040 they had the power 00:12:20.040 --> 00:12:20.960 of the Holy Spirit 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:21.740 at work in them. 00:12:22.560 --> 00:12:23.340 And you're not going to find 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:23.840 that in a book. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:25.580 And then two, 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:26.680 they had a community 00:12:26.680 --> 00:12:28.159 committed to this lifestyle 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:29.700 which made it much more plausible. 00:12:30.800 --> 00:12:32.160 It's a lot more plausible 00:12:32.160 --> 00:12:33.940 if all of the people around you 00:12:33.940 --> 00:12:36.340 are advocating for the same thing 00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:36.880 in your life 00:12:36.880 --> 00:12:37.540 and in their lives. 00:12:38.360 --> 00:12:39.660 So this is the first piece 00:12:39.660 --> 00:12:41.220 of this revolution puzzle. 00:12:41.860 --> 00:12:43.480 A revolutionary view 00:12:43.480 --> 00:12:44.920 of identity and desire. 00:12:45.060 --> 00:12:45.540 Number two, 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:48.080 a revolutionary view 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:49.300 of sex and the body. 00:12:50.740 --> 00:12:52.460 People in the pre-Christian world 00:12:52.460 --> 00:12:53.860 had a very low view 00:12:53.860 --> 00:12:55.020 of the physical world 00:12:55.020 --> 00:12:55.940 and the human body, 00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:57.760 and that led to a very low view 00:12:57.760 --> 00:12:58.320 of sex. 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:01.280 Paul quotes another common slogan 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:02.319 you might hear on the streets 00:13:02.319 --> 00:13:04.079 of Corinth or D.C. 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:06.179 Food is meant for the stomach 00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:07.199 and the stomach for food. 00:13:07.319 --> 00:13:07.839 What does that mean? 00:13:09.659 --> 00:13:11.199 Sex has no meaning behind it. 00:13:12.439 --> 00:13:13.679 There's no bigger meaning. 00:13:13.819 --> 00:13:14.919 There's no bigger story. 00:13:15.139 --> 00:13:17.980 There's no spiritual component. 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:19.740 Sex is merely an appetite. 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:21.839 And like any other appetite, 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:23.659 if you have to, 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:25.439 satisfy it 00:13:25.439 --> 00:13:26.980 in whatever way you see fit. 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:29.019 Now that really depended 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:30.240 on who you were in society. 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:31.899 If you were a high status man, 00:13:32.519 --> 00:13:33.879 if you were a freeborn man, 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:34.940 a high status man, 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:37.080 there was no expectation 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:38.159 of sexual restraint 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:39.460 put on you. 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:42.060 There's actually not even a word 00:13:42.060 --> 00:13:44.019 for male virgin 00:13:44.019 --> 00:13:45.840 in either Greek or Latin. 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:47.180 Right? 00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:49.360 The concept didn't even exist. 00:13:49.560 --> 00:13:50.639 And so there was no word 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:51.500 needed for it. 00:13:51.899 --> 00:13:54.019 So a high status man 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:55.200 was entitled to sleep 00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:56.320 with his wife 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:58.180 or high end courtesans 00:13:58.179 --> 00:14:00.599 or brothel prostitutes 00:14:00.599 --> 00:14:02.279 or slaves 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:03.439 because they were property. 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:04.719 That was assumed. 00:14:04.959 --> 00:14:06.039 Or other men 00:14:06.039 --> 00:14:07.779 or young boys 00:14:07.779 --> 00:14:10.620 or any combination therein. 00:14:11.199 --> 00:14:13.000 And this was not seen 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:13.879 as a big deal. 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:15.239 Men need to satisfy 00:14:15.239 --> 00:14:16.099 their appetites. 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:17.799 Food is meant for the stomach 00:14:17.799 --> 00:14:18.779 and the stomach for food. 00:14:18.779 --> 00:14:22.779 lower status people, 00:14:23.259 --> 00:14:23.539 right, 00:14:23.699 --> 00:14:25.139 in this kind of society. 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:27.600 Because of this, 00:14:28.279 --> 00:14:29.699 the more vulnerable members 00:14:29.699 --> 00:14:30.399 of society, 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:31.100 slaves, 00:14:31.459 --> 00:14:31.679 women, 00:14:32.179 --> 00:14:32.559 children, 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:34.399 were always at risk 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:35.899 of sexual exploitation. 00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:38.279 But it was no big deal 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:39.600 because men have to satisfy 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:40.459 their appetites. 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:42.620 And there are, 00:14:42.780 --> 00:14:42.980 I believe, 00:14:43.040 --> 00:14:44.080 some clear similarities 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:46.139 between the ancient world 00:14:46.139 --> 00:14:47.400 and our modern world 00:14:47.400 --> 00:14:48.940 on this point as well. 00:14:49.060 --> 00:14:50.980 In the name of individual freedom, 00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:53.600 the modern sexual revolution 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:54.700 of the 1960s 00:14:54.700 --> 00:14:56.700 sought to liberate sex 00:14:56.700 --> 00:14:58.900 from all of its constraints. 00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:01.420 And that means 00:15:01.420 --> 00:15:03.139 disconnecting sex 00:15:03.139 --> 00:15:04.019 from everything 00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:05.580 that gives it meaning, 00:15:05.920 --> 00:15:06.740 from everything 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:08.240 that might set limits 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:09.200 around it. 00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:10.840 Right? 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:11.820 So, 00:15:11.940 --> 00:15:13.240 so the modern sexual revolution 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:13.740 said, 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:14.779 there's no meaning 00:15:14.779 --> 00:15:15.519 behind sex. 