Embodied Marriage and Singleness // April 21, 2024

1 Cor 7:1-17, 25-40

Last week, we discussed the Bible’s clear teaching about sex. Sex is for the expression, enjoyment, and enactment of the whole-life union of one man and one woman in the covenant of marriage. Anything outside of this is what Paul calls “sexual immorality” (porneia), which is “not what the body is for.” This means that the Bible presents two options: 1) marriage between one man and one woman, and 2) celibate singleness. Easy, right? Not so fast. If it was so easy, why did Paul have to describe so much in this passage? It’s certainly not easy to follow, and there are more groups than two that he addresses. As with the Corinthians, we don’t fit neatly into this passage. Still, Paul’s message gives us a powerful vision for elevating marriage and singleness today. 

1. Two Gifts

Christianity recognizes two gifts from God regarding our bodies and sexuality: marriage and singleness. The apostle Paul addresses both gifts, stating that while he personally prefers singleness, each person has their own gift from God. It is difficult in any culture to value both of them equally. The challenge for us is to elevate and honor both marriage and singleness as sacred gifts from God within the church. Historically, the church has elevated one gift over another at different times. There are even early church debates questioning whether married individuals could attain the same spiritual virtue as those who are celibate and single. Today, marriage seems more valued in most churches than singleness, despite nearly half of U.S. adults being single. It is a hard lesson, but if our church is not interacting with singleness, then we aren’t being faithful to Scripture. We must seek to elevate and honor both, especially when it seems complicated.

2. One Goal

Paul elevates both gifts of marriage and singleness by showing how they are different ways God assigns or calls people to live out the same overarching goal of undivided devotion to the Lord (v. 17). He presents a rule for all Christians in whatever condition they were called to “remain with God” (v.24). You are not alone. God is faithful even amid the toughest struggles. For those called to marriage, the goal is to concentrate your love on your spouse and children so they might live devoted to Christ. For those called to singleness, the goal is devoting yourself exclusively to the Lord so that all kinds of people might witness the satisfying fullness of God's love in your life. Though the expressions differ, the core purpose remains the same - a wholehearted and embodied commitment to Jesus as Lord.

3. One Body

Based on the sexual culture of the Greco-Roman world at that time, Paul likely recognized that the church in Corinth struggled to view marriage and singleness as true gifts from God and to live out faithful sexual ethics. While many affirm the Christian sexual ethic intellectually, it is another matter entirely to live it out in one body comprised of people from diverse backgrounds and varying levels of contentment and struggle. Paul addressed at least six different groups of people in this section alone. If any group is isolated, looked down upon, or left to "figure it out" alone, then the church fails to be the body of Christ where all gifts are mutually shared. Embracing God's design for embodied life requires all kinds of believers to live in unity with one another as equal but unique members of the body of Christ. 

4. One Story

Amid the different stories of relationships in Corinth, Paul points them beyond themselves and their temporal conditions. He calls them to live as if unmarried (v. 29) - not weeping or rejoicing, or owning possessions - because the present form of this world is passing away (v. 31). With the imagery of a drama, Paul reminds us all that marriage and singleness are temporary parts in a greater story. This greater story begins with a human wedding in Genesis and culminates with the divine wedding in Revelation, where the church is the bride presented to Christ.

Everything in between is a love story where God’s covenant love and faithfulness meet our brokenness. Our story of marriage will end by presenting our spouse to Christ. Our story of singleness will end by presenting ourselves and those we have served to Jesus. Neither one can ultimately satisfy humanity's longing to be known and loved. Only Jesus, our bridegroom, can address sin, brokenness, and our deepest spiritual longings. All believers everywhere are called to play their assigned part, married or single, with the assurance that Jesus will remain eternally faithful.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. How are marriage and singleness both sacred gifts to the church? Which one is more valued in American evangelical culture? Secular culture? Has this changed in the course of your lifetime?

3. How do we elevate and honor both gifts of marriage and singleness in the church? Which one do you tend to elevate more? Why? What would honoring both change about the way you live your life now? 

4. How are the goals of married Christians and single Christians different? How are they the same? What are some strengths and weaknesses of married and single Christians as they move toward the same goal? 

5. Why is contentment so difficult in both marriage and singleness? How have you wrestled with contentment in either one or both? What has helped you grow in contentment over time?

