Letters    

OF PERMISSIVENESS, AND MORAL EDUCATION

Dear L. S.                                                                                                            May 10, 1989

    "For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret" (Ephesians 5:12).

     Please excuse Timothy from participation in the skit for chapel. I do not even want him exposed to the shameful discussions. And, I intend to have my son, John, and Edward excused from that chapel. My reason is simple: "for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."

     The skit is based upon the assumption that human nature is not depraved—that if we educate the sinner about the consequences of sin, he will choose good. That is simply not so. While Socrates taught that if a man knew right and wrong he could not wait to do that which is right, Scripture teaches that "evil communications corrupt good manners" (I Corinthians 15:33), and that man is basically evil (Psalm 58:3).

     Second, contrary to the skit, sin is not wrong because of the consequences such as not being able to graduate, go to the prom, etc. Sin is wrong because it is contrary to the Law and will of God.

     2.) Consider again, this phrase: "...When God laid down this law millions of years ago ..." The earth is only 6000 years old. As time is a created entity, so it, too, is only 6000 years old.

     3.) But, of an even more serious note, consider this statement: "One of the things sex outside of marriage does is cause disharmony in your life. Why? Because men and women are put together in such a way that they need commitment to make sex meaningful." No! God is the Author of happiness, what the Bible often calls "peace," and man cannot be happy so long as he refuses to live according to His will (Ephesians 2:14).

     One last consideration: Paul admonishes us to bring "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Corinthians 10:5). We do not have God's permission to play with our imaginations, and I further contend that all such discussions absolutely do just that. Will the young people emerge from play practice with clean minds? It is positively wrong to be a party in conjuring up evil imaginations in the minds of others. "May God Smile On You" —J. S. Bach.

Dear C. T.                                                                                                           May 25, 1989

      ...It is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret (Ephesians 5:12).

     Sin is not wrong because of being unable to graduate, or go to a prom, but because it is contrary to the Law of God, and therefore, is contrary to the will of God.

      The reason men and women cannot have peace, or happiness while practicing sin is because God is the Author of happiness, and only the righteous can rest in Him.

     If we are to bring into captivity "every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Corinthians 10:5), then we do not have God's permission to play with young people's imagination. It is positively wrong to be a party in conjuring up evil imaginations in the minds of others. "May God Smile On You" —J. S. Bach.

Dear J. O.                                                                                                           May 25, 1989

      On account of the work of the Son of God, we are brothers. We share a common nature and a common Saviour, a common inheritance and a common home in glory. Since neither of us is a heathen, we ought out of love for Christ to be able to reason together.

     When the Lord commands us to cast down imaginations and "every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" (II Corinthians 10:5), it clearly means all prurient thoughts are to be cast down, not aroused. It is positively wrong to play with evil imaginations, for God has said, "It is a shame even to speak of those things that are done of them in secret" (Ephesians 5:12).

     This is not merely my opinion: it is what God has commanded us to do. Truth is not relative; and it is precisely because the Bible teaches me that the same Spirit teaches us both that I know you know what I am saying is the truth.

     Although you are aware that you are going against the wishes of Timothy's father and mother, you continue to talk like the carnal talk. "How far is too far?" You ought to be ashamed, but as in the days of Jeremiah, the people can no longer blush.

     "The Lord looketh upon the heart" (I Samuel 16:7). Tell me, do you think it is virtuous to commit mental adultery?

     I weep over the callousness of the Church. Oh, that God would take away the stony heart, and give, instead, "an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear." The reason for the watershed of corruption within the Church is that Christians have idolized men who have sought the accreditation of the state, not in the Scriptures, but in counseling—in psychology of all things. In order to receive the state's approval, such people have had to "walk in the counsel of the ungodly" and to "stand in the way of sinners," and to "sit in the seat of the scornful." It is no wonder that as psychology has displaced the Gospel that counseling should displace preaching.

     I have taken the time to write as a concerned parent, and also as a man who has been called by God to reprove, rebuke and to exhort with all longsuffering. I pray that you have an ear to hear .... "Faithful are the wounds of a friend" (Proverbs 27:6).

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