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:18.240 It's just a basic appetite. 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:19.639 And, 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:20.659 and the question is, 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:22.019 are we better off 00:15:22.019 --> 00:15:23.180 as a society 00:15:23.180 --> 00:15:24.560 when that's the case? 00:15:24.919 --> 00:15:25.060 Are, 00:15:25.060 --> 00:15:25.960 are we better off, 00:15:26.019 --> 00:15:27.200 is the world a better place 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:28.200 when sex has 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:29.279 little to no meaning? 00:15:31.820 --> 00:15:32.740 Louise Perry 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:33.860 is a feminist writer 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:34.779 who published a book 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:35.759 a couple of years ago. 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:37.419 And the book's called 00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:38.439 The Case Against 00:15:38.439 --> 00:15:39.459 the Sexual Revolution. 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:40.639 Very much recommend 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:41.339 you read it. 00:15:41.959 --> 00:15:42.860 The main thesis 00:15:42.860 --> 00:15:43.839 of her book is this. 00:15:44.579 --> 00:15:44.979 She says, 00:15:45.059 --> 00:15:45.819 the sexual revolution 00:15:45.819 --> 00:15:47.259 was all about liberating 00:15:47.259 --> 00:15:48.779 and empowering women. 00:15:49.019 --> 00:15:49.679 And certainly, 00:15:49.860 --> 00:15:50.639 she acknowledges 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:51.639 that there have been 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:52.860 many welcome changes 00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:53.579 in the realm 00:15:53.579 --> 00:15:54.620 of women's rights. 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:56.779 But if you actually 00:15:56.779 --> 00:15:58.019 look at the data, 00:15:59.240 --> 00:15:59.639 she says, 00:15:59.819 --> 00:16:00.620 who are the people 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:01.419 who have suffered most 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:03.539 because of the, 00:16:03.539 --> 00:16:04.860 the changes brought about 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:05.899 by the sexual revolution? 00:16:05.899 --> 00:16:07.659 Who has suffered most? 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:09.459 It's women. 00:16:10.459 --> 00:16:11.259 It's women. 00:16:11.980 --> 00:16:13.019 Who are the true 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:13.620 beneficiaries 00:16:13.620 --> 00:16:15.139 of the sexual revolution 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:16.759 of the 1960s? 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:19.100 Who truly benefits? 00:16:20.860 --> 00:16:21.959 A small number 00:16:21.959 --> 00:16:23.240 of high status men 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:25.579 are the real beneficiaries. 00:16:26.620 --> 00:16:27.299 Now, to me, 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:28.179 that sounds a whole lot 00:16:28.179 --> 00:16:29.399 like first century Corinth. 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:31.299 You know, 00:16:31.340 --> 00:16:32.179 we love the, 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:34.279 the idea of progress. 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:35.339 We need to recognize 00:16:35.339 --> 00:16:36.019 and be honest 00:16:36.019 --> 00:16:36.959 when this may actually 00:16:36.959 --> 00:16:37.759 be regress. 00:16:39.579 --> 00:16:40.319 Not only, 00:16:41.539 --> 00:16:42.740 well, here's Perry's point. 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:45.600 When we attempt 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:47.179 to disenchant sex, 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:48.799 when we, 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:49.879 when we strip away 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:50.959 all of its meaning, 00:16:52.259 --> 00:16:54.299 we not only deny 00:16:54.299 --> 00:16:55.759 that it is uniquely wonderful, 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:58.259 that also means 00:16:58.259 --> 00:16:59.500 we deny that it can be 00:16:59.500 --> 00:17:00.500 uniquely violating. 00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:03.059 And the cost of that 00:17:03.059 --> 00:17:04.819 low view of sex 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:07.519 always falls disproportionately 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:09.019 on women 00:17:09.019 --> 00:17:10.259 and the vulnerable 00:17:10.259 --> 00:17:10.880 of society. 00:17:11.880 --> 00:17:12.759 It was the same 00:17:12.759 --> 00:17:13.480 in the first century 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:14.740 as it is today. 00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:15.019 You know, 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:15.799 G.K. Chesterton 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:18.059 has this great parable 00:17:18.059 --> 00:17:19.059 that he shares 00:17:19.059 --> 00:17:20.359 about progress. 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:20.960 And he says, 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:21.420 you know, 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:22.660 there are different ways 00:17:22.660 --> 00:17:23.660 to go about reform. 00:17:23.660 --> 00:17:25.380 And imagine a law 00:17:25.380 --> 00:17:26.500 or a boundary, 00:17:26.940 --> 00:17:27.540 you know, 00:17:27.620 --> 00:17:28.620 or a more, 00:17:29.259 --> 00:17:30.720 imagine that as like 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:31.980 a fence across the road. 00:17:32.300 --> 00:17:33.019 And he says, 00:17:33.060 --> 00:17:33.680 there's one approach 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:34.220 to progress. 00:17:34.360 --> 00:17:35.180 The person comes along 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:35.519 and says, 00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:36.880 here's a fence in the road. 00:17:36.940 --> 00:17:37.680 I don't know why 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:38.320 this is here. 00:17:38.800 --> 00:17:39.160 Therefore, 00:17:39.460 --> 00:17:40.519 we should get rid of it. 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:42.040 And he says, 00:17:42.080 --> 00:17:43.180 but the more intelligent 00:17:43.180 --> 00:17:43.900 reformer 00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:45.519 would look at that 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:46.120 same situation 00:17:46.120 --> 00:17:46.500 and say, 00:17:46.600 --> 00:17:46.820 well, 00:17:46.940 --> 00:17:48.140 because you don't know 00:17:48.140 --> 00:17:49.580 why this fence is here, 00:17:49.779 --> 00:17:50.920 that's the reason 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:52.140 you should not remove it. 00:17:52.140 --> 00:17:53.340 Right? 