Our discussion this week piggy-backs off the last two weeks. We are faced with the same questions, along with some new ones. Feel free to interact with this or any of the related blogs below!
Perhaps too often we view purity as something swiftly knocked down by a cataclysmic storm like a tornado. One minute a person is a strong Christian, and the next they succumb to their passions and lust. Pastors and lay people alike fall into the temptation trap and fall quickly from grace. Or is it more gradual than that?
Is the destruction more similar to a termite infestation – where we lose small battles in the mind that erode our foundation? Suddenly one day a breeze (temptation) comes along and knocks our house (purity) over. Shocking as it may seem to others, we realize that impurity is a road we have been traveling for a long time. Is the erosion of a person’s purity an overnight event, or a long process? When is temptation lost – in the mind or in the body?
We also talked about the 3 temptations of Christ (Matt. 4; Mark 1; Luke 1). The first temptation Satan tempted Jesus to turn rocks into bread. Jesus was tempted with the lust of the flesh. It was a real temptation. What do you think about this and the other temptations of Christ? Can this tell us anything about the temptation Paul talks about in our passage?
We talked a bit about the 3 sources of evil – Satan, the world, and ourselves. Is there Scriptural support for this? Have you ever thought about Satan being unable to tempt you and me at the same time? That perhaps some temptations come from my own inner badness? (James 1:12-15)
How about my body? Will it one day be destroyed & replaced? Does 1 Cor. 6:13 say that God will destroy my body? Or is my body somehow eternal? What does Scripture say about the skin I am in?
Let’s interact a bit on these issues as it relates to Scripture and life. Does our 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 text shed any light? What about other passages? What does Scripture say about temptation? What about purity? Sorry that I have more questions than answers this week! Feel free to interact with any of these questions - you don't need to answer them all!
I look forward to hearing what you find! Let’s dig together for Truth. Enjoy the journey!!!
2 comments:
I am intrigued by purity as I watch Jesus hang out with numerous wild women. How did he do that? If I do the same, must I fail, or could I with his help pull it off as he did?
rabbi, what a great issue you bring up. jesus not only broke the religious norms of his day, but ours as well. how come, 2,000 years later, we would be just as shocked to have jesus as a member of our church? i dare say he wouldn't fit in our evangelical mold.
hopefully, we could pull off hangin' with wild women for the right reasons. we would probably face religious persecution, but that is a small price to pay.
purity is priceless, because there is such a high price on peoples' souls and bodies. this motivates me to seek to build others up in purity. it also encourages me to seek restoration and forgiveness for the impure.
a blog of a young lady who used to attend our church lit my fire today - read it here! (thescarsoflove.blogspot.com - June 7th post)
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