Romans 6: 7-11 NKJV
I read a article today. Well, I glanced at it actually before I found I disagreed with his premise alltogether. I'm not surprised, there are few modern authors out there who, I feel, can hit the nail on the head as far as the essence of manhood is concerned. John Eldredge, Andrew Farley and Wayne Jacobsen come to mind immediately. But this guy Neal Kennedy? Never heard of him until now. Mr. Kennedy was the individual who wrote the article which I perused for a short time. The article "11 Ways For A Man To Keep Himself Pure" I believe missed the point on a key issue, our sin. Now, I've touched on this topic from time to time in my previous writings, but todays article got me to thinking of this issue once again. It is my belief that men today are suffering from three basic issues which are readily accessible pornography, the 1960's self independence movement and a lack of understanding as to who they are in Christ.
It's no big secret that we men especially are more often than not to be the ones who will fall into the temptation of pornography. Sure, women fall into this trap as well, but with men it has reached a epidemic. In fact, Mr. Kennedy mentioned a condition which I was aware of but never knew had a official title. That condition being Porn Induced Erectile Dysfunction (PIED). This is of no surprise to me, as my generation and that which followed have suffered from the ready availability of pornography to the masses. Make no mistake, this is a big money industry worldwide. People talk of drug cartels and gangs but don't mention the porn cartel industry. It is just harmful, if not more, than other gangs in this country. For with the click of a mouse, men can now access thousands of pornagraphic images and movies to feed their spiraling addictions. "So what," critics will say, "It doesn't really hurt anyone!" Huh? If pornography does not hurt anyone, then why did someone go to the trouble of creating a disorder connected to it? The truth of the matter is that pornography damages our perception of just what a Godly intimate relationship with another can be. In fact, far from being intimacy at all, I find it to be simple selfishness, with our only goal being the fullfilment of our own selfish desires!
I have a saying i use when describing the seeming downfall of our morals in our modern society. That saying being "It all began in the 60's." I don't feel I'm too far off base in this observation either. For the 1960's brought us free love, indiscriminate drug use and that movement called womens liberation. I'm sure that there are more than a few in my generation who agree with this. The scary thing is that the young hippies of the 1960's grew up to become the teachers and professors of todays public schools and universities. I see this as a social revolution from within. Don't like the way your kids are being taught in school? That's the 1960's folks. Of course, we've all heard the grumblings of the modern woman who complains that there are "No good men left." Well, excuse me miss womens lib, but you're now reaping what your sisters before you sowed! Men these days have been conditioned to be passive beyond all else. There are more than a few womens rights leaders out there who see my gender as violent, selfish and abusive. Of course, there are certainly men out there who display these traits, but they are a minority. I find it truly offensive that men these days have been labled as such. Where have all the good men gone? Nowhere, we've just been reconditioned to be passive wimps for fear of offending some liberal womens rights activist!
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV
Here's a question for you einstein, how does one fight a enemy he's already defeated? Did the allies fight the Germans and Japaneese twice in World War two? Did Custer die twice at Little Big Horn? NO! Yet, looking at Romans 6 we see the apostle Paul telling us to "Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin." Now wait a minute, if we who are in Christ Jesus are indeed dead to sin, then why do we engage in it? Believe me, I've asked this very same thing myself. The truth is, we ARE indeed now dead to sin but alive in Christ Jesus! The truth which Paul refered to as the "Great mystery among the gentiles" is revealed to us in Galations 2:20. We can be assured that we now live AS JESUS who is in us. That being said, it is whatever we see, taste or experience now that we experience as Jesus Himself. He is in us, He lives through us. So, that pornography you're looking at when you think nobodys watching? Well, Jesus is seeing it through your eyes! Is this what we want to experience with Christ? We can rest assured that we no longer live in sin, for sin is an enemy which has been wiped out by the death of Jesus Christ. We are not sinners saved by grace, but a new creation in Jesus. Our "Old man" being put to death and replaced with our new identity in Christ. Why do we continue to fight a defeated enemy?
~Scott~
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