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:54.259 Go away, 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:55.340 figure out 00:17:55.340 --> 00:17:56.420 why this is here. 00:17:56.700 --> 00:17:58.060 Only when you really 00:17:58.060 --> 00:17:59.100 understand why 00:17:59.100 --> 00:18:00.120 this boundary is here 00:18:00.120 --> 00:18:02.080 can you then decide 00:18:02.080 --> 00:18:02.500 whether or not 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:03.340 you want to remove it. 00:18:03.820 --> 00:18:04.080 Now, 00:18:04.140 --> 00:18:04.720 we're coming out 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:05.520 of a period of time 00:18:05.520 --> 00:18:06.460 where for decades 00:18:06.460 --> 00:18:08.180 the kind of 00:18:08.180 --> 00:18:09.880 postmodern aim 00:18:09.880 --> 00:18:10.780 has been to 00:18:10.780 --> 00:18:11.980 eradicate as many 00:18:11.980 --> 00:18:12.940 boundaries as possible. 00:18:13.840 --> 00:18:14.660 And now we live 00:18:14.660 --> 00:18:15.340 in an increasingly 00:18:15.340 --> 00:18:17.400 boundaryless society. 00:18:18.300 --> 00:18:19.320 But most people 00:18:19.320 --> 00:18:19.940 who are knocking 00:18:19.940 --> 00:18:20.700 the walls down 00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:21.480 really have no 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:22.060 understanding of 00:18:22.059 --> 00:18:22.559 why they were there 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:23.119 to begin with. 00:18:24.399 --> 00:18:25.200 And Perry's saying, 00:18:25.259 --> 00:18:25.460 listen, 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:26.960 you're not getting 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:27.539 the results 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:28.659 that you think you are 00:18:28.659 --> 00:18:29.720 by breaking 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:30.379 all of these 00:18:30.379 --> 00:18:31.759 boundaries down. 00:18:32.419 --> 00:18:33.639 And in such a climate, 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:34.559 the Christian gospel 00:18:34.559 --> 00:18:36.759 was staggeringly beautiful. 00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:38.039 Paul says in verses 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:38.879 15 and 16, 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:39.720 do you not know 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:40.399 that when you join 00:18:40.399 --> 00:18:41.200 yourself to another 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:41.679 sexually, 00:18:41.899 --> 00:18:43.179 you become one flesh? 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:45.299 And here, 00:18:45.460 --> 00:18:46.179 flesh is not just 00:18:46.179 --> 00:18:46.700 talking about 00:18:46.700 --> 00:18:47.500 physical union. 00:18:47.919 --> 00:18:49.720 It means the whole person. 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:51.380 See, 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:52.500 in the ancient world 00:18:52.500 --> 00:18:53.539 and in the modern world, 00:18:53.620 --> 00:18:54.579 people tend to separate 00:18:54.579 --> 00:18:55.420 the spiritual 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:56.860 from the physical. 00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:57.799 They assume that 00:18:57.799 --> 00:18:58.740 the physical 00:18:58.740 --> 00:18:59.579 is kind of down here 00:18:59.579 --> 00:19:00.120 and the spiritual 00:19:00.120 --> 00:19:00.600 is up here 00:19:00.600 --> 00:19:00.980 and that's what 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:01.559 really matters. 00:19:02.100 --> 00:19:02.779 But the Bible 00:19:02.779 --> 00:19:03.299 says something 00:19:03.299 --> 00:19:03.980 very different 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:05.039 about our bodies. 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:06.839 The Bible says, 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:07.059 listen, 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:08.019 you're not a person 00:19:08.019 --> 00:19:08.839 with a body. 00:19:09.539 --> 00:19:09.980 That's what 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:10.900 other people believe. 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:12.799 You are your body. 00:19:14.019 --> 00:19:15.400 You are your body. 00:19:16.380 --> 00:19:17.880 When God created Adam, 00:19:17.960 --> 00:19:18.560 the first human, 00:19:19.100 --> 00:19:20.019 he didn't create Adam 00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:20.700 and then look around 00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:21.300 for a body 00:19:21.300 --> 00:19:22.120 to stick him in. 00:19:23.580 --> 00:19:24.100 You know, 00:19:24.140 --> 00:19:25.040 like a piece of Tupperware. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:27.120 Right? 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:29.220 He formed Adam 00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:30.540 from the material 00:19:30.540 --> 00:19:32.000 physicality 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:33.259 of the dust 00:19:33.259 --> 00:19:33.740 and the dirt 00:19:33.740 --> 00:19:34.300 and the mud 00:19:34.300 --> 00:19:35.200 and then he breathed 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:36.280 life into him. 00:19:36.320 --> 00:19:36.860 At that point, 00:19:36.940 --> 00:19:38.420 Adam came into being 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:39.640 as a physical being. 00:19:39.980 --> 00:19:40.920 You are your body. 00:19:41.780 --> 00:19:42.800 You don't just have a body. 00:19:43.340 --> 00:19:44.180 So what that means 00:19:44.180 --> 00:19:45.200 is that what you do 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:46.000 with your body 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:47.980 is inherently spiritual. 00:19:49.060 --> 00:19:49.360 Right? 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:50.240 When the Bible 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:51.700 uses the word soul, 00:19:51.840 --> 00:19:52.860 it typically means 00:19:52.860 --> 00:19:53.759 the whole person, 00:19:53.900 --> 00:19:55.279 not just a non-physical 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:56.100 part of us. 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:00.420 So another way 00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:01.080 to say this 00:20:01.080 --> 00:20:01.660 or make this point 00:20:01.660 --> 00:20:03.380 is sex is a profoundly 00:20:03.380 --> 00:20:04.560 spiritual act. 00:20:05.779 --> 00:20:07.240 And there is no such thing 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:08.259 as casual sex. 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:10.460 And that's why, 00:20:10.560 --> 00:20:10.840 by the way, 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:11.580 casual sex 00:20:11.580 --> 00:20:12.880 never stays casual. 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:16.120 while subjectively 00:20:16.120 --> 00:20:17.360 we might be able 00:20:17.360 --> 00:20:18.140 to say about 00:20:18.140 --> 00:20:19.480 a particular sexual encounter, 00:20:19.580 --> 00:20:20.560 oh, it didn't mean anything, 00:20:21.600 --> 00:20:22.299 Paul's saying 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:23.140 that there is 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:25.380 an objective way 00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:26.140 in which sex 00:20:26.140 --> 00:20:27.580 always means something. