The Anatomy of Sin's Seduction

To understand how the flesh dupes us, consider James 1:14–15 in light of the principles of deception:

. . . each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James is writing to people trying to excuse their sin much the way Adam and Eve did in the Garden, pinning the blame on God. But James says that the whole guilt of sin lies in the sinner, as he is hoodwinked by the desires of his own flesh. He helps us unmask the con man within by exposing what the flesh wants, and how it goes about getting it from us.

First, the goal the flesh aims at is death (verse 15). What- ever sin pretends, it will end in death. The flesh wants us to believe that the consequences for dallying with sin will only be slight (not as much blessing from God, a cheaper seat in heaven). Knowing this is our first means of arming ourselves against deceit (as knowing that the used-car salesman will do anything to sell you a car helps to protect you from driving home the lemon while he laughs behind your back).   Continue at Alistair Begg,

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part Two

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part One

 

The Christian worldview must direct all consideration of sexuality to the institution of marriage. Marriage is not merely the arena for sexual activity, it is presented in Scripture as the divinely-designed arena for the display of God’s glory on earth as a man and a wife come together in a one-flesh relationship within the marriage covenant. Rightly understood and rightly ordered, marriage is a picture of God’s own covenantal faithfulness. Marriage is to display God’s glory, reveal God’s good gifts to His creatures, and protect human beings from the inevitable disaster that follows when sexual passions are divorced from their rightful place.

The marginalization of marriage, and the open antipathy with which many in the culture elite approach the question of marriage, produces a context in which Christians committed to a marriage ethic appear hopelessly out of step with the larger culture. Whereas marriage is seen as a privatized contract to be made and unmade at will in the larger society, Christians must see marriage as an inviolable covenant made before God and man, that establishes both temporal and eternal realities.

Christians have no right to be embarrassed when it comes to talking about sex and sexuality. An unhealthy reticence or embarrassment in dealing with these issues is a form of disrespect to God’s creation. Whatever God made is good, and every good thing God made has an intended purpose that ultimately reveals His own glory. When conservative Christians respond to sex with ambivalence or embarrassment, we slander the goodness of God and hide God’s glory which is intended to be revealed in the right use of creation’s gifts.   Continue at Al Mohler

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part One

The intersection of pornography and marriage is one of the most problematic issues among many couples today–including Christian couples. The pervasive plague of pornography represents one of the greatest moral challenges faced by the Christian church in the postmodern age. With eroticism woven into the very heart of the culture, celebrated in its entertainment, and advertised as a commodity, it is virtually impossible to escape the pervasive influence of pornography in our culture and in our lives. 

At the same time, the problem of human sinfulness is fundamentally unchanged from the time of the Fall until the present. There is no theological basis for assuming that human beings are more lustful, more defenseless before sexual temptation, or more susceptible to the corruption of sexual desire than was the case in any previous generation.

Two distinctions mark the present age from previous eras. First, pornography has been so mainstreamed through advertising, commercial images, entertainment, and everyday life, that what would have been illegal just a few decades ago is now taken as common dress, common entertainment, and unremarkable sensuality. Second, explicit eroticism–complete with pornographic images, narrative, and symbolism–is now celebrated as a cultural good in some sectors of the society. Pornography, now reported to be the seventh-largest business in America, claims its own icons and public figures. Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy, is considered by many Americans to be a model of entrepreneurial success, sexual pleasure, and a liberated lifestyle. The use of Hugh Hefner as a spokesman by a family-based hamburger chain in California indicates something of how pornography itself has been mainstreamed in the culture.   Continue at Al Mohler

The Seduction of Pornography

The Silent Seduction of Self-Talk Conforming Deadly Thought Patterns to the Word of God

Through personal example, Beach demonstrates how to replace sinister self-talk with God-centered self-talk.

Shelly Beach kept a full ministry schedule. Looking back, she believes she kept herself busy as an escape mechanism, a distraction from dealing with what lurked in her heart and mind. She knew that the person she put forth for others to see and the person who dominated her thoughts were not the same. She describes it as "spiritual schizophrenia." But it was during an intense time of suffering that Beach began to deal with the conflicting voices in her mind. While lying in a hospital bed, she did not have anything to distract her from the voices she heard in her mind. "A parallel awareness stirred in my thoughts," she writes. "I was arguing with myself. How strange was that? I was actually telling myself conflicting things that couldn't possibly both be true." The Silent Seduction of Self-Talk is the story of how through suffering God taught Beach how to stop silencing His voice, learn to listen to Him, and control her thoughts. Read the rest HERE