Physicality Vs Sensuality

I really thank God for providing me with this Christian book as a Christmas gift from Sean. The author of this book is Dr Ravi Zecharias, a well-known speaker & Christian apologist who have spent more than 3 decades preaching all around the globe. He is one of the few most influential preachers in my life.

Since early this week, I have started reading this book regularly & the vast amounts of truths & revelations are just immensely plentiful… such that many a times, I cannot but literally utter to myself, “Wow…” before I break in a short chuckle to myself for having discovered such truths abound. Praise the Lord!

Recently, I have been searching for downloadable audio sermons at Ravi Zecharias’ website on a certain topic that has been baffling my mind. This topic was about the understanding of human desire for intimacy & the tendency to cross-over the limits of sexuality before marriage.

I was upset because I couldn’t find any sermons on this topic & it made me wonder why this is such an uncommonly addressed topic in churches nowadays, or at least in Singapore. Having attended church services for almost my entire life since a child, I do not recall listening to a sermon of such topic being preached to a church congregation.

Of course, I have noticed Christian CDs & tapes similar to this topic, but it emphasizes largely on the courtship context that looks towards the eventuality of marriage. But what about sermons being preached in the context of those who do not have a girlfriend or boyfriend & yet struggling on the brink of satisfying the human desire & appetite for such satisfaction or gratification?

What about those who lie in the category of being in a current relationship with a person of the opposite gender, yet struggle with this pre-disposition of sexual tendencies? How about those who are dangerously treading on the faint lines between homosexuality? I’m sure that there are Christians in this category, for even in my own church, some have been discretely identified, yet not addressed.

Even if there are occasions where such topics are being discussed, these are in its rarity. For it is without doubt that this is one of the prime areas that Satan targets & inflicts most harm that agonizes unseemly within our souls. The next closest prime prerogative that most interested Satan is materialism. This, I will share about in a subsequent Blog entry.

One important lesson that I have learnt in all my experiences as a growing up Christian is that there is always a need for regular reminders about spiritual disciplines that are in place for a reason & actively seek to address what mutilates great injuries & hindrances to the Body of Christ. Failing which, results in the ruining of our souls, unsuspecting to our human mind.

In recent years, more emphasis has been made on pre-marital counseling, both in the societal context, as well as the church context. Yet this in itself places a particular stigma – that only those who are very sure & are already at the near doorsteps of marriage solemnization, do they consider attending such a program. What about those who are in it, but unsure?

As it is, there are many who choose not to be a part of this, largely because they have been so thrilled & encouraged by all the post-modern day media & peer propaganda that destiny lies in their own hands & they should be the rightful ones who decide how life & marriage should be like… not according to someone, some book or some rule.

Even for those who do contemplate the possibility of usefulness in attending such a course, I personally find that it may be too late for a courting couple to attend it, just 6 months to 1 year before their wedding date. That is far too late!

Of coz, it’s always better late than never, but have we considered the shortening years of childhood of our younger generation? When the innocence of youth is lost & their yearning to ‘grow up’ actually reflects more of their desire to become more exposed, rather than let a ‘flower blossom in its time of unraveling beauty’.

Very often, mistakes are made precisely because we are young, less exposed & naïvely assuming in thought. Yet, does it mean that by becoming more knowledgeable in areas like this, would make us less susceptible to flailing temptations & enticement? Definitely not so, for any flower which is forced to bud before its time of bloom, withers soon enough. And so applies to that of a caterpillar growing into a butterfly.

Why should lessons & warnings be brought out into the open, based on another person’s perception of when is the right time? If so, shouldn’t we read portions of the Bible, which are only applicable to what’s happening at our age & time? No! For if it were so, much will be lost, many would be harmed… because we so belittle & downplay the seductions of life which Satan ensnares us in our life.

Thankfully, God knew my heart’s desire to further discover & better understand this aspect of human sexuality & revealed a portion of this that is to be discovered in this particular chapter in his book by Ravi Zecharias.

In this chapter, Ravi Zecharias emphasizes the need for disciplined guarding & thoughtful guiding, when it comes to treading amongst such ‘land mines’ along our path.