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:28.779 Very profound. 00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:31.799 And your body 00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:32.539 knows this. 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:35.140 You may not know it 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:36.360 or want to know it, 00:20:36.820 --> 00:20:37.660 but your body 00:20:37.660 --> 00:20:38.180 knows it. 00:20:39.220 --> 00:20:40.299 Your body knows it. 00:20:40.299 --> 00:20:43.480 Over time, 00:20:43.980 --> 00:20:44.579 sexual intimacy 00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:45.700 leads to bonding 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:46.899 and oxytocin 00:20:46.899 --> 00:20:48.279 and attachments 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:48.879 are formed. 00:20:50.019 --> 00:20:50.579 And the people 00:20:50.579 --> 00:20:51.220 who become better 00:20:51.220 --> 00:20:51.639 and better 00:20:51.639 --> 00:20:52.940 at shirking off 00:20:52.940 --> 00:20:53.639 those attachments, 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:55.079 for them, 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:55.559 over time, 00:20:55.599 --> 00:20:56.180 it becomes harder 00:20:56.180 --> 00:20:56.500 and harder 00:20:56.500 --> 00:20:57.139 for them to ever 00:20:57.139 --> 00:20:57.839 make attachments. 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:00.139 Right? 00:21:00.259 --> 00:21:00.940 Sex is meant 00:21:00.940 --> 00:21:02.440 to be the full giving 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:04.079 of one's entire person 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:04.980 to the one 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:06.740 to whom you belong. 00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:07.740 And this is why 00:21:07.740 --> 00:21:08.279 Paul says 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:09.079 to flee from 00:21:09.079 --> 00:21:09.940 sexual immorality 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:10.680 in verse 18. 00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:11.640 And the word 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:12.920 he uses is pornea, 00:21:13.779 --> 00:21:15.180 which is a broad 00:21:15.180 --> 00:21:16.120 blanket term 00:21:16.120 --> 00:21:16.960 for any and all 00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:18.039 forms of sexual intimacy 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:19.359 outside of the 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:20.079 covenant bond 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:20.519 of marriage. 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:22.240 He says flee anything, 00:21:23.420 --> 00:21:25.019 any kind of sexual intimacy 00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:26.180 outside of the 00:21:26.180 --> 00:21:27.059 bond of marriage. 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:28.579 Because what he's 00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:29.220 saying is this, 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:30.059 if you understand 00:21:30.059 --> 00:21:31.019 what sex is, 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:31.700 if you understand 00:21:31.700 --> 00:21:33.920 what God has given us 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:36.220 in this gift, 00:21:36.740 --> 00:21:38.079 you need to understand 00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:38.559 that it's about 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:39.660 giving all of yourself. 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:41.039 So he says flee 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:42.000 any situation 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:43.200 where you might 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:44.380 have physical oneness 00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:46.079 without whole life oneness, 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:48.339 without social 00:21:48.339 --> 00:21:49.359 and emotional 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:51.500 and economic oneness. 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:54.200 And this is a revolutionary 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:55.539 view of sex in the body. 00:21:56.599 --> 00:21:56.839 I mean, 00:21:56.880 --> 00:21:58.720 in a world full of people 00:21:58.720 --> 00:21:59.759 saying sex is just 00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:00.259 an appetite, 00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:01.700 it's just about 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:02.960 self-gratification, 00:22:03.779 --> 00:22:04.480 Paul says no, 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:04.880 no, no, no. 00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:07.200 It's not just about 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:08.780 self-gratification. 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:10.680 It's not just an appetite. 00:22:11.340 --> 00:22:12.640 It's about radical 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:13.700 self-donation. 00:22:15.040 --> 00:22:16.760 It's about giving yourself 00:22:16.760 --> 00:22:18.100 fully and completely 00:22:18.100 --> 00:22:19.240 to another human being. 00:22:21.080 --> 00:22:23.520 It's our God-given capacity 00:22:23.520 --> 00:22:24.960 to give ourselves fully 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:25.620 and completely 00:22:25.620 --> 00:22:26.620 to another person 00:22:26.620 --> 00:22:27.600 to such an extent 00:22:27.600 --> 00:22:28.540 that we are transformed 00:22:28.540 --> 00:22:29.220 by it. 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:31.900 So this was very radical. 00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:32.940 Right? 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:34.039 So we have a revolutionary 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:35.579 view of identity and desire. 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:36.279 We have a revolutionary 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:38.579 view of sex 00:22:38.579 --> 00:22:39.339 and the body. 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:41.059 The third piece of this 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:42.740 is a revolutionary approach 00:22:42.740 --> 00:22:44.200 to marriage 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:45.120 and singleness. 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:47.860 Marriage in the first century 00:22:47.860 --> 00:22:49.460 Corinth was very connected 00:22:49.460 --> 00:22:50.440 to civic duty. 00:22:51.620 --> 00:22:52.819 You were expected 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:53.460 to be married 00:22:53.460 --> 00:22:55.519 and you were expected 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:56.440 to produce offspring 00:22:56.440 --> 00:22:57.720 to build the population. 