Biblical Sexualities: part 5

The final installment of this series on sexualities is finally here. "What is it?" you may ask, and you are about to find out. We have looked at what the Bible says about Heterosexuality, Homosexuality, Bi-, Pan-, Poly-, and Asexuality; so what's left? Really? The one thing that all of these have in common is that they are a certainty in one's life. Ergo, the last thing to discuss is the most fluid sexuality, the one that is still. . .

Questioning.

Many adolescents go through phases of uncertainty regarding their sexuality, as well as many other things about their life, including their faith and what not. Now, I want to take the approach of likening these things: faith and sexuality. There is a certain point when decisions start being made about whether or not to adopt their parents' beliefs. By questioning one's beliefs in God and religion, we determine where we as free-thinking individuals stand with God. We develop our own unique relationship with God, and in doing we either affirm our parents' beliefs our refuse them.

The same can be said of sexuality. From childhood we are presented with models of sexuality that we can either internalize them or reject them. By taking the time to truly question our sexuality, we can determine our own identity, what is truly in our hearts and not just what the world tells us to believe, who to love. Obviously the Bible does not talk much on the topic questioning one's sexuality, however, I did find something to talk about.

Genesis 1:"21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.' 23 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. 24 And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."

So, God tells us to "be fruitful and multiply," which we often take to mean that God also designed the sex drive, which tells us to "get happy." And because Faith and Sexuality are interconnected, questioning one's sexuality should be just as natural as questioning one's faith. There is a preferred way to deal with sexuality should you wish to follow the "multiply" portion of life not realizing the fact that our world has too many mouths to feed on such poor leadership, Heterosexuality is the way to go, buy hey, I can't tell you how to live your life.

So let me close out this series with a passage from Romans 14:

"22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."

Biblical Sexualities: part 4

In this series on Biblical perspectives on the various sexual orientations, we have come to a certain end. By an end, I mean to say that I have covered the vast majority of sexualities (with the exception of Poly-sexuality, but the argument about Pan-sexuality pretty much can cover that as well). However, for those of you who were astute enough to notice, there is another piece to this puzzle. (Actually, there will be a part 5, but you can find out what that is going to be tomorrow.) Currently, the missing piece is: the lack of sexuality.

Asexuality

A definition might be in order for everyone who is unfamiliar with Asexuality, and think I'm talking about people who reproduce by budding. Someone who is Asexual generally does not feel sexual attraction towards anyone: men, women, trans, androgynous, etc. This is not to say that they cannot fall in love, as many have what are known as "romantic drives." Also, many Asexuals also have a sex drive, it just is not tuned towards any orientation. Also, Asexuality is not Celibacy, though I will briefly discuss both here. Many, but not all Asexuals, find the act of sexual intercourse to repulsive, which could honestly make a celibate lifestyle easier, should one choose that lifestyle. But anyway, let's talk about the Bible and eunuchs.

Matthew 19:10 "The disciples said to him, 'If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.' 11 Jesus replied, 'Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.'"

Now, obviously this passage talks about celibacy, but it can provide us some insight to how the Bible views Asexuality. Being Asexual is like someone being born a eunuch, (not really, but for the sake of comparison, roll with it). One who was born a eunuch may still feel a romantic attraction, but due to lacking the capability to make certain hormones from birth, may never have experienced sexual attraction. They can still to valuable Kingdom work, and just as back in the contextual times, there were certain tasks only given to eunuchs, there are certain things that Asexuals can do more easily because they lack what Paul later calls the "distraction" of sexual desire.

1 Corinthians 7:"8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.". . .
"27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. 29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none". . .
"32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the LORD's affairs--how he can please the LORD. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife-- 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the LORD's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the LORD in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the LORD."

Okay, so it is better never to marry. In fact, don't just not ever marry, don't seek to be married or locked in a consensual relationship because you're actually going to care about your spouse/ significant other. There is a bit of sense here though, concerning the risk of placing your spouse above God in your life.

As stated previously, Paul is primarily talking about celibacy, but it also has insight into the life of an Asexual. By not giving into sexual desire, one is better able to focus on other things, in Paul's case: spreading the gospel. So, while in Mathew, we see that the Bible tells us that choosing celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven is to be preferred over all, but Paul's extrapolation tells us that Asexuals are not to be put down just because they may find it easier to focus on Kingdom work. Now, I'm not saying that Asexuals are preferred by God, because it was made clear that chosen celibacy is preferred, at least according to Paul.

So, yeah. One more installment, stick around until tomorrow night and find out what the last edition is.

Crazy Love

I am currently finishing reading the book Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. Throughout this reading, I feel as though I have been personally challenged to change the way I live. Mostly (and this is personal) in the area of generosity. I think that God has convicted my heart because I am not a generous person, and thus I want to change. I know that God has allowed me to experience life in a unique way, a set of experiences that no one else has exactly. God has placed in my hands specific tools to do a specific work with. No one else can do the job that I was made for; no one else can connect with the people like I can in the encounters that He has planned in my life.

And every individual has a unique, God-given set of life-tools that only they can wield. Imagine what life would be like if every individual actually lived out their life, not to their fullest, but to God’s fullest. News flash: God can do more with your life than you ever could on your own. Imagine actually being able to see through God’s eyes, naturally loving every person with all your heart, without a second thought. How amazing would that be?

So, from here on out, I have decided to take a step of faith. Along with my regular tithe, I am going to give more freely on a daily basis. Whether it is a dollar to a stranger at the gas pump, or the person behind me in the restaurant, it does not even matter. God blesses what we give, not only to whom we give it, but the givers as well. I don’t know about you, but I need more God in my life. I need more crazy love, more awesome power, more Jesus in my daily life.

So, what are you going to do?