Hello Brother in Christ!<\/p>\n
I have recently been studying Christian perspectives on sex, and I would like to know your thoughts on the matter. How should Christians talk and discuss sex? How do we, as teachers, open up such topics? And how do we start such conversations so we can teach Christians more effectively on the matter? What to do and say when a brother or sister in Christ shares certain aspects of their sexual experiences? How do we probe the matter, and how can we encourage the brethren to ask such questions about the topic, as it may still be a taboo in some places?<\/p>\n
I’d really appreciate your guidance regarding this.<\/p>\n
Thank you!<\/p>\n\t
“Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God<\/em>” (Acts 20:26-27).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
When you look at the topics that Paul covers in his writings, you will find sexual issues being mentioned frequently. It isn’t surprising. The Greek and Roman societies were heavily involved in various types of sexual sins (Romans 1:22-27).<\/p>\n
In your lessons, you should cover the topics of lust, temptation, and sin (James 1:13-16; I John 2:15-17). Just as you discuss why stealing and lying are wrong, you should be discussing why adultery, fornication, and pornography are wrong (I Corinthians 6:9-20; I Thessalonians 4:3-8). In a discussion of marriage, it should be mentioned that sex is proper and expected between married couples (Hebrews 13:4; I Corinthians 7:1-5).<\/p>\n
Notice in all the cited passages, while sex is discussed, it is done in a way that is factual and not titillating. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n
\n
- The Direction of Your Life<\/a><\/li>\n
- I Wish Someone Had Told Me<\/a><\/li>\n
- I Quit!<\/a><\/li>\n
- Not What They Told You<\/a><\/li>\n
- Illogical Fixes to Problems<\/a><\/li>\n
- A Tale of Two Women<\/a><\/li>\n
- Why Sex Without Being Married is a Sin<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When someone trusts you to discuss their sins, treat them with respect and dignity (James 5:16). The goal is always to help people reach heaven. If someone approaches you in private about their sins, then respect their privacy and do not gossip about them. If the person is of the opposite sex, make sure another person of the same sex is present when you discuss matters. You will find that if you help people with their issues, more will trust you to help them with their issues.<\/p>\n
One of the things I do is offer classes on sexual matters to adolescents with their parents’ permission. It is better to deal with questions before they become major issues in a young person’s life.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Hello Brother in Christ! I have recently been studying Christian perspectives on sex, and I would like to know your thoughts on the matter. How should Christians talk and discuss sex? How do we, as teachers, open up such topics? And how do we start such conversations so we can teach Christians more effectively…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[63,637],"class_list":["post-96247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-sex","tag-sex-education"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1814,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-sexual-acts-should-not-be-committed-before-marriage\/","url_meta":{"origin":96247,"position":0},"title":"What sexual acts should not be committed before marriage?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 21, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What sexual acts should not be committed in a relationship before marriage? Answer: \"Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge\" (Hebrews 13:4). From the time that God created the world, His intention was that sex would be freely expressed within\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27424,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-you-think-about-a-christian-having-a-party-where-sex-toys-are-being-sold\/","url_meta":{"origin":96247,"position":1},"title":"What do you think about a Christian having a party where sex toys are being sold?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a believer who was searching the Web for information on something that, frankly, was a shock to me.\u00a0 I will try to express my thoughts clearly, but I tend to jump around a bit. I attend a church near my home and feel God has drawn me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36484,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/you-shouldnt-be-discussing-sex-on-a-churchs-website\/","url_meta":{"origin":96247,"position":2},"title":"You shouldn’t be discussing sex on a church’s website","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: To whom it may concern: I recently searched for information regarding elders and your site came up on my search. I am very disturbed to know that there is an evangelist who seems to think it is OK to publish very explicit material regarding sexual subjects that way you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36686,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-it-matter-if-the-man-you-are-dating-is-a-virgin-or-not\/","url_meta":{"origin":96247,"position":3},"title":"Does it matter if the man you are dating is a virgin or not?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, sir, Please, I have always wondered if when an individual starts dating if whether the man is a virgin or not is something to look into. Should a female Christian virgin be worried if her partner isn't a virgin? I know there's a lot of emphasis on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":982,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-have-sex-on-my-wedding-night\/","url_meta":{"origin":96247,"position":4},"title":"How do I have sex on my wedding night?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 28, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do I have sex on my first wedding night? Explain with pictures or photos. Answer: What you have requested falls into the realm of pornography. I would recommend the article\u00a0\"A Look at Pornography\"\u00a0for an explanation of why this would be inappropriate. If in the remote chance that you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=pistosbooksan-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0310425115","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21104,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/thank-you-for-explaining-topics-like-sex-so-clearly-from-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":96247,"position":5},"title":"Thank you for explaining topics like sex so clearly from the Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm not completely sure who responds to \"Questions,\" but I would like to say thank you! I am a Catholic and I can't say thank you enough. In my church sex and such is taboo. They never open up and talk to us so clearly like I found in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96247\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}