During my youth, it was common for church groups to attend purity rallies where thousands of teenagers committed to abstaining from sex until marriage. In an increasingly fluid culture, we must remain clear about what the Bible teaches regarding human sexuality. One of society’s most pervasive lies is that sex can be casual; however, it never is. Because sex inherently unites individuals both physically and spiritually, “casual sex” inevitably causes harm to everyone involved. Yet, there is a vital distinction between warning people about sexual sin and heaping shame upon the sinner.
We must remember that a Savior came and died for these sins, overcoming death to restore those suffering from the consequences of their choices. My friend Matt Chandler recalls attending a rally where a speaker attempted to illustrate the damage of sexual sin using a visual aid. At the start of the presentation, the speaker passed a beautiful, fragrant rose through the audience, asking everyone to admire its soft petals and sweet scent.
By the time the rose returned to the stage, it was wilted, drooping, and stripped of its petals. The speaker held up the remains and asked, “Who would want this rose?” implying that the answer was no one. While the speaker’s intent was to highlight the weight of sin, Matt felt compelled to shout, “Jesus wants the rose!” For those whose lives have been impacted by past mistakes, there is genuine hope for restoration after moral failure and healing sexual brokenness.
I think I get where that speaker was coming from. In an increasingly fluid culture, we need to be clear about what the Bible says about sex. One of our culture’s favorite lies is that sex can be casual. But it never is. Sex inherently unites people, body and soul, so much so that “casual sex” does damage to everyone involved.
But there’s a difference between warning people about sexual sin and heaping shame on the sexual sinner.
Remember: There is a Savior who came and died for those sins. He overcame them through the grave so that he could restore those who have suffered because of their sin.
This is why, when Matt heard the speaker ask, “Who would want this rose?” he wanted to jump up and yell, “Jesus wants the rose!”
For those whose lives and marriages have been destroyed by sexual sin, there is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.
The Christian message is that we have a Savior who came to live the life we should have lived and die the death we were condemned to die. His resurrection shows us that there is no deadness in our lives that he cannot resurrect. There is nothing sin has broken that he cannot repair. There is nothing sin has stolen that he cannot restore. He can make all things new.
The Gospel writer, Matthew, in the genealogy that begins his book, recounts that Jesus comes from a family line with (among other things) one woman who for a time in her life was a prostitute and also through the offspring of an adulterous relationship. What else is that supposed to tell us other than that God’s grace can bring the life of Christ out of the worst mistakes?
From your sexual sin, God can bring Christ into your life and beauty from your ashes. There is no rose with sin so deep that he will not claim as his own.
This article originally appeared on JDGreear.com and is reposted here by permission.