Here are a few excerpts from this wonderful book written by this man –

“I would dare to suggest that of all the places we search fro the sustaining of wonder, most often it is in human sexuality. Few inclinations within our senses seem as mysterious & enchanting while at the same time can be so disappointing & hurtful. From the first realization of the desire to the enjoyment of it, we realize the intensity of the experience & the fragility of its nature. In sexual consummation, the mind & body go from inclination to participation to pleasure to ecstasy, so we think it is the act that delivers it all & forget the context that is needed to sustain the delight & take it beyond pleasure to wonder.”

So much has been said & described in these few sentences, if we take the time to ponder. And yet there is so much more that I discovered.

I learnt that the book of Hosea gives an insider’s look into promiscuity & its cost, possibly the most graphically illustrated book in the Bible, which also illustrates the gospel story in action & metaphor – Hosea representing God, Gomer his wife who turned prostitute representing God’s people, & their offspring representing our society that results from life sold out to infidelity & reduced to merely the sensual.

Ravi Zecharias laid bare the facts of nakedness, that so creates much curiosity that so envelopes my mind. He shared that –

“Nakedness is a state of the body that is impossible without being affected by or affecting the state of mind. There is an indestructible link between nakedness & the mind. Nakedness does not just reflect that action of brain cells, an issue of pure science; it is a mindset.

Whatever causes a civilization to blush defines that civilization’s values. The first time Adam & Eve sinned they felt shame, a new & strange sensation they had never felt before that took over their bodies & minds. The wonder of the garden & of communion was gone, & fear & suspicion took hold for the first time.

Their first response was to cover their nakedness so that they would not be seen in that condition. To that extent, there was hope because shame is an indicator of a conscience that is alive.

But why, one might ask, was there a feeling of shame in the first place? Was it not because God framed our minds to respond with sensation when sensibilities were violated?”

It is so amazing to realize that God created sensation within our mind & body, yet it so distinctly reacts differently based on the boundaries which God has set in place.

Physicality points to something greater than itself, for example a doctor examining an unclad patient for the sake of the body’s well-being, as in contrast to sensuality which focuses purely on one’s pleasure & enjoyment. To consider both physicality & sensuality to be identical would be a fatality to our human senses, rob our body of its true worth as designed by God & announcing death of wonder in sexuality.

Ravi Zecharias’ rounds up this chapter by illustrating this so well, by writing –

“I know of no more powerful an illustration than this to remind us that if life is reduced to the body, there is no self-worth left & even the sensual will ultimately decay with the physical, leaving the senses unanchored. The only way to transcend the physical & the sensual while retaining their essential features is to bind them to the sacred.”

This reminded me of an article that I had read from a lifestyle magazine, which shared about a true account of a woman who had fell prey into the world of sex toys, which caused it to grow into an obsession. This led to her increasing dissatisfaction of natural love-making with her husband, resulting in an ongoing neglect & finally divorce from her husband.

From then on, she grew even more obsessed with her sex toy. She would spend hours after coming home from work, just indulging in this activity. So much so that after some time, she became so hooked onto it that she started to take leave from work, just to engage in this activity at home.

As time went on, her life became messed up, with her being largely occupied with the frequency of this activity alone. It was scary, as she couldn’t think about anything else, but this. Finally, there came a point of time, when she found that she couldn’t feel anymore sensation in her body, even despite buying & using a more powerful sex toy.

She became depressed because there seemed to be nothing that could possibly meet her need & she couldn’t feel anymore sensation. After that, she didn’t have a choice, but to stop doing it, coz it didn’t work anymore. She had ruined her life, her marriage & even her own body. And this article served as a strong warning & reminder to those who choose to dabble with areas such as these.

Everyone out there, God made things the way it is, for a reason… & He wants us to experience it in its entirety & wonder, when His time has come.

In Ravi Zecharias’ own words, he said, “To seek wonder in sexual enjoyment apart from its sacredness is to plunder one’s own body. To seek wonder through sexual fantasies is to destroy the wonder of sex itself. To do it God’s way is wonder-full & lasting.” These words add to the conclusion of that true account that I shared above.

Let us not take this lightly… & may the grace of God hold us steadfast as we seek His help in this & remind ourselves that we are the righteousness of Christ, forgiven of our sins. Amen.