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In this audio Talk, Ed Welch argues that Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (in 1 Cor. 6:12-20) takes what he’s heard on the streets of Corinth and radically reinterprets them for the Corinthian believers. Contrary to what the Corinth culture said, Paul argues that sexuality is a physical/spiritual act. How does this impact us today? Welch discusses five dimensions of our culture’s view of sex: 1.) Sex is abuse; 2.) Sex is pleasurable (to postpone pleasure, you need something more pleasurable – sin tries to artificially duplicate the pleasures of knowing God); 3.) Sex is natural and instinctive (Sin is also natural – we need to think through who sets the standard for what is ‘natural’ for us – we live in a world where unnatural things are considered natural); 4.) Sex doesn’t mean anything (promiscuity dehumanizes sex – we look oddly like a brute beast (Daniel 4)) – sex, like a wedding ring, symbolizes something far greater than just an act – sex points to our union with Christ); and 5.) Sex is just an expression of love (sex is an expression of love defined by God – it is public, steadfast, etc.). Welch ends by suggesting strategies for dealing with these messages from the world and responding to the world’s messages.
Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; Luke 8; Titus 2; Daniel 4