6. Consider the different categories of relationships mentioned in this passage. What would it look like for married couples and singles to offer their gifts to one another as the body of Christ? What is something you can do in your current season to give the gift God has given you? to receive the gifts of singles or married couples/families?

7. How does the “greater story” help you contextualize your own marriage or singleness? What are some things only Jesus can satisfy that singleness or marriage will never satisfy? What does this tell you about God’s covenant with you? 

Embodiment and Sexuality // April 14, 2024

1 Corinthians 6:9-20

There is no denying that a big part of our life in the body involves our sexuality. If we desire to honor the Lord as whole persons, we will have to navigate the good, the bad, and the confusing when it comes to sex. Whatever your reaction, we can all agree that it is powerful and everywhere in our culture. We also know there must be some ethics or boundaries around it. In this passage, the apostle Paul connects the Bible’s sexual ethic with its theology of embodiment. It is from this integrated, whole perspective that we can appreciate the Bible’s clear teaching: Sex is for the expression, enjoyment, and enactment of the whole-life union of one man and one woman in the covenant of marriage. Anything outside of this is what Paul calls “sexual immorality” (porneia), from which he warns us strongly to flee. 

If you think this is challenging, you are in great company. Paul wrote this letter to new Gentile Christians struggling to accept a Christian sexual ethic. They faced many pressures you might recognize. The ancient city of Corinth was full of commerce, diversity, and sex. Its largest temple was dedicated to the Greek goddess of sexual love and desire, Aphrodite. Paul provided them with several lessons that apply to us today.

1. The Body is For the Lord

If you have been around young children for any length of time, then you are surely familiar with the expression, “That is not what that is for!” The same principle applies to our bodies. To understand the purpose of sex we need to understand what our bodies are for. God gave us bodies so we could relate to him and others in a way that reflects his self-giving covenant love. Bodies and sex are not for self-gratification but for self-giving. The Bible presents a two-fold purpose of sex: 1) uniting lives and 2) creating lives. The Bible teaches that we should not separate sex from this two-purpose or the proper context of this purpose (marriage). This is  “what sex is for”. 

2. The Lord is For the Body

God doesn’t say the body is for him without at the same time affirming that He is for the body. Some think that the Christian sexual ethic is anti-body, restrictive, or negative. Instead, we can say it is properly “sex-positive.” In fact, we could say God is the most sex-positive person in the universe. He created sex! But to be sex-positive doesn’t mean that anything goes. To be food-positive can’t mean it is good for us to eat whatever we want all the time. There are consequences for not eating what and how God designed. Though it is difficult to understand why God would give us bodily desires and boundaries, it is because He understands not only what is “permissible” for us but also “beneficial” for us (v.12). Indeed, no one is more for the body than God, who “raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power” (v. 14). God has joined himself to the body for eternity. This is how pro-body He is. 

3. Your Body is Not Just a Body

One of the most important questions when it comes to sex in our culture (and the Corinthians) is whether a body is just a body. Paul’s main point in v. 15-17 is that our bodies cannot be separated from our whole being and personhood. The union described in verse 17 by the word “joined” like a strong glue. Not only are our bodies glued to our souls, but our whole person is glued to Christ. Sexual sin involves not just the body but the soul, and it harms not just the unity of our person but our union with Christ. What God has joined together - cannot be unglued. . Paul’s vision here was not to restrict or repress but to re-humanize sex - to prevent use from using others bodies or treating our own bodies as just bodies. 

4. Your Body is Not Your Own

Perhaps most of us would say we are not at a place of sexual wholeness. We struggle to glorify God with our bodies and our sexuality. We should remember that Paul wrote this with that understanding in mind. He says to those struggling: your sexual past and your sexual present don’t define you. This is found in v. 11, “some of you were like this, but you were washed…” You are not dirty to him but washed. You are not cast out, you are set apart.  You are not condemned but accepted in Christ.

The Bible tells us what we are looking for in sex is far more than bodily pleasure. We want to belong to someone, be accepted, delighted in, and connected to them as one. Whether we are married or not, sex cannot meet this deep need. It is only fully met in being joined to Jesus Christ. Verse 17 is the power to obey verse 18. The Gospel reminds us that our body and soul are so valuable and worth it to Jesus that He gave up His own. He gives us His body and asks for ours. 

