The allegations made against the late Ravi Zacharias highlight the extremely important issue of sexual sin among Christians and within the church. If the allegations are true, it's extremely disappointing to hear that he was a sexual predator. Many, many people viewed him as one of the prominent evangelical leaders of the 21st century. Recent developments may indicate that Ravi is in fact innocent, but it may be something that we never know for sure.
Whatever the case may be, the allegations of sexual assault and rape cause Christianity to take a hard hit and God's reputation to be bludgeoned. An eerily similar situation occurred a few years ago with a local pastor who was basically raping men. Look to your Bible to see that such incidents are not new, but they testify to the power that sex can have over a person, including the evangelical "elite".
Sexual Sin vs. Sin
Some say that "sin is sin and his sin is not any worse than mine". Sin is sin, but according to the Bible, it seems that God views sexual sin at a higher level than other sin for a Christian. Look at 1 Corinthians 6:15-20:
15 "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For 'the two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh.' 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."
1) our bodies are members of Christ (vs.15) ;
2) sex is reserved for marriage between one man and one woman for the duration of their lives. Sex joins the two together and forms a unity of oneness between the two (vs. 16);
3) other sins are outside of the body but the person who commits sexual immorality sins against their own body (vs. 18);
4) our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit; He lives within us (vs. 19);
5) we were bought at a price and therefore we belong to Christ (vs. 20).
It seems clear that God does not view sexual sin the same way that He views other sin, at least for the Christian. All sin is an abomination to God, however, as we see in the passage above, He views sexual sin as an even greater abomination.
Sexual Sin In the Church
Contrary to what some Christians and doctrines believe, God created sex for the purpose of pro creation between a husband (man) and wife (woman). Anything outside of those parameters is sin. Furthermore, Jesus said that anyone who divorces, except for reasons of sexual immorality, commits adultery, and whoever remarries commits adultery unless the spouse dies. He also said that if you so much as look at someone lustfully that you commit adultery.
Unfortunately, sexual sin is rampant among Christians. Even the sin of homosexuality is accepted and practiced by some Christians. But a much greater issue within the church are the sexual sins of premarital sex, co-habitation, adultery, divorce and remarriage (adultery), self gratification, lust and pornography. A high percentage of Christians are involved in sexual sin in one way or another, but would never admit it, and that's where much of the problem lies.
Christian Accountability and Church & Ministry Leaders
Although the truth of the allegations against Ravi are now in question, according to the letter from RZIM, Ravi Zacharias was not held accountable as he should have been. If he was, perhaps his sin would not have escalated to the height that it did. Unfortunately accountability is not practiced enough among members of the body of Christ. Churches and organizations may have accountability practices in place for their leaders, but how often are they actually followed? And church discipline, a Biblical concept, is rare within churches today.
I have been in church meetings where elders or committee members kowtow to the pastor's ideas without ever challenging him. This may be because they trust him, but it could also be because they feel inadequate to do so since he is the professional church leader. Whatever the case may be, if they do not challenge his ideas for the ministry, how much do they hold him accountable for his actions and behavior?
Most people naturally assume that their pastor is trustworthy and therefore, spiritually and morally elevate him above "normal" people. The fact of the matter is, pastors and ministry leaders morally fail just as much as anyone else does.
I know how difficult it can be to disagree with, or share an opposing viewpoint as an elder or committee member, to the founding or senior pastor of a church, or to the founder of a large ministry organization that you serve with or work for. Many times those serving as elders and committee members are given those positions because they have proven to be successful in the business world, or because they have been in the church the longest, not because they are the most spiritually fit for the job. Therefore they look at the "professional" spiritual leader as having all of the knowledge and wisdom pertaining to ministry, and go along with whatever he says.
The same thing happens when it comes to holding the ministry leaders accountable. Can you imagine being one of the people responsible for holding Ravi Zacharias, the founder of one of the biggest and most popular apologetic ministries in the world, accountable? You likely wouldn't think there is any need to. I know I wouldn't. But that's where we fail. Accountability is necessary within churches, ministry organizations and individual members of the body of Christ no matter who it is. No one is exempt from the temptation of sexual sin, especially those who are threatening the enemy.