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:00.539 And it was inconceivable 00:23:00.539 --> 00:23:01.259 that you would be 00:23:01.259 --> 00:23:02.259 an unmarried adult. 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:03.539 You were seen as a drain 00:23:03.539 --> 00:23:04.700 on the resources 00:23:04.700 --> 00:23:05.779 of the community. 00:23:05.900 --> 00:23:06.620 You could be fined 00:23:06.620 --> 00:23:07.519 for that kind of thing. 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:09.140 And of course, 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:10.420 there were completely different, 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:11.480 it would not be fair 00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:12.320 to say that there were, 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:13.120 you know, 00:23:13.420 --> 00:23:13.840 there were 00:23:13.840 --> 00:23:15.340 double standards. 00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:16.539 There were two completely 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:17.360 different rule books 00:23:17.360 --> 00:23:18.240 for men and women. 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:20.000 As we said before, 00:23:20.080 --> 00:23:20.440 the paterfamilias 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:21.140 paterfamilias 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:23.759 had complete authority 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:25.940 over his wife 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:27.100 and over his wife's body. 00:23:27.620 --> 00:23:29.059 And the paterfamilias 00:23:29.059 --> 00:23:30.059 could freely engage 00:23:30.059 --> 00:23:31.140 in sex with any number 00:23:31.140 --> 00:23:32.160 of people outside the marriage 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:33.640 with largely with impunity. 00:23:34.600 --> 00:23:35.539 But for women, 00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:36.940 of course, 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:37.759 sexual purity 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:38.759 was heavily guarded. 00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:42.360 When a woman was raped, 00:23:43.259 --> 00:23:44.299 the great loss, 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:45.299 the great crime 00:23:45.299 --> 00:23:46.700 from a male perspective 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:48.180 was not the violation 00:23:48.180 --> 00:23:49.200 or the trauma. 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:50.960 It was the fact 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:51.799 that she had lost 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:52.640 her virginity 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:53.440 and thus would not 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:54.779 be desirable as a wife. 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:56.759 So that was the lens 00:23:56.759 --> 00:23:58.039 that they had on it. 00:23:59.240 --> 00:23:59.920 But again, 00:24:00.019 --> 00:24:00.799 the early Christians 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:01.420 brought about 00:24:01.420 --> 00:24:02.759 a revolutionary approach 00:24:02.759 --> 00:24:03.600 to both marriage 00:24:03.600 --> 00:24:04.400 and singleness. 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:07.080 Christian marriage 00:24:07.080 --> 00:24:08.640 was a lifelong covenant 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:10.539 where both husband 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:11.340 and wife 00:24:11.340 --> 00:24:12.200 were expected 00:24:12.200 --> 00:24:13.319 to remain faithful. 00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:15.720 So if we cheat 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:16.920 and look at the next chapter, 00:24:17.059 --> 00:24:18.200 chapter 7, verse 4, 00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:19.180 Paul says that 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:20.200 in Christian marriage, 00:24:20.820 --> 00:24:21.000 I mean, 00:24:21.100 --> 00:24:22.039 just think through, 00:24:22.180 --> 00:24:23.400 do your best to imagine 00:24:23.400 --> 00:24:24.660 being a first century 00:24:24.660 --> 00:24:25.600 Greco-Roman person 00:24:25.600 --> 00:24:26.120 hearing this. 00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:26.580 Paul says, 00:24:26.940 --> 00:24:27.880 the wife does not 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:28.360 have authority 00:24:28.360 --> 00:24:29.220 over her body, 00:24:29.320 --> 00:24:30.340 but the husband does. 00:24:30.420 --> 00:24:31.200 Everybody would have been like, 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:31.799 that's right. 00:24:33.620 --> 00:24:34.080 Then he says, 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:34.620 likewise, 00:24:34.840 --> 00:24:35.860 the husband does not 00:24:35.860 --> 00:24:36.320 have authority 00:24:36.320 --> 00:24:37.060 over his body, 00:24:37.120 --> 00:24:37.980 but the wife does. 00:24:38.460 --> 00:24:39.160 That's where 00:24:39.160 --> 00:24:40.100 everything would have 00:24:40.100 --> 00:24:40.660 gone silent. 00:24:41.259 --> 00:24:41.720 You could have heard 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:42.320 a pin drop. 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:44.259 See, Roman marriage 00:24:44.259 --> 00:24:45.340 was about power 00:24:45.339 --> 00:24:46.599 power and subordination. 00:24:47.259 --> 00:24:49.119 Power and subordination. 00:24:49.579 --> 00:24:50.439 A big part of what 00:24:50.439 --> 00:24:51.659 made you a man's man 00:24:51.659 --> 00:24:52.519 in this world 00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:53.240 was your ability 00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:54.059 to dominate 00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:57.039 and thereby express 00:24:57.039 --> 00:24:58.500 your masculinity. 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:00.399 But in a Christian marriage, 00:25:00.500 --> 00:25:01.679 you have a man 00:25:01.679 --> 00:25:02.119 and woman 00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:03.240 giving themselves 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:04.839 completely to one another, 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:06.500 surrendering themselves 00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:07.980 completely to one another. 00:25:08.439 --> 00:25:09.500 And that's because 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:10.699 marriage itself, 00:25:10.819 --> 00:25:11.740 in the Christian view, 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:13.339 is pointing to something 00:25:13.339 --> 00:25:14.539 bigger than itself. 00:25:14.900 --> 00:25:15.620 In Paul's letter 00:25:15.620 --> 00:25:16.420 to the Ephesians, 00:25:16.519 --> 00:25:17.620 he says that marriage 00:25:17.620 --> 00:25:18.640 between a man and a woman 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:19.380 is a picture 00:25:19.380 --> 00:25:21.019 of the kind of relationship 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:22.420 that God wants to have 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:23.460 with his people. 