Aphrodite
I Corinthians 7:1–9
“Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”
The Apostle Paul lays out some advice on sexual relationships. The Corinthian church struggled within the cultural milieu they were in, Corinth was, after all, the centre of the worship of Aphrodite/Venus, and contrary to popular belief, she was not the goddess of love, but the goddess of lust and sex (in Homer’s The Iliad, Hera/Juno would’ve promised Paris better in the area of marriage and lasting relationships but the naive shepherd chose Aphrodite). This is how we may feel nowadays, it seems we’re back in the early church era and here the church must continue to affirm the truth about sexuality as laid out in God’s Word. Article II of the Nashville Statement says “We affirm that God’s revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage. We deny that any affections, desires, or commitments ever justify sexual intercourse before or outside marriage; nor do they justify any form of sexual immorality” http://bit.ly/2Dkw2T5 The LORD isn’t some cosmic killjoy, as some Christians in history would have us also believe that extreme, but that God desires us to consummate our passions in Him and within His healthy boundaries and God has enclosed the reproductive act of love within marriage and commanded us to keep it: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous (Heb 13:4).” Within the Church we uphold our moral values and try to influence those outside, but of course, we do not impose but in wisdom and genuine love for our neighbours we persuade as much as we can of implications and consequences, of effects to society, of benefit to the community with just as much standing as any other citizen within the nations and the global community where God has placed us. Against the backdrop of an ever increasing rebellious culture (or it could be becoming more religious than we think), we must live out our values as examples to our friends and loved ones, values that honour and glorify God. Here I would echo the prayer pf the Living Life writer today: “Lord, help me to fight against lust and sexual temptation. May I not despise the gifts of marriage or celibacy in my life or the lives of others. Help me to seek You with all my heart regardless of my marital status. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”
The Apostle Paul lays out some advice on sexual relationships. The Corinthian church struggled within the cultural milieu they were in, Corinth was, after all, the centre of the worship of Aphrodite/Venus, and contrary to popular belief, she was not the goddess of love, but the goddess of lust and sex (in Homer’s The Iliad, Hera/Juno would’ve promised Paris better in the area of marriage and lasting relationships but the naive shepherd chose Aphrodite). This is how we may feel nowadays, it seems we’re back in the early church era and here the church must continue to affirm the truth about sexuality as laid out in God’s Word. Article II of the Nashville Statement says “We affirm that God’s revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage. We deny that any affections, desires, or commitments ever justify sexual intercourse before or outside marriage; nor do they justify any form of sexual immorality” http://bit.ly/2Dkw2T5 The LORD isn’t some cosmic killjoy, as some Christians in history would have us also believe that extreme, but that God desires us to consummate our passions in Him and within His healthy boundaries and God has enclosed the reproductive act of love within marriage and commanded us to keep it: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous (Heb 13:4).” Within the Church we uphold our moral values and try to influence those outside, but of course, we do not impose but in wisdom and genuine love for our neighbours we persuade as much as we can of implications and consequences, of effects to society, of benefit to the community with just as much standing as any other citizen within the nations and the global community where God has placed us. Against the backdrop of an ever increasing rebellious culture (or it could be becoming more religious than we think), we must live out our values as examples to our friends and loved ones, values that honour and glorify God. Here I would echo the prayer pf the Living Life writer today: “Lord, help me to fight against lust and sexual temptation. May I not despise the gifts of marriage or celibacy in my life or the lives of others. Help me to seek You with all my heart regardless of my marital status. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
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