Sex, Sorcery, and Sin

I was asked two good questions by a couple of different co-workers today.

1. Is sex sin?

No, sex is not sin. In fact, it is good for a husband and wife to please and enjoy each other sexually. God wants husbands and wives to enjoy sex with each other. This passage explains the biblical viewpoint very well:

"Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, Is it a good thing to have sexual relations?

"Certainly--but only within a certain context. It's good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder. The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality--the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. Marriage is not a place to 'stand up for your rights.' Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out. Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it's for the purposes of prayer and fasting--but only for such times. Then come back together again. Satan has an ingenious way of tempting us when we least expect it. I'm not, understand, commanding these periods of abstinence--only providing my best counsel if you should choose them" (1 Corinthians 7:1-6, The Message).

2. I was thinking about going to a fortuneteller to get my palm read. Do you think that would be a good idea?

God warns us in the Bible against getting involved in witchcraft, sorcery, astrology, and other forms of the occult. He is concerned that we will be deceived by satanic forces. He does not want us to trust in spiritual authorities other than himself, because he knows that only he is completely trustworthy. God wants us to come to him with our deepest concerns, rather than going to someone who may be deceived by demons. Here are a few passages about the occult:

"Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons" (1 Corinthians 10:19-20).

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21).

"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

Homer Simpson Theology

As I remember the old episode of The Simpsons, Homer was being chased by a ferocious bull. Just as the bull was closing in on him and he thought that he was going to die, Homer cried out, "Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha...I love you all!"

Homer Simpson's theology reminds me of the theology of the Israelites from the days of the judges until the Babylonian captivity. They never abandoned the true God; they simply added other gods to their worship. (However, God saw it as abandonment, and he was right. By adding other false gods, they had forsaken him in reality. They demonstrated that they did not really trust him.) They attempted to use the Lord when he was needed (to win a war or to produce a crop), but when they perceived that he was failing them, they would turn to other gods in hope that the other gods would give them what they wanted.

I understand that Homer Simpson theology is still a problem in areas where idolatry is common today. Some people may claim to believe in Jesus in India, for example, but they may have only added him to their pantheon of gods, making him another idol to use for selfish reasons.

In America, someone may believe in Christ to some extent, but check the horoscope for direction in daily living rather than the words of Jesus Christ. When we engage in such activity, we are embracing Homer Simpson theology. Christ has simply become another idol to use for our personal benefit. We have rejected him as Lord. Our proclamations of love for him ring hollow. Many more examples of Homer Simpson theology could be cited, but the important thing is to heed the words of the apostle John: "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21, NIV).