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:25.420 The heavens 00:25:25.420 --> 00:25:26.640 and the earth 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:28.099 joining together 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:29.120 as one, 00:25:29.680 --> 00:25:29.839 right? 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:31.460 Christ giving himself 00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:32.099 completely 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:33.599 and dying on the cross 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:34.339 for the sake 00:25:34.339 --> 00:25:35.259 of those he loves. 00:25:35.660 --> 00:25:36.920 And then our calling 00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:38.099 to give ourselves 00:25:38.099 --> 00:25:39.779 completely to him 00:25:39.779 --> 00:25:41.759 and to die to ourselves, 00:25:41.980 --> 00:25:42.759 die to the life 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:43.960 that we had apart from him. 00:25:45.180 --> 00:25:48.079 And as this Christian gospel 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:49.940 began to redefine marriage, 00:25:49.980 --> 00:25:50.660 because it was 00:25:50.660 --> 00:25:52.019 redefining marriage, 00:25:52.119 --> 00:25:53.460 this was a completely new way 00:25:53.460 --> 00:25:54.339 to understand marriage. 00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:55.819 As that happened, 00:25:55.940 --> 00:25:56.980 society began to change. 00:25:58.079 --> 00:25:59.180 Now fast forward down 00:25:59.180 --> 00:26:00.379 through the centuries 00:26:00.379 --> 00:26:01.940 after this revolution. 00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:03.079 There's a book 00:26:03.079 --> 00:26:04.160 that came out in 2020 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:05.139 by Joseph Henrich. 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:07.379 He's a Harvard anthropologist, 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:08.899 sort of evolutionary biologist. 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:10.920 He's an agnostic 00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:12.460 when it comes to matters of faith. 00:26:13.099 --> 00:26:14.740 But he published a book in 2020. 00:26:15.180 --> 00:26:16.539 It's like a 700 page 00:26:16.539 --> 00:26:18.039 doorstop of a book 00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:20.079 called The Weirdest People 00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:20.519 in the World. 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:22.619 And he says that 00:26:22.619 --> 00:26:24.700 when we look at the modern West, 00:26:25.420 --> 00:26:27.099 much of what we take for granted, 00:26:28.059 --> 00:26:29.859 ranging from our economic systems 00:26:29.859 --> 00:26:30.940 and the prosperity 00:26:30.940 --> 00:26:31.700 that we've enjoyed 00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:34.200 to our love of democracy, 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:35.859 to our moral 00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:37.180 and psychological makeup, 00:26:37.180 --> 00:26:38.259 he says, 00:26:38.460 --> 00:26:39.900 a lot of this 00:26:39.900 --> 00:26:41.120 is the direct result 00:26:41.120 --> 00:26:42.299 of Christian marriage 00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:43.299 and family ethics. 00:26:44.380 --> 00:26:44.700 Right? 00:26:44.740 --> 00:26:45.980 The fact that Christians 00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:47.080 didn't allow people 00:26:47.080 --> 00:26:48.080 to marry their cousins 00:26:48.080 --> 00:26:49.600 was a big deal, 00:26:49.740 --> 00:26:51.160 because then you couldn't 00:26:51.160 --> 00:26:52.279 just keep it in the family. 00:26:52.380 --> 00:26:53.060 You had to go out 00:26:53.060 --> 00:26:54.660 and you had to form alliances 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:55.539 with other tribes 00:26:55.539 --> 00:26:56.240 and people groups. 00:26:56.299 --> 00:26:56.960 And that begins to 00:26:56.960 --> 00:26:58.060 lay the groundwork 00:26:58.060 --> 00:26:58.920 for urbanization 00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:01.279 and for economies to develop 00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:02.000 and trade, 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:06.019 Christians enforced 00:27:06.019 --> 00:27:07.000 lifelong monogamy. 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:08.920 They didn't let people go out 00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:10.579 and it doesn't mean 00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:11.259 that people didn't, 00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:13.000 but Christians discouraged 00:27:13.660 --> 00:27:14.859 it as much as they could. 00:27:15.500 --> 00:27:17.240 They didn't allow polygamy. 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:19.880 And all of these things 00:27:19.880 --> 00:27:20.960 laid the groundwork. 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:22.039 This is the central argument 00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:22.420 of the book. 00:27:22.539 --> 00:27:23.660 They laid the groundwork 00:27:23.660 --> 00:27:25.460 that led to massive advancements 00:27:25.460 --> 00:27:27.779 in Western civilization. 00:27:27.779 --> 00:27:29.079 All right, 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:31.039 so this is a part of our story. 00:27:31.579 --> 00:27:32.980 And much of what we love 00:27:32.980 --> 00:27:34.019 about the modern West 00:27:34.019 --> 00:27:35.180 is directly related 00:27:35.180 --> 00:27:37.279 to this first century revolution 00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:39.119 and the centuries that followed. 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:41.359 So that's marriage, 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:42.819 but I believe perhaps 00:27:42.819 --> 00:27:44.180 the most amazing thing 00:27:44.180 --> 00:27:45.680 that Paul says in chapter 7 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:46.759 comes after the verse 00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:47.399 we just read 00:27:47.399 --> 00:27:49.460 when he starts talking 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:50.039 about singleness. 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:52.099 And he talks about 00:27:52.099 --> 00:27:52.899 his own singleness 00:27:52.899 --> 00:27:54.839 and he calls it a gift. 00:27:55.879 --> 00:27:57.379 And he's speaking to an audience 00:27:57.380 --> 00:27:58.200 that would have thought of it 00:27:58.200 --> 00:27:59.040 as a curse. 