Somewhere along the way, church and ministry leaders have become viewed by the Christian culture as being morally and spiritually superior to other Christians (the Christian sitting in the pew). Because we view them this way, we are surprised and shocked when pastors, especially popular celebrity pastors, ministry organization leaders, and celebrity Christian music band members, fall from sexual sin. This should not surprise or shock us because they are not morally or spiritually superior to the rest of us. Therefore we need to stop putting them on pedestals and start seeing them as God sees them - human members of His body whom He has uniquely gifted and who are apt to fail just like the rest of us.
How It Happens
So, how do Christians throughout history get to the point of sexually assaulting, abusing and raping women? Part of the issue is accountability, which I've already discussed. Another important part is found in 1 Corinthians 6:18, a part of the passage of Scripture we previously looked at, where we are told to "flee sexual immorality".
Also James 4:7-8 says, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
The writer of Hebrews said, "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin." - Hebrews 12:4
We are instructed to FLEE from sexual immorality and to RESIST the devil because he entices us with strong temptations to sin that are meant to draw us away from God, and ultimately lead us to death. We are also instructed to RESIST sin, even to the point of bloodshed. With sex and pornography so prevalent within our culture, fleeing from it, and resisting it can be extremely difficult because it's everywhere you look. However, to prevent sexual sin within our own lives, we must flee and resist it, no matter what that means we have to sacrifice. If we have to cut the cable cord, or ditch our social media accounts, then so be it. In the long run, our reward from God will far outweigh any sacrifices we make today.
This kind of sin does not happen overnight. A Godly man or woman can flirt with sin until they finally get to the point where they no longer feel the guilt or shame caused by their sin, that they once felt. It happens incrementally by the hardening of our hearts. It's true that Jesus will forgive us "seventy times seven times" (Matthew 18:21-22), but the more we sin, the harder our hearts become, until eventually our conscience becomes numb.
James 1:14-15 says, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
It begins by giving into the temptations of our desires. Giving in conceives sin, and sin eventually, if not controlled, leads to death. So even Godly men and women who walk with the Lord can be enticed by sin, drawn away from God and experience spiritual death by giving in to the temptations of their desires.
Also in regards to sin leading to death, Paul the apostle wrote to the church in Rome under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God:
"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?"
Romans 6:12-16
Paul is saying that if one allows sin to reign in their body, giving in to its lusts, they will become a slave to sin which will lead them to death. So rather than being a slave to sin, be a slave to righteousness by using your lives and the members of your bodies for Him and His righteousness, because He alone gives life.
My guess is that this is what happened to Ravi Zacharias, if the allegations against him are true. It's doubtful that he was some kind of con man making a living as a Christian apologist, who was sexually assaulting women on the side. It's more likely that he was a true Christian who repented of his sins, believed the gospel, and gave his life to serve God. But over the years, the justification of little sins here and there hardened his heart until his conscience no longer convicted him of his sin, at least not like it previously did.
Sex is like a drug in the way that it can be addicting, and sexual sin leads one further and further down a path of darkness. A man may start out as looking at the Victoria Secret catalog. Next he's looking at nude women in Playboy magazine. That turns into watching sexually explicit pornographic movies, which may lead to having sex with prostitutes. Then he might start sexually harassing and assaulting women. For some people it gets even sicker by raping and even murdering the victim, or first murdering the victim and then having sex with them.
Sexual sin continuously escalates and is the cause of most wickedness and evil in the world. So if you think that your porn habit isn't affecting anyone else, think again. Not only is it negatively affecting you and your spouse, it has the potential to affect a lot of other people, and it might destroy your marriage and the lives of all of those people before finally destroying you.
Heaven or Hell
I can not help but wonder where unrepentant Christians who have fallen due to sexual, or other sins are going to spend eternity. If the popular view of once saved, always saved is the correct view according to God, then they will spend eternity in heaven.
