Sex

This is my essay about sex.

The Lord calls for sexual fidelity in the marital union of one man and one woman.

That was my essay about sex.

P.S. My fellow Christians, especially those in my Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, want me to take a firm stand on homosexuality because it is practiced freely all around us.

Heterosexual promiscuity is also practiced freely all around us. Drunkenness is also practiced freely all around us. Immorality of every sort is also practiced freely all around us. I could go on. This brief section from God’s Word will speak for me: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21a).

Why am I refusing to go off on gays and lesbians? I have two reasons.

1. I have gay and lesbian friends, and I hope to make more. They are my fellow human beings, for whom Christ also died. I like them and love them in the same manner I liked and loved the members of the congregations I served. If I simply rant against them, they will cease to listen to me—and I would not blame them. I am working hard to be humble (1 Peter 5:5: “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble’”) in order to build bridges, have open dialog, and give the Holy Spirit room to work through me in whatever area of life I might serve my fellow man.

2. The Lord warns us not to poke at the toothpick in the eye of another while we ignore the 2×4 in our own that we not be hypocrites (Matthew 7:3-5). I find that Christians so easily fall into hypocrisy and self-righteousness—“Well, at least I’m not a murderer!”—and wind up overlooking their own sins which are just as offensive to the Lord. Christianity is filled with people who think nothing of getting drunk, fornicating, cheating others for their own gain, gossiping about and defaming others. Because these things are so common among Christians, they often are ignored and even accepted.

Everyone for whom I was his or her pastor knows I am strident about adherence to the Word of God, making sure we all hold the mirror before ourselves to get a good look at our failings and then humbling ourselves before the Lord, each one of us admitting that he is the worst sinner, relying solely on Jesus Christ for our righteousness through the receiving of His blood-bought gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Since retiring, I have not changed. Indeed, I find my zeal growing, not waning.

My essays are not being preached in a church, they are posted in the secular world. I am striving to use the wisdom of the Spirit in order to shine the light of Jesus Christ. I want nothing other than this: that people read my words, recognize gentleness and humility, and be led to say: “I want that for me. I want to be this kind of person whose trust in God is so strong. I want to know this Jesus the way Greg Eilers does.”

Some days, I feel like ditching this entire project. I hate it when there is dissension. I find it daunting to write my thoughts in a manner so as to shed light and not create an inferno. I edit each post a minimum of ten times.

In all things, as I strive not to turn off anyone all the way from the far left to the far right, my chief goal is to remain faithful to the Lord. Ultimately, my Savior Jesus Christ is the only One to whom I answer.