Dear Friends,
Reluctantly, I am going to write on a subject which you and I would rather avoid. I shall do so because I believe it represents something important about the days in which we live, and something quite basic about our call to Christian witness.
As a younger man I never expected to say this, but I would be happy never to see the word sex again. We are under ceaseless pressure - even from the UK and Scottish governments now - not to oppose ever-increasing departures from divinely permitted sexual behaviour; do we have to go on, and on, and on, noting and taking a stand for Christian standards in this?
In essence the issue is this: in each generation the calling of believers is to defend whatever ground is under attack in their day.
In the 350s AD in Constantinople, it is said that the question on every lip - even to the stallholders in the street markets - concerned the person of Jesus Christ: was he like God, or was he God? A single letter marked the debate in the language then: homo-ousios, or homoi-ousios (is our Lord of similar nature, or the very nature, of God?). That one letter 'i' divided truth from error. It must have wearied some Christians to death: 'Does it matter that much?' Well, it does. As the verse says,
'What think you of Christ? That's the test
To try both your state and your scheme:
You cannot be right in the rest,
unless you think rightly of Him.'
All honour to those who patiently contended for the honour of Jesus; we are greatly in their debt.
In the sixteenth century the issue was, what is it that puts a person in the right with God: the issue of justification. Is justification a free gift from God by His grace alone, or can we earn it? It must have wearied some Christians to death: 'Does it matter that much?' Well, it does. All honour to those who patiently contended for the honour of Jesus; we are greatly in their debt.
In our day the presenting issue is sexual practice in all its varied forms. We might have thought that 'live and let live' would be the policy of the tolerant society, but no. The Bishop of Chester was investigated by the police for informing his local newspaper of research showing that some homosexual people revert to heterosexual behaviour. Edinburgh University banned its Christian Union from using the course 'Pure,' which explains the Biblical basis for keeping sex for marriage, on its premises. The national SORs (sexual orientation regulations) about to be introduced jeopardise business for any number of people especially from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths.
The title of the campaign opposing the CUs might well give us pause: it is called 'Stop Pure.' Make no mistake: the nation that lives by that slogan will die of it.
I wrote above that other practices are waiting in the wings to be promulgated, justified and insisted on once right-minded people have given up defending Christ's way on this one. These practices are already being pushed in the quieter literature. An example of such literature is, I'm told, William Countryman's book 'Dirt, Greed and Sex.' Yes, apparently he actually pushes for promiscuity as a good thing. If we give in on the current campaign we shall have life no easier; rather the reverse.
It is therefore for our society's health and future, as well as our Saviour's honour, that we note the campaign to be rid of His values and must commit ourselves to go on living by those values, stating them, promoting them, defending them and explaining them.
It is quite true: I would gladly never see the word sex again. I am weary of it and I am sure that you groaned when you found I was writing about it again. But that is exactly the point: in each generation the calling of believers is to defend whatever ground is under attack in their day. Does it matter that much? Yes, it does. Now is the time for Christian people courteously to say what they believe, courageously to live by it; and faithfully to pray for those engaged in contending for this current issue of our generation.
I fear we are a long way from the end of this debate, and that there might be cost involved in contending for Jesus in it. But we would rather promote our Saviour even when there is cost, than let down both him and our children and grandchildren. May they be able to say of us, 'All honour to those who patiently contended for the honour of Jesus; we are greatly in their debt.'
Yours sincerely,
C Peter White