But if the correct view is that a believer can fall away from God and therefore lose his salvation because his heart has become hardened by sin so that he no longer wants God (which is the more Biblical view in my opinion), then unless he repents, he is likely either going to spend eternity in hell or be destroyed.
Another less likely possibility in my opinion, is that they will spend a time in hell as his punishment, but then God will redeem them and allow them to spend the remainder of eternity in the coming kingdom of God because of the price that Jesus paid for the salvation of mankind.
No matter what your belief is about what the kingdom of heaven is, whether it is presently here among us and one must enter it before inheriting the future kingdom of the new earth, or it is the future heavenly realm, the Bible is clear that a sexually immoral person will not enter or inherit the kingdom of heaven, nor will they spend eternity with God (which makes the last view listed above seem obsolete) :
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Galatians 5:19-21
"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie."
Revelation 22:14-15
"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:7-8
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit."
I Thessalonians 4:3-8
"But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them."
Ephesians 5:3-7
'“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.'" - Matthew 5:27-30
Though the doctrine of eternal assurance (once saved, always saved) is the popular view among Christians today, I do not see how it aligns with Scripture under these kinds of circumstances. The Bible does not differentiate between a believer or an unbeliever, only that the sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, but rather he will be thrown into the lake of fire. In many if not all of the passages of Scripture listed above, it is Christians who are being directed not to participate in sexual immorality, and Jesus said that it would be better to dismember yourself than for your entire body to be thrown into hell because of adultery. I read them as warnings not to engage in the behaviors listed because they lead to spiritual and physical death and destruction.
These passages should scare the hell out of us - literally. If it doesn't, and you are engaged in sexual sin, then it's probable that your heart has become hardened.
Only God knows for sure where someone who fits this profile goes for eternity, but to me it sounds likely that it will not be with Him.
Idolatry
It's my opinion that God views sexual sin as idolatry, an issue which He speaks against continuously throughout the Bible, including many of the passages listed above. Romans 1:18-32 provides a good picture of how man has elevated sex above God and has made it an idol and object of worship:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them."
Man's hearts were darkened, therefore his desire was to worship images made like corruptible man, and animals rather than God. Therefore God gave them over to their shameful desires, including their lust for one another. Acts of viewing pornography, self gratification, and lusting after people is idolatry. In many cases, it is worshiping images made to look like corruptible man. Pleasuring oneself while looking at another person in a pornographic movie or magazine, lustfully looking at another person, or envisioning sexual fantasies should be easy to recognize as idolatry.
God is a jealous God, and therefore does not tolerate anything that takes His place or that is exalted above Him. He does not have a passe attitude towards it.
When Moses saw that the Israelites made an idol of a golden calf, God instructed those who considered themselves to be His people to kill those who were not. They killed about three thousand people that day. Afterwards, Moses went to meet with God to plead forgiveness for the remaining people who participated in making the idol, but God responded that anyone who sinned against Him will be blotted of His book, and that they will be punished at the judgement. This incident highlights how seriously God views idolatry which includes sexual sin.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."
Exodus 20:4-6
Other Sins Associated With Sexual Sin
It seems that there are usually other sins that are associated with sexual sin. Those listed within some of the passages we have already looked at include: liars, unbelieving, adulterers, fornicators, lewdness, selfish ambition, uncleanness, and possibly others. There is no doubt that anyone who is engaged in unrepentant sexual sin is also engaged in at least some of these other sins.
Why It Matters
Some may ask "why does it matters if Ravi Zacharias struggled with sexual sin?" Or on a more personal level, "why does it matter if I, or anyone struggle with sexual sin? It's not anyone's business but my own."
Maybe you don't see it as a struggle or maybe you don't consider your habit as being sin. Maybe it's just something that you do without giving any thought to what God thinks about it, how it is effecting your marriage, the church, the kingdom, or your soul. If that's the case, then you better read your Bible and pray to seek God's view of sexual sin.