This was the price of our being washed, sanctified and justified. And who pays a great price for something that is not worth it to them? We - all of us - body and soul are worth the price that has been paid. So now we glorify the God who saves us with everything we are - body and soul. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

*NOTE-  It may be most appropriate for mixed groups to split into separate discussion groups by gender to discuss these questions.

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. What are some common slogans, perceptions, or values about the body and sex in our culture today? How have they influenced you, your family, or your respective communities? 

3. What does it mean that the Lord is “for the body?” What does this say about the boundaries that God instituted for sex? What are some boundaries you wrestle with, or some that you have set for yourself to protect this part of your life?

4. How is sexual immorality harmful to the union between our body and soul? Our union with Christ? How does it cause us to dehumanize others or maximize self-gratification over self-giving?

5. Read verse 14 again. What can we learn from the reality that Jesus is fully whole and fully human but never had sex and never will? How does this help us accept the bible’s sexual boundaries as good? How does this help address the idea that sexual fulfillment is a human right? 

6. Why is it so challenging to overcome sexual struggles that occurred in the past? What does this tell you about how to protect yourself and others in the present and for the future? What does this look like as you seek to protect those younger than you in your family and in our church? 

7. How does the Gospel message provide freedom for anyone struggling with sexual sin(s)? How does our body-soul union with Christ fulfill a deeper need than sex can? How might this encourage you to be more open in your confession, pray for others, and invite them with you into renewed obedience and joy in Christ? 

8. In our “Corinthian moment,” what are some ways that we can embrace the application to flee from sexual immorality, find safe places/people to discuss this with, or fill our lives with meaningful friendships? Which one has been the most difficult for you? What would this look like for you in a community of close men or women in our church community?

Embodiment and Technology // April 7, 2024

Read: 2 John

Despite what we may have thought or been taught, the Bible does not put our bodies in the background of our worship. This series reminds us that the body is wonderfully made by God and highly valued by Him. Jesus’ ultimate goal is to restore and resurrect us, body and soul, to an everlasting embodied life. To live as “whole” people, we need a clear and practical theology of the body. One tension we might encounter is how technology fits into this vision. 2 John provides a helpful reminder, warning, and application for how we might guard the importance of embodiment and the command to love one another.

1. A Reminder

If you read John’s writing for any length of time, you will come away with the importance of love. In 2 John, he begins his letter by expressing joy to hear that his children were walking in the truth and challenging them to “walk in love” as they have heard “from the beginning” (v6). Love is the most important command in the Bible because love is what we are designed for. We are called into the love of God as his children by grace, but also to walk in love toward one another as the guiding principle of our being. When we come to technology, we must evaluate it and our relationship to it in light of this command of love. (See the 2nd Table of the Law and Tech graphics below).

The love we are called into is not an abstract concept or theory but an experiential movement of our whole person. Andy Crouch reminds us, “Every person is a heart-soul-mind-strength complex designed for love.” We are not a mind without a heart or a soul without a body. In how we engage technology, we must also consider how it influences our embodiment and the embodiment of others we are called to love. 

2. A Warning

John pairs a beautiful reminder with a stark warning that applies to us today. In v7-8, he warns about the antichrist who doesn’t recognize that Jesus has come “in the flesh” and commands them: “Watch yourselves so that you don’t lose what we have worked for.” The embodiment of Jesus is so crucial that to deny it is to be an antichrist. After all, God’s love was revealed to us, not by anything other than sending His Son in the flesh to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. God’s primary medium for demonstrating His love is embodied.

This has everything to do with technology. In John’s day, some were distorting the message of Christianity as something that transcends or escapes our humanity. But Jesus came to restore our humanity and make us whole in soul, mind, and body. Anything that denies the necessity of Jesus’ embodiment or, by extension, our embodiment will be an obstacle to walking in the way of love. The way we use technology should never take away from this “love language” of God for us and others. 

3. An Application

Here is the difficult balance: technology is not all bad, but neither is it all good. In fact, John uses technology to write this letter – paper and ink. In v12, he reveals that he wants to use this technology to say more, but he also desires to see them “face to face.” He longs to visit them in person and likely in their homes. In John’s time and place, the home was a place of hospitality, connection, and mutual sharing. To enter someone’s home meant opening your lives, ideas, and commitments to one another. The main application in this section (v10-11) concerns bringing the correct teaching of Jesus of embodied love into the home. The problem with letting these false teachers and their teaching into your home was that it would distort your source of community, support, and sense of belonging.

