A little light on sexual immorality

1 Corinthians 5:1-8

         If you have read very much of this blog, you'll know that I refer to the difficulty of reconciling ancient words , concepts and philosophies with today. Our words are not their words, they meant different things and words have been translated and translated and re-translated and mis-translated.  I often use the example of letter from my great grandmother who said her birthday party was delightful, every one had coke and was gay.  It had a different meaning then didn't it? Coke was Coca Cola not a drug and gay simply meant happy. It would be wrong to infer something of our society back onto my great grandma's time.

       So where does that leave us? Well certainly scholarship and studying original texts is important. Getting to know and understanding ancient cultures on their own terms is also important.

       One of the problems even the Apostles had was trying to minister to and proclaim the Gospel in an area (Greece) where philosophies were different and where words were different in myriad ways than they were in Jerusalem. Concepts were different, behavior was different. It would be not dissimilar to trying to integrate an American into Japanese society with all it's cultural differences.

       We catch a glimpse of the differences with the story of the Centurion and his beloved "slave" (the actual word was "pais" which was really a less dominant younger male lover). This was common, accepted and desirable in Roman culture, especially for a soldier. In a similar way, sexual relations between younger and older men in Greek culture was acceptable. What was not acceptable was using one man against another man in a sexually subservient way, without respect. Casting an equal male in the "female" role was considered wrong and demeaning. From what I understand it would also be wrong (immoral?) in Greek culture to have a youth as a prostitute. 

        When the Apostles speak of immorality, we cannot transpose our norms to their time or their norms to us. We certainly cannot paint with a broad brush.  To say the Apostles railed against homosexuality or considered it immoral would be wrong simply because the term did not exist. The term homosexuality as we know it was not created until recent times. The idea of a long lasting love between same sex couples was viewed as normal for certain people and even celebrated. It was not loving relationships that were immoral, it was other specific cultural activities. Most often they are not spelled out in scripture. If anything, the nebulous term of 'sexual immorality' was mentioned alongside a litany of other 'sins' with no preference to one being any more of a problem than the other.

         What would I argue is sexual immorality then? In light of scripture and the love Jesus showed us, I would say immorality are actions devoid of mutuality, respect and commitment., they certainly should not be harmful in any way. It does not involve dominance. It involves freely given love. Rape, incest, objectives would all be moral wrongs.

          Not much of a Lenten reflection per se, but if we are to grow to love ourselves as gay men and woman, we must come to accept and know that our love is celebrated and elevated in two people created by God for the very purpose of togetherness and love. It is not right that man be alone. Part of our Lenten journey to wholeness is accepting who we are and knowing our love is beautiful and pleasing to God.

     

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Should you not rather have mourned, so that he who has done this would have been removed from among you?

For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present I have already pronounced judgement in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.