Sexual immorality, while it is surely not the only moral problem today, is certainly one of the most serious, and one which is closely connected with several others. It is safe to say that it is probably causing more harm than most of the others and destroying the fabric of society more than any other single issue of moral decline. More and more Western societies are becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Sexual Revolution
The so-called “sexual revolution” began in the 1960s, when a relatively rapid change came about in the Western world. Suddenly all of the old morals of past generations were being challenged, and worse still, the bases of those morals were being defied and set aside as well. All of this paved the way for further gradual decline throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but then came the Internet, which gave the impetus for another huge decline in moral standards, perhaps greater than that of the 1960s. One secular writer described it this way: “I thought we were in the basement [referring to the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the further changes over the next 30 years], but now the basement floor has given way, to reveal a pit of yawning dimensions, the bottom of which we have not yet seen [referring to the changes during the past 20 years].”
There is no need to elaborate on the details of modern immorality, as it is sadly familiar to all of us. What would have shocked even worldly people a generation ago is now not only tolerated, but broadcasted as being normal. In addition to adultery and fornication, people are engaging in every twisted sexual perversion imaginable, and then, in the name of tolerance, are permitted to disseminate it all over the world. While immorality among adults is bad enough, the most serious side effect of all this is the spoiling of innocent children and the “sexualizing” and “sensualizing” of those whose minds are not ready even to think about such things. It is scarcely possible to view a television program today that does not have sexual overtones, and the impact of the Internet cannot be overstated. What was once done privately and among a few is now available for all to see. Our minds are literally bombarded by what some have called this “sexual immorality explosion,” and it is easy to see how the impressionable minds of young children are first of all confused and then converted by all this.
Amoral
When young children, especially girls, are “force-fed” a diet of sexually suggestive clothing, makeup, and behavior, when parents themselves are often openly promiscuous, and when schools teach perverted lifestyles as if they were normal, it is not surprising that we are raising a generation that is not only immoral, but literally amoral. The cycle has now been going on long enough that some who were raised under such standards are now having children, who in turn are finding that one kind of sexual immorality often begets another. Such entities as divorce, homosexuality, pedophilia, and viewing of pornography (to name a few) are on a precipitous rise — all related to, and often initiated by, heterosexual immorality.
Forewarned
On the one hand, we are properly horrified at all this, but on the other hand, we should not be unduly surprised, for the Lord has foretold in His Word that all this would be part of the character of the last days. Some entities mentioned in 2 Timothy 3 are that men will be “unholy,” “without natural affection,” and “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” (vss. 2-4). In verse 6 we read of “silly women laden with sins” and in verse 8 of “men of corrupt minds.” While these phrases are not limited to sexual immorality, surely it is included.
Forearmed
What, then, for the believer, is the answer to all this? First of all, as the world says, “To be forewarned is forearmed.” We need to be aware of the moral decline going on around us. Paul could warn the Thessalonians that “they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night” (1 Thess. 5:7). This is the state of the world, and it can easily overtake the believer who is not watchful. Then the damage is done while he is asleep. For this reason we are told, “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:6).
Avoid Exposure
Second, we must seek to avoid exposure to those things that cause harm. We have mentioned television and would only encourage parents by saying that it is still possible to raise children without a diet of television. In fact, even the world admits that children raised without television seldom miss it, and they are also better read, better adjusted, and often better students. Likewise, the Internet, while doubtless useful and necessary in today’s world, must be carefully controlled. This, of course, goes for adults as well as children, for the temptation to look at that which is morally wrong can be very strong, when the click of a mouse can remove the image before someone else sees it. We must heed Paul’s admonition: “Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:1414But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14)). Even in legitimate use, electronic media in every form (such as browsing the Internet, texting and Facebook) can be very addicting, and parents should not only control their own exposure, but also that of their children. I know that this has often been said before, but it cannot be stressed too much.
Education
With sex education in public schools, the problem is more difficult, and there are no easy answers. For this very reason some parents prefer to homeschool their children, while others send their children to private or Christian schools. In the public school system, parents are usually able to remove their children from programs with which they do not agree. Perhaps a better way is to ask the child what he/she was taught, and then go over with them what the Word of God says about it. In this way the child is not simply an “open vessel which hath no covering bound upon it” (Num. 19:1515And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. (Numbers 19:15)), but rather is covered with the Word of God. Every parent must be before the Lord about how to handle this, and there is no one simple answer. But the Christian home can be a safe shelter in this immoral storm.
Better Things
Finally, it is a principle with God that He never takes away something without giving us something better in return. While we cannot prevent our children’s exposure to this world (nor should we attempt entirely to do this), we can give them something better to fill their hearts and minds — things which are of eternal value. This means more than simply reading the Word of God to them and praying with them. These things surely are most important, but the Christian is meant not only to take in, but also to give out. An old brother used to remark that if we were more diligent in the work of the Lord, we would not have time to get into so much trouble and sin in our lives. So much of today’s electronic media is a “time waster,” and our time down here is so precious, in view of our Lord’s near return. Let us center our lives around the Lord and be found not only learning more of Him, but teaching our children how to use their time for the Lord and for the help and blessing of others. If we look around us, we will find that there is no lack of opportunity for us to do this. Then we will find, with the Lord’s help, that “our whole spirit and soul and body” will be “preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23).
W. J. Prost