1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Today’s passage, from verse 9 through 20, is about as “politically incorrect” and “countercultural” as you can get these days! I don’t see any “wiggle room” whatsoever. People with homosexual inclinations insist they were “born that way,” and girls who go on Only Fans think it’s simply a legitimate source of income. The whole “transsexual” nonsense is simply an intensification of that, and it is a very clear example of “sinning against your own body,” as it says in verse 18. When we don’t recognize God’s standards we run into countless problems, even tragedies. This is why the devil has worked so hard to attack the idea of absolute truth, spawning the lies of “my truth” and “your truth.” Everyone’s perceptions are different, certainly, but perceptions aren’t the same as truth. That’s what optical illusions are all about. There are weather phenomena that do things like making it seem an island is levitating out of the ocean, for example, but that doesn’t mean it’s really doing that. The simple fact of the matter is that God created us male and female, and He created us for purity and the marital bond. The real battleground isn’t our bodies, it’s our minds. We make countless excuses, but we are arguing the devil’s case for him when we do. The way to genuine, and eternal, joy and peace is repentance and faith. It doesn’t matter how far down we’ve gone, if we turn around in genuine repentance, we discover the incredible reality of God’s amazing grace. It’s no accident that the best-loved hymn, world-wide, is probably Amazing Grace, whose lyrics were written by the former captain of a slave-trading ship. It’s hard to get lower than that! Discovering God’s grace, John Newton eventually became a pastor. That should give hope to everyone who has swallowed the devil’s lies and sinned against their own body, and so against God and mankind.

It would be nice if I could claim unblemished purity, but that’s certainly not the case. I have great difficulty understanding homosexuality, but I have a lot of empathy for those involved in heterosexual sin – and this passage covers all of that. In my youth, “if it feels good, do it” was the mantra, and now we hear “love is love” and the like. I’m not to be taken in by any of that, but I am to have mercy on those who are. That’s not to say that I’m to excuse them, much less participate in or encourage their delusions. Speaking other than the truth is not love! However, I am not to personally condemn them, but rather point them to the God who loved them enough to die an absolutely horrible death in their place. I am to be a proponent and exemplar of God’s truth, including not simply His standards of absolute purity but also complete redemption, so that as many as will may repent and believe, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, You know who came to mind as I was writing. My heart breaks for them, but not more than yours does. May I be available at all times and in all ways as a channel of Your grace, love, and truth, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!