SEXUAL IMMORALITY AND THE CHRISTIAN STUDENT Benjamin D. Copple

In recent years, the world has moved away from Christian morality in many areas. One of the most noticeable of these areas is sexuality, and one of the places where it is most noticeable is the college campus. How should Christian students respond? Below are five points for dealing with the rise of sexual immorality in our world. Continue to uphold God’s Word. Christians have a responsibility to uphold the Word of God, regardless of what is taught in college classes. The Bible is crystal clear about what God defines as marriage: one man, one woman “until death do us part.” That’s it. There is no second option, no plan B, no extenuating circumstance, and certainly no “personal preference” involved. The biblical definition of marriage of one man and one woman, goes all the way back to God’s original creative purpose and moral code for mankind, which Jesus explained in Matthew 19:3–9. In addition, God designated sex as only between a man and woman within the bonds of marriage. Any other sexual activity, including fornication, adultery, and homosexuality, is immoral and contrary to God’s plan. (See Mark 7:21–23; Romans 1:21–27; I Corinthians 6:9–11.) These concepts extend further than the definition of marriage. Some would claim that gender itself is a social or psychological construct, but, like marriage, it stems from God’s original creative purpose: “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27, NKJV). Gender is also rooted in genetic and biological reality. Yes, there are some rare cases of atypical anatomy and psychology, but in such cases qualified experts can be consulted. The main point is that gender is grounded in the Word of God, and therefore, the church should continue to uphold the biological and anatomical gender of an individual. Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must remember that Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17). The entire reason for Christ’s existence was to redeem the world. Our mission is reconciliation, not condemnation. As the children of God and witnesses of His glory, it is the church’s job to help sinners repent of their sins and turn to Christ so they can be saved. We do this by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and the new birth that everyone can have through Him. The new birth delivers and transforms lives, regardless of past sins, so that all can grow in grace and holiness, fulfilling the will of God for humanity (I Corinthians 6:11). As students proclaim the gospel at their college campuses, its transformative power will cause people to turn from their sin, including sexual immorality. Continue to affirm the worth and dignity of every human being. Everyone matters to God. We know this because God made everyone in His own image and Jesus died so that all could be saved. That includes homosexuals, transgenders, and everyone who does or does not uphold the biblical definition of marriage. We should treat everyone with respect and kindness even if we disagree with their beliefs or lifestyles. Our constitution affords us basic civil rights that should be respected by everyone regardless of their beliefs. We can continue to respect those civil rights, all the while continuing to recognize that, as the Declaration of Independence states, true human rights come from our Creator, and not from government. Just because we refuse to redefine marriage and sexuality does not mean we are bigoted or

hateful. We recognize that God has given us free will, but also that free will is not a license to do whatever we want; some things are legal but still not moral. We can disagree with those who do not share our faith, but we should also remember that Paul taught us to speak things in love and not in hate (Ephesians 4:15). Defend the freedoms of speech, press, association, and religion. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to silence all opposition, and therefore some of our most basic freedoms may come under attack. Christians must continue to uphold their beliefs legally and politically. Right now there is heavy pressure for churches, schools, adoption agencies, and counseling services to adopt same-sex marriage or lose their tax-exempt status for refusing. There has also been a recent push to allow the use of restrooms for the opposite gender depending on the gender-preference of the individual. But it is not “hate speech” for Christians to uphold the Word of God in the pulpit, on the streets, in the restrooms, or in the lecture hall. College students are targets for such propaganda, but they are also ideally placed to impact large groups of people by virtue of the size and mobility of the student population. No matter how strong the opposition grows, we must continue to defend our freedoms from the advance of immorality. Pray for our nation and our world. God is still in control and our hope is in Him. We know that despite all the immorality around us, the church will continue to flourish because the Bible says that where sin abounds, grace does more abound (Romans 5:20). When Paul encountered opposition, he asked the church to pray (Colossians 4:3–4). When the early church encountered persecution, they prayed (Acts 4:29–30). When we are persecuted by those who would silence the gospel, we must pray. Prayer is the secret weapon, the unaccounted-for variable, the unpredictable wild card that has the potential to change the game and crack the opposition wide open. Second Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (NKJV). Never has there been a time when we needed God to heal our land more than we do now. He’s already promised to pour out His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17–18)—what we need to do now is pray. Let’s get on our knees and take our colleges and universities for the kingdom of God.