Isn’t it interesting that technology today, especially social media, uses many discipleship themes? Are you a follower, subscriber, or even a “friend”? We are being discipled by our screens, which may tragically distort our discipleship in Christ without careful discernment. Three ways to push back against this impulse may be participating in seasons of fasting from technology, establishing spaces of freedom or technology-free zones, and exercising small acts of resistance to the “everywhere” nature of the internet. Yes, technology can be used for great good, but don’t let it impede upon God's embodied love for you in Christ, or the Spirit-filled nature of community in which we walk in love “face-to-face.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. How do you engage with digital technology? Are you more of an early adopter or a late majority user? Are you more pessimistic or optimistic about its use in culture? Has your position changed over time? 

3. Consider the “Second Table of the Law”(Commandments 5-10), which directs us how to love our neighbors. How might digital technology help you live out these commandments and deepen your love for God and others? Is there one that resonates more with you than the others? How might digital technology hinder you from loving others?

4. What does 2 John tell us about the teaching ascribed to the antichrist? What does this tell you about the importance of the body, both for Jesus and us? How have you given into this teaching before, even in subtle ways? 

5. Henry David Thorough once wrote: “ Men have become tools of their tools.” How have we become tools of technology? Think of broader examples from culture and more narrow examples from your own life and family. What are some good ways you have seen technology used as a means to a greater end?

6. How do you protect yourself and your home from the false promises of technology? Do you resonate with any of the three applications of fasting, setting up spaces of freedom, or exercising small acts of resistance?

7. What are some ways you can seek to know Jesus and love others from the standpoint of “face-to-face”? What rhythms or practices come to mind? Which do you find the most difficult?

Journey From the Empty Tomb // March 31, 2024

Read: Matthew 28:1-20

This Lent, we have followed Jesus on his journey to the Cross, culminating with His death and resurrection. We live in a time when many of us search for purpose, the “reason for which we were made,” though we are often very distracted. One place we might be reminded of this is in visiting a tomb. There, we question our “dash,” or what happens between our birth and death here on earth. What makes for a great dash, one filled with purpose? This passage reminds us that the resurrection of Jesus points to two things Christianity says we have to have to find our purpose, two things we often resist: truth and authority. We see both in the journey to and from the empty tomb.

1. Truth - Journey To the Tomb

Matthew wrote this chapter so that we could go along with the women to the tomb, see that it is empty, and come to the conclusion that it is true. He is risen indeed! Jesus was not merely resuscitated or clinically dead, only to wake up. He was fully dead and then raised fully alive. He was scarred but fully healed, the same Jesus but altogether different: glorious, victorious, and transformed. Regardless of all that makes our lives busy, we must revisit the reason for the empty tomb. This truth is essential for all of us, whether we are newer to Christianity or have followed Jesus for a long time. 

Eyewitness testimony is the best evidence of an extraordinary event, and we have it. Shockingly, the first eyewitnesses were women, which bolsters its validity according to the historical criterion of embarrassment. According to this criterion, a falsely crafted testimony would likely include embellishment rather than embarrassing features, as is often the case with true accounts. The empty tomb is powerful, but so is the primary testimony belonging to women. Jesus loves to honor and lift up those who are marginalized.

It’s surprising and comforting to see in v. 17, “When they saw him they worshiped, but some doubted.” Faith and doubt go together, but only one wins when confronted with truth. Seeing is not quite believing anymore, so we are often skeptical for good reason. We must wonder how we can receive anything as really true in an age of post-truth, AI, and deepfakes. But we are not meant to live in skepticism and doubt forever. Doubt may be understandable, but it can also be cowardly when we possess it as a false sense of security. We need truth to live a life of purpose and make our “dash” count. We must journey to the tomb.

2. Authority - Journey From the Empty Tomb

The fact that Jesus is risen, even if we assent to it wholeheartedly, is not enough. Bare facts don’t make someone a Christian or give people purpose. The tomb was empty, and Jesus rose from the dead, but what does it mean? Jesus tells us in v. 18: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Jesus lived a perfect human life from womb to tomb. He charged into the darkness of death and faced the worst of evil. He has taken on the curse and consequences of all sin… And He won. Jesus is the authority on living in the “dash,” and he wants all who trust in him to possess a resurrection like His own. A life built on the solid truth of the empty tomb and lived under the loving authority of the One who rose from the tomb is a life of great purpose.

