Why Is Sexuality Such a Big Deal in the Bible?: a brief reflection

The past few weekends at Eastbrook, our series from 1 Corinthians, “God’s Grace for an Imperfect Church,” has taken us into some very challenging words from this letter of the Apostle Paul. The first two verses of chapter quickly give us a sense of that challenge:

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? (1 Corinthians 5:1-2)

Today, the church is often given a bad rap for focusing too much on matters of sexuality. At times, it seems like Christians are so focused on sin in the area of sexuality, that we let it eclipse other egregious sins. The critique is appropriate in the sense that we do need to give equal weight to all sin. We cannot focus in on sexual sin and then let other issues go, like speaking untruth or lacking integrity in other areas of our lives.

It is from this vantage point that we might say, “All sins are the same, so why make such a big deal about sexual sin?” While this may seem like a good point in one way, it may actually miss the point in another way. Is it possible that sexual sin receives what seems like extra attention in the Scripture for important reasons? Let’s consider that question here.

A fundamental truth we have to hold onto in this discussion is that sexuality is good. Our sexuality is part of being made in God’s image and is related to our longing for intimacy in all relationships. We are all sexual beings, whether single or married, young or old. We do not need to be prudes about sexuality because it is a gift from God and it is intended for our joy and pleasure.

But sexuality and sin in our sexuality is significant in some important ways that distinguish it from other sins. Sexuality is an intimate aspect of who we are. Sexuality reflects our creation by God in God’s image and simultaneously reflects our deepest desires and longings. It reveals our most elemental understanding of intimacy. As Philip Sheldrake writes in his helpful book Befriending Our Desires, “Sexuality is the testing ground of the integration or fragmentation of our personalities.”^[1]

Sex is about more than just sex. It speaks of how we understand God, ourselves, others, and the world around us. It reveals our fundamental longings and what holds primacy in our hearts.  

And so, Paul brings attention to this sexual sin within one person and the community’s response to it because Paul knows this approach to sex by an individual and a community says something profound about how they understand God, themselves, others, and the world. And that understanding for the Corinthians believers has become twisted, as it can become for all of us. Paul must give attention to that twisted sense of sexuality so that these followers of Jesus might once again put Jesus at the center and let Jesus heal and redeem their desire.

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^[1] Philip Sheldrake, Befriending Our Desires, 3^rd edition (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2016), 71.