00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:00.780 And he says, 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:02.160 this is a gift. 00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:05.200 As we said in the first century, 00:28:05.300 --> 00:28:06.040 it was unthinkable 00:28:06.040 --> 00:28:07.160 to be an unmarried adult, 00:28:07.340 --> 00:28:08.180 but Christianity, 00:28:08.800 --> 00:28:10.220 for the first time in history, 00:28:10.820 --> 00:28:12.960 the world encounters a religion 00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:14.660 where both the founder, 00:28:15.120 --> 00:28:15.380 Jesus, 00:28:16.300 --> 00:28:17.780 and the first theologian, 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:18.200 Paul, 00:28:18.300 --> 00:28:19.340 were single and celibate 00:28:19.340 --> 00:28:19.980 all their lives. 00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:22.320 And Paul's attitude 00:28:22.320 --> 00:28:23.340 is essentially this. 00:28:24.520 --> 00:28:24.960 He says, 00:28:25.380 --> 00:28:26.900 if you have the gift of celibacy, 00:28:27.380 --> 00:28:28.560 as I do, 00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:29.320 Paul's saying, 00:28:30.320 --> 00:28:31.580 that's actually preferable 00:28:31.580 --> 00:28:32.120 to marriage. 00:28:33.860 --> 00:28:35.620 And he just straight up says, 00:28:35.720 --> 00:28:36.300 I wish everybody 00:28:36.300 --> 00:28:36.980 had this gift. 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:39.080 Now, 00:28:39.160 --> 00:28:40.320 he's not denigrating marriage. 00:28:41.140 --> 00:28:42.280 He has a very high view 00:28:42.280 --> 00:28:42.660 of marriage. 00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:43.580 We just talked about that. 00:28:44.460 --> 00:28:44.860 What does he do? 00:28:44.920 --> 00:28:46.020 He's elevating singleness. 00:28:48.120 --> 00:28:49.340 Not only is singleness 00:28:49.340 --> 00:28:50.760 a valid lifestyle, 00:28:51.020 --> 00:28:51.660 in Paul's view, 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:52.720 it's actually superior 00:28:52.720 --> 00:28:54.160 in some ways. 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:54.980 Down in verse 28, 00:28:55.060 --> 00:28:55.360 he says, 00:28:55.359 --> 00:28:55.559 you know, 00:28:55.619 --> 00:28:56.139 married people, 00:28:56.259 --> 00:28:57.379 they tend to be consumed 00:28:57.379 --> 00:28:58.319 with worldly troubles. 00:28:59.819 --> 00:29:00.919 I don't have to spend time 00:29:00.919 --> 00:29:01.519 illustrating that. 00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:02.019 You know exactly 00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:02.599 what I'm talking about. 00:29:04.199 --> 00:29:04.639 He says, 00:29:04.699 --> 00:29:05.359 but if you're single, 00:29:05.459 --> 00:29:06.279 you can devote yourself 00:29:06.279 --> 00:29:07.039 much more fully 00:29:07.039 --> 00:29:08.659 to the Lord. 00:29:08.779 --> 00:29:09.379 He's not saying 00:29:09.379 --> 00:29:09.979 that if you're single, 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:11.039 you don't have worldly troubles, 00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:11.679 but what he's saying 00:29:11.679 --> 00:29:12.740 is that married life 00:29:12.740 --> 00:29:13.339 can tend to just 00:29:13.339 --> 00:29:14.579 completely overwhelm you, 00:29:14.599 --> 00:29:15.139 and you can tend 00:29:15.139 --> 00:29:15.799 to just feel like 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:16.979 you're just doing your best 00:29:16.979 --> 00:29:17.959 just to stay afloat 00:29:17.959 --> 00:29:18.459 and just to keep 00:29:18.459 --> 00:29:19.240 your head above water. 00:29:19.240 --> 00:29:23.000 And, you know, 00:29:23.120 --> 00:29:24.319 what's that, 00:29:24.359 --> 00:29:25.039 is it Jim Gaffigan 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:25.640 who said that, 00:29:25.700 --> 00:29:25.799 you know, 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:26.240 what's it like 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:26.960 having a third kid? 00:29:27.019 --> 00:29:27.339 He's like, 00:29:27.579 --> 00:29:28.099 well, imagine, 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:29.279 like, holding a baby, 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:29.480 you know, 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:30.059 having a baby, 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:31.539 or imagine you're drowning 00:29:31.539 --> 00:29:32.019 and then somebody 00:29:32.019 --> 00:29:32.720 throws you a baby, 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:33.380 right? 00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:35.579 You can be overwhelmed 00:29:35.579 --> 00:29:36.599 by worldly troubles. 00:29:36.700 --> 00:29:36.839 He said, 00:29:36.900 --> 00:29:37.319 if you're single, 00:29:37.380 --> 00:29:37.720 you don't have 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:38.400 those distractions. 00:29:39.180 --> 00:29:40.099 And what we see 00:29:40.099 --> 00:29:41.039 in the subsequent centuries 00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:41.259 is, 00:29:41.339 --> 00:29:42.940 according to Kyle Harper again, 00:29:44.019 --> 00:29:44.900 in the first few centuries, 00:29:44.900 --> 00:29:45.960 the plausibility 00:29:45.960 --> 00:29:47.360 of lifelong celibacy 00:29:47.360 --> 00:29:49.360 as a viable lifestyle 00:29:49.360 --> 00:29:50.100 in the church 00:29:50.100 --> 00:29:51.240 was, as he says, 00:29:51.500 --> 00:29:53.120 a blaring advertisement 00:29:53.120 --> 00:29:53.900 for Christianity. 00:29:55.220 --> 00:29:55.840 People say, 00:29:55.900 --> 00:29:56.460 you mean I can, 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:58.480 this is an option for me? 00:29:59.640 --> 00:30:00.580 And people flock 00:30:00.580 --> 00:30:01.000 to the church 00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:01.580 because of it. 00:30:02.700 --> 00:30:03.940 So in Christianity, 00:30:04.080 --> 00:30:04.840 what we see is that 00:30:04.840 --> 00:30:06.080 we see a view 00:30:06.080 --> 00:30:08.060 that holds a high view 00:30:08.060 --> 00:30:09.019 of both marriage 00:30:09.019 --> 00:30:10.560 and singleness 00:30:10.560 --> 00:30:12.140 as lifelong vocations. 00:30:13.060 --> 00:30:13.860 And Christianity says 00:30:13.860 --> 00:30:14.340 you have, 00:30:14.900 --> 00:30:15.759 either one 00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:17.019 or the other calling, 00:30:18.480 --> 00:30:18.740 right? 00:30:18.840 --> 00:30:20.440 But they're both vocations. 00:30:21.400 --> 00:30:22.900 And they both put 00:30:22.900 --> 00:30:24.120 the gospel on display. 00:30:24.280 --> 00:30:25.120 Marriage is a picture 00:30:25.120 --> 00:30:26.040 of the union 00:30:26.040 --> 00:30:26.680 between Christ 00:30:26.680 --> 00:30:27.259 and the church. 00:30:27.759 --> 00:30:28.360 But singleness 00:30:28.360 --> 00:30:28.920 is a picture 00:30:28.920 --> 00:30:30.420 of the single-minded devotion 00:30:30.420 --> 00:30:31.600 that Christ had 00:30:31.600 --> 00:30:32.540 to his Father's will. 00:30:34.420 --> 00:30:35.500 And that was, 00:30:35.600 --> 00:30:36.000 and I think, 00:30:36.100 --> 00:30:37.580 continues to be revolutionary. 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:41.040 So let's pull 00:30:41.040 --> 00:30:41.620 all this together. 00:30:43.360 --> 00:30:44.820 The first sexual revolution 00:30:44.819 --> 00:30:46.119 happened as a direct result 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:46.919 of the Christian gospel. 