Oh Really?

Cliff Diving Free Fall PART I

Thrill seekers on the lookout for extreme sports may engage in liff !iving as they "ump from great heights hoping to lan! unharme! in the #ater $elo#% In the physi al realm $y an! large they su ee! in repeating their feats many times over& es aping some#hat $ruise! $ut other#ise alive% In our so iety there is a more lethal form of liff !iving #hi h lea!s to a free fall in to o$livion% The 'i$le #arns expli itly a$out this ethi al& moral free fall an! the per!ition it ensures as people seek the thrill of self(assertiveness apart from )o!*s ethi al realm% To have a look at this phenomenon #e #ill visit the $ook of +eviti us an! pro$e )o!*s !ealing #ith the nations #hi h inha$ite! Canaan prior to Israel*s on,uest% )o! has $een a use! of ruelty an! mass geno i!e in his approa h to these peoples an! Christians ten! to $e at a loss to explain )o!*s initial mer y an! eventual "usti e regar!ing them% The $ook sits after )enesis #hi h may $e summe! up as re or!ing man*s rule an! su$se,uent fall- it is pla e! after .xo!us in #hi h the $loo! sa rifi e is intro!u e! as the #ay out of slavery% Then& in +eviti us& man is given the gui!e of ho# to have fello#ship #ith )o! as the altar of atonement provi!es for man*s nee! in this regar!% The $ook& says 'axter& is a revelation of )o!*s hara ter& provi!es $asi prin iples of )o!*s !ealings& gives a $o!y of ivi rules for any ulture& an! evi!en es types of Christ% The first seventeen hapters give o$"e tive rules regar!ing so ietal phenomena- the hapters eighteen to t#enty(seven a!!ress moral& ethi al regulations ne essary for san tifie! living in )o!*s sight% /istori ally& it is given at a time #hen Israel is in the #il!erness& has left one pagan ulture $ehin! an! is a$out to engage another one& possi$ly even more !eprave! than the one from #hi h they #ere !elivere!% An! the +or! tells them to keep separate from $oth 0+eviti us 1231(45% The inha$itants of Canaan kno# a$out the +or!& /is !ealings #ith .gypt& an! /is mighty a ts on $ehalf of the people of Israel% Raha$ testifies to this #hen she meets the spies 06oshua 75% For forty years& the time of a #hole generation shift& these nations are given time to repent an! restore righteousness% This is mer y% As it turns out& Raha$ is the only one #ho es apes the eventual "u!gement as she repents an! turns from her #ays- all others are ourt martialle!% Rev% 8#in!lehurst 007914& Nations in Decay& Provi!en e& :8A5 re ounts ho# a sanitation expert tol! his lass a$out a house an! its environment #hi h #ere so infeste! #ith o k roa hes that fumigation an! all other means for re!eeming the pro$lem faile! an! that the oun il ha! to !e i!e to $urn the house an! all the gar!en trees% The !eterioration ha! gone too far% 6ust so& the measure of Canaan #as full 0 f% Deuteronomy ;3<(=5% Canaan*s ini,uity& or $etter sai!& perversity& #as $eyon! the moral omman!ments #hi h )o! sets $efore /is people% >.very sin that a man !oeth is #ithout the $o!y$ut he that ommitteth forni ation sinneth against his o#n $o!y&? #e rea! in 1 Cor%@312% In +eviti us 12 the +or! #arns /is people against in!ulging in the sexual sins of the Canaanites 01237A5% Foun!ational to the psy he of people #ho engage in these exploits is pri!e an! self(!etermination& asserts R% Champagne 'utterfiel! in her $ook The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert% The $ehaviour is a !ire t