In v. 9 and 17, we read that the women fell down to worship him in response to this truth. The response that changed their lives and the disciples' shortly after was not agreement or assent but worship. Worship is a proper response to Jesus' supreme authority. If we struggle with truth, we probably also struggle with authority. We may have countless reasons to distrust all kinds of authority today, but the reality is that we can’t live without it. Jesus’ authority is different. He doesn’t condemn, berate, or seek control at the expense of others. Instead, his authority says, “Go and tell my brothers” (v. 10). Jesus uses his authority to lift up the very ones who deserted him and left him for dead. 

If Jesus is the risen Lord, his truth and authority give our “dash” a great and overarching purpose. That purpose is that we are disciples who make disciples (v. 19-20). The main verb here is to make disciples. The subsequent commands to go, baptize, and teach are all important, but they flow from the primacy of “make disciples.” Our ultimate purpose is to commit to the journey of being transformed into the image of Jesus in lifelong discipleship. We call, model, and help others to do the same. For our church, Trinity, our purpose is not merely to run programs, hire everyone to fill needs, or to make more followers of us. It is to be disciples of Jesus Christ who make disciples of Jesus Christ. Whatever the date is on the right side of your “dash,” it is not the end but the beginning of a great and particular purpose. What will you do with yours?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. When was the last time you questioned your life's purpose? What prompted it, and how did you get through it? How does the joy of Easter locate your purpose, even when you struggle to feel it?

3. What are some things in our culture that you are skeptical about? Is your doubt reasonable? How can doubt be positive? How can it be harmful? Describe an example of both.

4. Have you ever wrestled with doubts about the resurrection narrative? Why or Why not? What evidence resonates the most with you? How can the truth of the resurrection influence other questions or doubts you might have about Christianity?

5. How does authority give people purpose? Why do so many people distrust authority beyond their own? How is Jesus’ authority different from other kinds?

6. Can you honestly say that you approach Jesus' authority with a sense of worship? Why or why not? What might cause you to agree or assent to his authority without desiring to worship Him?

7. What would it look like for you to be a “disciple who makes disciples?” How does this impact your time, family, work, community service, and church attendance? How can you pray for more opportunities to carry out this great commission in loving expectation?

Following the Way of Jesus and Not the Values of the World // March 24, 2024

Phil 2:5-11, 3:4-9

REFLECTION QUOTES

In the ancient Roman world, honor was the stuff of dreams. It ran cities, ruined fortunes, and instigated wars. It was the common currency in which the culture traded, from the heights of the Roman emperor to the depths of the household slave. 

– Dr. Isaac Blois - Mutual Boasting in Philippians

“The Person I Want to Become: 

• A man who is dedicated to helping improve the lives of other people

• A kind, honest, forgiving, and selfless husband, father, and friend

• A man who doesn’t just believe in God, but who believes God.”

– Clayton Christensen - How Will You Measure Your Life?

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 

– 1 Tim 6:17–19

For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 

– Luke 22:27

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. Why is Palm Sunday an appropriate example of the idea that the way of Jesus runs counter to the values and priorities of the world? How was the road to Calvary different from many of the expectations for the kind of kingdom Jesus would bring? 

3. Read Philippians 2:5-8. Why do you think serving one another is so important to the character and well-being of a church family? How does this challenge you to be a better steward of your time, money, and actions toward the mission of the church? Toward your fellow members in the church?

4. Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19. What does this verse teach about wealth? How can we practically apply this in our lives both inside and outside of church? What would it change about your life?

5. As you reflect upon your professional life and calling, how could you better pursue stewardship and excellence in your work for the glory of God?

6. Following the way of Jesus recalibrates our priorities and values from those of the world. What are some ways that you often get caught up in the race for honor, achievement, and advancement over others? How does the way of Jesus confront you to become more like a servant? How would this change some of the priorities and values in your life right now?

7. Our message presents us with a principle of two mindsets to hold in balance: 

   • Church Family - We consciously refuse to adopt the way of the world or compete as it does. Instead, we choose to serve one another with humility in the servant way of Jesus.

   • Outside the Church Family - We are encouraged to work hard, with all our hearts, to the glory of God. We are unafraid to hold ourselves to high standards of excellence and competition with Christian character.

8. How do these two mindsets encourage you as Christians to engage in the world as students, athletes, parents, or professionals? How do you find them challenging or in tension with one another?