Tenchi
Member
Walk by faith not by sight. At least contrary to walking in the flesh.
And the Bible? What does it describe of "walking in the Spirit"? How does doing so make it possible for a believer "not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh"? (Galatians 5:16)
What does it mean to "walk by faith, not by sight"? How is this the essence of walking in the Spirit, as your response above seems to imply?
If you're married with your partner, you're no longer two, but one, this one-body union with Christ is just a matter of fact.
You seem to think this oneness is a physical thing. Obviously, my wife and I - or any married couple - don't share a single body. We haven't melded into one physical being, parts of my wife and I forming its shape. So, then, what is it to be "one"?
What does it mean to be "one with Christ"? Scripture is really clear that the believer's union with him is a spiritual thing, not a physical one (Romans 6; Romans 8:9-16; Titus 3:5-7; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 1:3-14). Can you describe the nature of this union? It's not sexual in the slightest.
I emphasize on the "sexua" nature because, again, the topic of this thread is about sexuality. If you don't wanna talk about it, don't reply.
Again, you don't get to dictate to what I will, or will not, reply. I've already replied extensively to the OP. I'm only addressing you, as I've said, because your sexualizing of the spiritual union the believer has with God is badly in error and grotesque. If you don't want me commenting on your skewed notions of what it is to be "in Christ," just stop posting them (or conform your thinking to what God's word actually says).
Sir, you're making false accusations, what I said was the opposite - "there will be no marriage or giving into marriage in the resurrection like angels," angels are sexless, they don't reproduce, and neither will we in the kingdom. That's the eternal heavenly experience, it's DEsexualized.
You wrote:
"In modern Christian view, sex - from kissing, fondling, undressing, shower, foreplay to intercourse, the whole shebang - is a foretaste of our spiritual union with Jesus in heaven, like a trailer of a movie. Sex by God's design is the consumation of a loving relationship, it's about losing yourself and merging with your partner, transcending physical boundaries and feeling the presence of God when you hit climax."
Your statement here isn't at all "de-sexualized." Along with being very wrong and obscene, it's also so over-romanticized, it's silly. "Losing yourself," "transcending physical boundaries," "feeling the presence of God when you hit climax" - these are all the sorts of over-the-top things one might read in a Harlequin Romance novel. The last remark, though, about "feeling the presence of God when you hit climax" is pretty vile.
What I described is nothing but sanctified sex within wedlock. If you're really married and you believe that's what God intended, you wouldn't have disparaged human sexuality the way you do in your mean-spirited reply.
My reply isn't "mean-spirited" it simply strongly disagrees with some of your remarks. Do you believe your posts are above criticism and challenge?
And I'm not "disparaging human sexuality"; I'm pointing out that the believer's spiritual union with, and spiritual experience of, God has nothing to do with orgasm. Though this should be obvious to anyone who understands basic Christian living, it seems it isn't to you.
The Bible is very clear that the flesh and the spirit don't mix to good effect but are, actually, in opposition to one another.
Galatians 5:17
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Romans 7:18
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
Romans 8:5-9
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
No sir, you seem to be offended by an honest, cathartic discussion about human sexuality, you're acting just like a typical prudish parent who perpetuates the stigmization of sex and suppresses any mention of sex because sex is taboo, a necessarily evil for reproduction.
I get that this silly characterization of my posts (and of me, personally) makes it easier for you to dismiss what I've pointed out, but its entirely wrong.
As a married guy, I don't need a "cathartic discussion about human sexuality." I'm not pent-up about sex as some may be. It's great! My wife and I enjoy very much what God has created for us in this regard. But this doesn't mean I ignore God's restrictions on the matter of human sexuality, or develop corrupt and obscene correlations between orgasm and experiencing God.
Hey I'm just giving you an honest report about my interaction with her about "need" and "self-centeredness". If you don't like it, leave it. I don't wanna cause any collateral damage.
Yes, you did want to "cause collateral damage." Why else would you have brought her into the discussion in such a disparaging and unnecessary way? If you don't want me saying so, don't write such things. And as far as being "honest" is concerned, well, you aren't the first to use "honesty" as a cloak for verbal abuse.
If you don't have a temporary, earthly experience of God, how can you begin to imagine such an eternal, heavenly experience of God? You and I are still living in our sinful earthly lives, nobody's ever been to heaven and come back except lord Jesus himself.
Nowhere in God's word is the believer's spiritual experience of Him ever equated to orgasm. Instead, when the New Testament offers from the marriage union a glimpse into what it is to walk with God, it never mentions anything sexual but things like the hierarchy of authority in marriage, self-sacrifice (Ephesians 5:22-29), purity (2 Corinthians 11:2), and the temporality of the marriage union (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25).
My daily experience of God is as the Bible describes: He convicts me, teaches me, strengthens me, comforts me and transforms me, filling me with the life and "fruit" of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; Ephesians 3:16; Philippians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). There is nothing at all sexual about this experience, certainly nothing orgasmic, which is exactly what I would expect given what God's word says about the oppositional nature of the flesh and Spirit. See above.
I don't, then, need to imagine what walking with God will be like in eternity, but can extrapolate - somewhat - from my experience of "walking in the Spirit" today to fellowship with God forever in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22). Doing so encourages me enormously, because as astonishing and powerful as God is in my life now; as faithful, gracious and patient as He is with me today; as wise, gentle and persistent with me as He always is, my unimpeded experience of Him in eternity will no longer be "through a mirror dimly" but in unobscured, glorious fullness!
One other thing: Over the years, I've discipled many guys who've struggled with pornography. All of them had "tells," things they did and said (and didn't say) that give away that they were looking often at porn. I'm getting in our interaction, the "flavor" of what I've often experienced in my discipleship of these guys. If you need help in this area, I'd urge you to check out my "Every Man's Battle" thread in the Bible Studies subforum on this site.
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