onse,uen e of man follo#ing his o#n emotional leanings an! self(formulate! prin iples rather than )o!*s reation an! ovenant prin iples% In +eviti us 12 )o! for$i!s any inter ourse #ith next(of(kin $esi!e one*s o#n spouse or #ith any one outsi!e the family realm% 0The expression Bto un over some one*s nake!ness* as use! in the text means Bto have sexual inter ourse%*5 :p to an! in lu!ing verse 1< the +or! on!emns the natural sexual a tivity $et#een man an! #oman exer ise! outsi!e the $on! of marriage% /o#ever& in the Creator*s ethi al purvie# the situation among the inha$itants of Canaan $e omes parti ularly a$omina$le #hen the reation $oun!ary $et#een the t#o sexes is #ipe! a#ay an! men #ith men an! #omen #ith #omen engage sexually% The loa!ing of the #or! Ba$omination* in verse 77 a tually unpa ks something morally !isgusting% Can has at that point gone in to moral free fall% The next phase in to that voi! is $estiality 0verse 745& a further violation of the natural in stepping over the line #hi h )o! !re# #hen /e reate! all Bafter their kin!* 0)enesis 1371(7A5& setting man nota$ly apart as /is image $earer% The land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants 0verse 7=5. Catthe# /enry #rites& >The very groun! they #ent upon !i!& as it #ere& groan un!er them& an! #as si k of them& an! not easy till it ha! !is harge! itself of these enemies of the Lord 0Isa% 137<5% This $espeaks the extreme loathsomeness of sin- sinful man in!ee! drinks in iniquity like water $ut the harmless part of the reation even heaves at it& an! rises against it% Cany a house an! many a to#n have spe#e! out the #i ke! inha$itants& as it #ere& #ith a$horren e%? The very environment a ts like a heaving stoma h #hi h nee!s to vomit out a poison $efore it infe ts the intestines an! the rest of the $o!y% /omosexuality an! les$ianism are serious sins in )o!*s sight as !emonstrate! in +eviti us 12 0an! $y the punishment allotte! the perpetrators in hapter 795& $e ause they !efy /is naturally or!aine! or!er an! sho# man in his ruthless ,uest for autonomy voi! of )o!*s reation prin iples% )o! !oes #arn /is hosen ones not to go that path- /e also tells them that they an only avoi! this moral !e line $y /is gra e% For /e !i! not give them the lan! $e ause of their #on!erful !emeanour- rather they #ere /is tool of "usti e on the #i ke! in the lan! 0Deuteronomy ;31(<5% 8a!ly& history sho#s that also among /is people these things #oul! happen 0 f% 1Dings 1<37<& >An! there #ere also so!omites in the lan!3 and they !i! a or!ing to all the a$ominations of the nations #hi h the +ORD ast out $efore the hil!ren of Israel?5 an! the +or! uses the 'a$ylonians as /is tool of "usti e an! orre tion& as a ro!& on Israel 0/a$akkuk 13@(;5& "ust as /e uses Israel against Canaan% This liff !iving free fall is a mark of many great iviliEations in the past% An ient Rome& for instan e& !i! not even have #or!s to !istinguish $et#een hetero( an! homo( sexuality% Fhatever people hose to !o they oul! !o 0a Roman man #as not to $e the su$missive partner #ith a non(Roman inferior- that #as !eeme! inappropriate5% 'efore 6ulius $e ame Caesar& a olleague ni kname! him Gueen of 'ithynia& $e ause of his pe a!illoes #ith the ruler there% The sexual exploits an! orgies of .mperor Ti$erius are too luri! for !es ription here% Rome has $een sai! not to fall to the hor!es from a ross the $or!ers& $ut to its o#n moral perversity first an! foremost% CorteE foun! similar attitu!es among the tri$es of Central an! 8outh Ameri a as these pra tise! their religious fertility rites prior to their un!oing%

For the Chur h the issue ontinues to $e highly relevant as hur h lea!ers an! ivil la#makers seek to make this sin an a epta$le phenomenon in so iety at large an! in the Chur h in parti ular% There is no la k of larity in 8 ripture as to ho# the +or! of the Chur h 0an! of this universe5 regar!s this sin% The ethi al stan!ar!s are learly set forth% 8erious tampering #ith the 'i$le has alrea!y le! to a hange of these ethi al stan!ar!s in or!er to make the !e lare! sin a normal type of $ehaviour 06% Dallas& 799A& The !ay !os"el#5& an! many !enominations have su um$e!% In on lusion& #e nee! to make a !istin tion $et#een the formal& "u!i ial stan e #hi h Christians& nota$ly Christian lea!ers& ought to take #hen hallenge! on the ivil or e lesiasti al platform on the one han! an! Christian in!ivi!uals in intera tion #ith homosexual an! les$ian fello#( itiEens on the other% In the former ase it is vital to protest learly an! oherently against the efforts to san tion sexual relationships that are on!emne! $y 8 ripture- the line in the san! must $e !ra#n% In the latter ase& ho#ever $oth 6oe Dallas an! Rosaria Champagne 'utterfiel! make this point emphati ally Christians are to live out the #or!s #hi h the Apostle Paul spoke to the Chur h of Colossae& >Falk in #is!om to#ar! them that are #ithout& re!eeming the time% +et your spee h be al#ay #ith gra e& seasone! #ith salt& that ye may kno# ho# ye ought to ans#er every man? 0Colossians <3=(@5% In 6ohn 2 6esus invites those #ho are #ithout sin to ast the first stone at a #oman aught in a!ultery% They all !epart an! 6esus tells the #oman to $e on her #ay& but sin no more% 8in is una epta$le to the +or! of the Chur h& $ut /is people are exhorte! to $e #insome in their !ealings% As 6oe Dallas states& ranting from the pulpit or else#here !oes not !ra# sinners into !ialogue an!& $y )o!*s gra e& unto repentan e& $ut rather an attitu!e of ompassion is alle! for% The +or! sho#s su h ompassion to those #hom /e alls without shifting the ethi al goal posts% Rather /e gently lea!s them back into the realm of ethi s #here /is image $earers an $e truly happy an! at home% It ertainly $rought Rosaria $a k% Cay others follo#%

Dr /erm Han!man 1<I97I791<