00:30:48.019 --> 00:30:49.379 And it radically reshaped 00:30:49.379 --> 00:30:50.139 all of society. 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:52.279 And it laid the foundation 00:30:52.279 --> 00:30:53.519 for much of what we love 00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:54.500 about the modern West. 00:30:56.639 --> 00:30:57.379 Now certainly, 00:30:57.480 --> 00:30:58.200 the church has failed 00:30:58.200 --> 00:30:59.460 along the way 00:30:59.460 --> 00:31:00.439 many, many times. 00:31:00.440 --> 00:31:02.960 the sex abuse scandals 00:31:02.960 --> 00:31:03.960 and cover-ups, 00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:05.900 the misguided, 00:31:06.700 --> 00:31:09.240 shame-inducing efforts 00:31:09.240 --> 00:31:10.539 of the purity culture, 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:13.180 the stigmatizing 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:14.740 of anyone 00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:16.000 not fitting the mold 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:16.980 of married with two kids 00:31:16.980 --> 00:31:17.460 and a dog. 00:31:19.960 --> 00:31:21.100 But I would say this, 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:22.100 the worst failure 00:31:22.100 --> 00:31:22.820 by far 00:31:22.820 --> 00:31:23.539 would be for us 00:31:23.539 --> 00:31:24.759 to abandon the gospel 00:31:24.759 --> 00:31:25.400 and the freedom 00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:26.059 that it offers. 00:31:26.059 --> 00:31:28.419 in the name of what? 00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:29.559 Progress or relevance? 00:31:30.919 --> 00:31:32.319 For all of the talk 00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:33.279 of sexual liberation, 00:31:33.740 --> 00:31:34.619 what has the modern 00:31:34.619 --> 00:31:35.619 sexual revolution 00:31:35.619 --> 00:31:37.480 actually given us? 00:31:39.539 --> 00:31:41.419 A 20-year-old young man 00:31:41.419 --> 00:31:42.599 who is incapable 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:43.779 of feeling desire 00:31:43.779 --> 00:31:44.940 for another human being 00:31:44.940 --> 00:31:46.579 because his brain 00:31:46.579 --> 00:31:48.299 has literally been rewired 00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:50.519 by years of pornography use. 00:31:50.519 --> 00:31:53.319 A 38-year-old woman 00:31:53.319 --> 00:31:54.099 who is watching 00:31:54.099 --> 00:31:55.379 her biological clock 00:31:55.379 --> 00:31:56.059 tick away 00:31:56.059 --> 00:31:57.740 while stuck 00:31:57.740 --> 00:31:58.539 in the purgatory 00:31:58.539 --> 00:31:59.799 of a situationship 00:31:59.799 --> 00:32:01.359 with a man 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:02.400 who feels no pressure 00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:03.259 to commit to anything 00:32:03.259 --> 00:32:04.119 beyond his own 00:32:04.119 --> 00:32:05.240 immediate gratification. 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:08.039 Rapidly declining 00:32:08.039 --> 00:32:08.639 birth rates 00:32:08.639 --> 00:32:09.299 that will eventually 00:32:09.299 --> 00:32:10.500 lead to collapse 00:32:10.500 --> 00:32:11.879 in countries 00:32:11.879 --> 00:32:12.779 around the world, 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:13.619 including ours. 00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:16.119 What I believe 00:32:16.119 --> 00:32:17.400 is that we have 00:32:17.400 --> 00:32:18.539 something to offer 00:32:18.539 --> 00:32:19.160 the world 00:32:19.160 --> 00:32:21.279 that it desperately needs. 00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:23.480 And we know that 00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:24.300 because we've seen 00:32:24.300 --> 00:32:25.340 a lot of this before. 00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:28.160 We have a gospel-centered 00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:29.000 sexual ethic. 00:32:29.840 --> 00:32:31.500 We have a community 00:32:31.500 --> 00:32:32.300 that makes 00:32:32.300 --> 00:32:33.200 such an ethic 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:33.840 plausible 00:32:33.840 --> 00:32:34.800 as a lifestyle. 00:32:35.259 --> 00:32:36.100 And we have 00:32:36.100 --> 00:32:37.320 the spiritual power 00:32:37.320 --> 00:32:38.100 to live it out. 00:32:39.060 --> 00:32:39.720 And I believe 00:32:39.720 --> 00:32:41.100 that in our lifetime, 00:32:41.440 --> 00:32:42.740 we're going to see 00:32:42.740 --> 00:32:43.920 a growing hunger 00:32:43.920 --> 00:32:44.660 and longing 00:32:44.660 --> 00:32:45.340 for the freedom 00:32:45.340 --> 00:32:46.080 that this brings, 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:47.400 just as we saw 00:32:47.400 --> 00:32:48.400 in the first century 00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:50.019 Greco-Roman world. 00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:52.740 So as Paul says, 00:32:52.920 --> 00:32:54.660 may we glorify God 00:32:54.660 --> 00:32:55.580 in our bodies. 00:32:56.320 --> 00:32:57.820 May we live lives 00:32:57.820 --> 00:32:59.080 that provoke questions 00:32:59.080 --> 00:33:00.100 only the gospel 00:33:00.100 --> 00:33:01.140 can answer. 00:33:01.580 --> 00:33:02.220 Let's pray. 00:33:03.900 --> 00:33:05.000 Lord, we thank you 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:05.759 for your word 00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:06.720 and we thank you 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:07.540 for the freedom 00:33:07.540 --> 00:33:08.400 that you bring. 00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:09.500 And we pray, Lord, 00:33:09.560 --> 00:33:10.100 in the power 00:33:10.100 --> 00:33:11.000 of your Holy Spirit 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:12.880 that there would be 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:13.560 a possibility 00:33:13.560 --> 00:33:14.620 in our community 00:33:14.619 --> 00:33:16.159 that would not be possible 00:33:16.159 --> 00:33:17.679 with merely human effort, 00:33:18.359 --> 00:33:19.359 that we would have 00:33:19.359 --> 00:33:21.079 the kind of spiritual power 00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:21.879 and oneness 00:33:21.879 --> 00:33:23.799 that would make it possible 00:33:23.799 --> 00:33:25.219 for us to embody 00:33:25.219 --> 00:33:27.219 this otherworldly way 00:33:27.219 --> 00:33:27.979 of being human, 00:33:28.979 --> 00:33:30.839 that it would put on display 00:33:30.839 --> 00:33:32.239 a way of being human 00:33:32.239 --> 00:33:35.359 that people instinctively long for. 00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:38.519 We pray that this would be 00:33:38.519 --> 00:33:39.119 a community 00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:39.879 where freedom 00:33:39.879 --> 00:33:41.459 is taken seriously 00:33:41.460 --> 00:33:43.259 and celebrated 00:33:43.259 --> 00:33:44.720 and sought after 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:46.340 for the great 00:33:46.340 --> 00:33:47.059 and precious gift 00:33:47.059 --> 00:33:47.600 that it is. 00:33:48.360 --> 00:33:49.000 We pray this 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:49.920 in your son's holy name. 00:33:50.160 --> 00:33:50.340 Amen.