Sex is one of the biggest gods in our culture today. A rundown of why this is the case is not necessary; it is plain for all of us to see. No one wants to be told who they can and cannot engage with sexually.

For all Christians, sexual purity is difficult to pursue. Pornography is instantly accessible. Even if you intentionally try to avoid sensual things, it is practically unavoidable to a certain degree today. With TV shows, public advertisements on things like billboards, or even sexual advertisements on websites that have absolutely nothing to do with the website you are on; the fact is unless you live in a cave, sexual temptation will find you.

Our cultural views toward sex make God’s design for sex hard as well. We are told that it doesn’t matter who or how many people you sleep with. We are encouraged to engage in non-marital sex and even looked down upon for not doing so.

And so increasingly many Christians are entering into sexual relationships with almost no regret. We seem to think that, at least in this area, God must not really care (or he was just wrong about sex) about what we do sexually so long as we are pursuing Christ in all of the other areas of our lives.

However, if God created sex to flourish in the confines of marriage, and he designed marriage to be between one man and one woman, than any kind of sexual relationship outside the marriage of one man and woman is wrong.

What we have begun to see with the rise in acceptance of so-called gay marriage is the increased laxity in which Christians regard sex. If we are not following God’s design for sex (by engaging in non-marital sexual activity), then how can we claim that the act of homosexuality be sinful?

And so we have seen many Christian’s change their stance on sex from no longer reserved for marriage, to being reserved for “committed” relationships. And since “committed” is an extremely ambiguous term, it is really just an out for us to no longer have to submit ourselves to Christ in this area of our lives.

I am reminded of what Jesus himself said in Luke 6:46-49:

“‘Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.'”

Why do we call him Lord, yet ignore his lordship in such a crucial area of our lives?

This is not about following a list of rules in order to make God happy. The Christian life is not about that. Instead, we follow God’s commands because that is what brings about the most joy in our lives and gives him the most glory. Sex is a good thing that God created. He didn’t have to make sex an enjoyable experience, yet he did.

However, I am afraid that many Christians will miss how good a gift sex is, because we treat it not as a gift that God has given to us, but as an object that we can use and discard at will.

So where does this leave you? If you’re not a Christian, then you will undoubtedly disagree with most everything I have said. If you do claim to be a follower of Christ, do you call Jesus Lord yet willfully ignore him in this area of your life? If so, is it because you don’t truly believe he is who he says he is?

It is one thing for a Christian to struggle in this area, it is another thing altogether to know what God says about sex and simply ignore it. This, I believe, may indicate who the “god” of our life actually is.