I Corinthians 7:1-7
What does God say about “Safe Sex?”
There has been a campaign for our young people as well as for elderly people to practice safe sex. Some of this came about almost a decade ago when a famous basketball player named Ervin “Magic” Johnson had announced his retirement from the NBA because he was tested positive for the AIDS HIV virus. It was reported that Magic Johnson was stricken with the AIDS/HIV virus through heterosexual intercourse with various women.
Also there was another famous person who was affected by the AIDS HIV virus and his name was “Easy-E”, who was a famous rapper, and was one of the founding members of the rap group called the N.W.A. Tragically, “Easy-E” died from AIDS, and it was reported that “Easy-E” also was stricken with the AIDS/HIV virus through heterosexual intercourse with various women.
For many years, AIDS was known as a disease that only those who participated in homosexual activity, that is, men having sex with other men, or women having sex with other women. But when Magic Johnson announced that he had been diagnosed with the AID/HIV virus, it came to a shock to many people, and it made many people realize that not only homosexuals can get the disease, but those who are heterosexuals, or those who considered “straight” can get the AIDS/HIV virus as well.
And because Magic Johnson, who is a famous superstar who announced to the public that he has been tested positive for the AIDS/HIV virus, and because he is a role model to many people around the world, Magic Johnson has been chosen by many AIDS Research companies to an ambassador to warn people about the AIDS/HIV virus, and to practice safe sex. Many people predicted that because of Magic Johnson superstar status that he would be able to reach and teach many people, young and old, about the AIDS/HIV disease, and teach people about the importance of practicing safe sex. But yet as we look at the statistics today, yes, we have many people today who are practicing safe sex, but yet the percentage of people with AIDS/HIV virus is at an all time high, especially in the black community. So the question is being asked, “What does God say about Safe Sex?”
We have heard so many so-called experts who have spoken on the subject of safe sex. The experts say that if one is to engage in any sexual activity, one should practice safe sex. They say that the male should wear a condom so he can protect the woman and himself from any sexual transmitted disease or unwanted pregnancies. But research has proven that wearing the condom is only 99% proof, which means you can still get AIDS, or get a girl pregnant just by wearing a condom when engaging in sexual activity. So the question is still being asked: “What does God say about Safe Sex?”
Now God speaks to two groups of people when he speaks of safe sex: the unmarried or the single, and the married.
To the unmarried or single, God says this through the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 7:1, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” In other words, it is good for a single man or single woman not to involve one self in any sexual activity.
But in I Corinthians 7:2, it says, “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.”
You see, God created sex for husband and wife in marriage, and sex is to be performed only between husband and wife in marriage. Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled, but God will judge the whoremongers and adulterers.”
God created sex for marriage, and for marriage only. And since God created and ordained sex to be performed only husband and wife in marriage, God forbids any sexual relations before or outside marriage.
When a person has sex before marriage, that person has committed fornication. “Now the question is, “What does God say about fornication?”
I Thessalonians 4:4 says, “For this is the will of God even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication.”
I Corinthians 6:18 says, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committed fornication sinneth against his own body”, and the body is considered to the temple of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19)
From those passages of scriptures, God is telling the singles and the unmarried to abstain from any type of sexual activity until they get married. And because of the increasing danger of getting the AIDS/HIV virus, it is very wise as a single person to abstain from any sexual activity (period) whether you are going to get married or not.
To the married folk, God says this in Exodus 20:14, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” When one has sexual relations with someone else other than their husband or wife, that person has committed adultery. And the sin of adultery has broken up many marriages, and it has ruined many people reputations, such as politicians and preachers.
Proverbs 6:32-33 says, “But whoso committed adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; he that doeth destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonor shall he get; his reproach shall not be wiped away.”
And in Proverbs 6:34-35 says, “For jealousy is the rage of a man; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though thou gives many gifts.” In other words, not only will your reputation will get ruined if you commit adultery, but you might get yourself killed if you are messing around somebody else’s husband, or wife.
There is another sexual activity that is very common, and that is sexual activity is homosexuality. Homosexuality is when a man is having sexual relations with another man, or a woman having sexual relations with another woman. You see, God created man and woman to be sexually attracted to each other, not man sexually attracted to each other, nor woman sexually attracted to each other. Leviticus 18:22 says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is an abomination.”
But yet there is somebody complaining and saying, “Rev, you just don’t understand. Sexual temptation is just too great in the New Millieium. I mean, this is the year 2002, and the temptation to have sex is just too great. Yes, I understand that you should wait until you get married to have sex, but how can you wait until you get married to have sex when the temptation to have sex before marriage is just too great?
But God tells us in I Corinthians 10:13 that “There hath no temptation taken you, but such is as common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
God is able to give you the strength to say no to the temptation of sex and to avoid it. Jude 24a says “God is able to keep you from falling,” that is, God is able to keep you from falling into any type of sexual temptation if we just trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and pray for strength to overcome it. The Bible says in Phillipians 4:13 that “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Through Christ, we can overcome any sexual temptations that comes our way. The way to keep yourself from falling into any sexual temptation is to have this chain of thought:
“No matter what if I wear a condom or not, I still can get AIDS.”
“No matter what if I wear a condom or not, I still can get the girl pregnant.”
“No matter what if he wears a condom or not, I still can get pregnant or get AIDS.”
“So therefore, since I can still get AIDS or get a girl pregnant even if I wear a condom, or still get pregnant or get AIDS even if he wears a condom, it would be better for me to abstain from any sexual activity until I get married.”
But yet there is another question being asked, “Will God forgive me if I have fornicated, committed adultery, or engaged in a homosexual act?
The answer to that question is a resounding yes. God does forgive those who have committed fornication, adultery, or homosexuality, but that does not mean we should keep on doing it. The reason why I God will forgive you if you have committed fornication, adultery, or homosexuality because:
1. God forgave King David, when he committed adultery with another man’s wife, Bathesheba(2 Samuel 11 & Psalm 51)
2. God forgave the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery in John 8.
3. The apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 6:9-11 that God forgave the members in the church in Corinth who had been involved with fornication, adultery, and homosexuality.
And if God can forgive you of your sins, no matter what you have done:
1. According to Isaiah 43:25, He blots out your sins.
2. According to Isaiah 38:17, He cast them behind his back.
3. According to Micah 7:18, He cast them in to the depth of the sea.
4. According to Hebrews 8:12, He will remember your sins no more.
5. According to Isaiah 55:7, He will pardon your sins.
6. According to Acts 10:43, He will remit you sins
7. According to Psalm 103:12, He will remove your sins far from you as far as the east is from the west.
Now if you don’t remember all that I have just mention about what God will do for you when he forgives your sins, just remember this one; when God forgives you of your sins, He washes them away by the blood of Jesus, for “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin”(I John 1:7). But just because God will forgive us of our sins, that does not mean that we should continue to commit fornication, adultery, or homosexuality. Because of the high percentage of the possibilities in getting AIDS, we need to learn to change our ways.
Last, but not least, not only does God forgives you of your sin, but God still loves you even if you have AIDS. That is very important to know that know matter what your circumstance may be, with or without AIDS, God still cares and loves you. And since God cares and loves those who have AIDS, we as a Christian community must care and love those who are stricken with AIDS. It does not matter how they got the virus; just as Jesus had compassion on the man that was full of leprosy in Mark 1:41-45, God wants the church to have compassion on those who are stricken with AIDS. We need to pray, encourage, minister, and most importantly show the love of God to those who are stricken with the AIDS/HIV virus.
