An Adulterous Generation
Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:27-30
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’”
—Matthew 5:27
These words of Jesus are especially relevant to our generation. Pornography is freely accessible, almost unavoidable, on the Internet. And magazines that pander to lust defend their right to publish by freedom of the press. Such “freedom” is no more than a lie that cleverly disguises the chains of slavery for the eagerly gullible. How can a person expect to find harmony and balance in a life consumed with raging lusts?
In adulterous generations like ours, people who turn to Christ for salvation must struggle to break the chains of lust. In the past, some have gone to the extreme of gouging out their eyes, only to find that adulterous dreams continue to plague them. But we know that Jesus’ words should not be followed literally.
Paul’s teaching is the same as Jesus’ when he says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). And James says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). If we don’t do that, we will be “like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life” (Proverbs 7:23).
O God, by your Spirit living in us, give us faith and strength to put to death all that is sinful in us, and fill our lives with what is healthy and wholesome, in keeping with your will. In Jesus’ name we ask this. Amen.
About the author — George Young
George Young, a native New Yorker, worked as a taxi driver in New York City before studying to become a pastor. Then he, his wife Ruth, and their children were missionaries for many years in northeastern Japan. They worked with ministers and believers from the Reformed Church in Japan to spread the good news of salvation in Christ and establish new churches. Now George and Ruth are retired and live in the northeastern United States, nearer to their children and grandchildren.
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