When popular Christian leaders fall from sexual sin, it not only creates distrust among the body of believers, it tarnishes the name and reputation of Christ. It is an abomination to God. Unfortunately for God and to Christianity, someone who professes to be a Christian but lives so contrary to God, tramples His name, especially someone in the public spotlight. However, this is not reserved only for Christian leaders. This is so for every Christian who falls into unrepentant sin and lives contrary to God and His word. Every Christian, bears the responsibility of getting rid of the sin in their lives for the sake of Christ. Pastors and ministry leaders who fall, especially popular ones, have further reach within the community or in the world for tarnishing the Lord's name, because when it happens, it is broadcast on television, in newspapers and on social media.
When is the last time you have heard of an "average" Christian falling from sexual sin? One reason we rarely hear about it is obviously because these are very private and shameful issues, so if they are being confessed to an accountability partner, they are being kept quiet as they very well should be. But another possibility is that they are not being confessed for accountability, because there is typically very little accountability in most churches or among the body of Christ, as we've already discussed.
It could also be because nobody cares. In this culture of celebrity and leader exaltation, nobody cares if their brother or sister are struggling with sexual sin unless they are the pastor of the church or are a Christian celebrity. It is usually in the cases of high profile celebrities and leaders such as Ravi Zacharias, when secret sin is made known to the public and goes viral. For the Christian sitting in the pew, knowledge of it is usually limited to a few family members or close friends, not to the entire community, or in Ravi's case, the entire world. This is good for the average Christian and is how it should be for them, as well as those in high profile positions.
Count the Cost
Jesus tells us to count the cost before making the decision to follow Him because the cost is high:
"Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
'For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?
'Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.'"
Luke 14:25-33
Following Jesus will cost us our lives including sin. Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."
Matthew 16:24
If we are unwilling to deny ourselves because we love our lives more than Him, we cannot be His disciple. Getting rid of sin is not an option, it's a requirement.
Unbelievers mock God and His church when Ravi Zacharias type scandals emerge. Since the church contains people who love their lives more than Jesus, and do not take the sin in their lives seriously, the scandals will continue and God will continue to be mocked.
The power that the church once had in the first century is gone, partly because of the rampant sin that exists within it. This is one of Satan's strategies. We tend to think that Satanic attacks against us are done for the purpose of taking us out of the game. This is true in part, but the bigger purpose is to destroy the church. We are not lone rangers on an individual mission to build God's kingdom. He may not care as much about destroying us personally, as he cares about destroying the entire body of Christ. But if he takes us out individually, the church becomes a powerless body that is ineffective and useless for building God's kingdom. If Satan can keep us enslaved to the bondage of sin, we are unable to work to build God's kingdom for His glory. This is a big deal that goes way beyond you and me. Unfortunately, many Christians are too caught up in their own lives and consumed by their own sins to realize it.
Holiness/Sanctification
God calls His people to be holy.
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
I Peter 1:13-16
"Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God."
Leviticus 20:7
"And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine."
Leviticus 20:26
"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."
John 17:17-19
"Holy" is one of those words that is associated with religion, but its meaning is not understood by most people. Holy means "set apart". God is set apart from man, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord - Isaiah 55:8. His people are to be set apart from the rest of the world. When He said, "Be holy, for I am holy", He means to be set apart from the world, that is, be different from the world.
As Jesus prayed for His disciples before He went to the cross, He asked the Father to sanctify them by His truth, and He said that His word is truth. He said that He sanctified Himself for their sake, so that they may be sanctified by the truth. "Sanctify" has the same meaning as "holy", it's just a different word. Jesus set Himself apart and was asking God the Father to set His disciples apart from the world by the truth of His word.
Paul describes what holiness and sanctification looks like in Romans 12:2:
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
A lot of people profess to know God and to follow Jesus, but not all of them live their lives as if they are sanctified or holy. Some might say that holiness is unachievable, because they associate holiness with being perfect, as God is perfect. But perfection is not what God requires of His followers, only that they live set apart from the world for His purposes and glory.
God is the creator of sex, and has made it a beautiful thing when practiced within the guidelines that He established. However, man's sin nature has perverted sex to take the many forms in which we see today. Professing Christians will justify sexual sin in order to suit their lifestyle and desires, but habitually partaking in sexual sin is not acceptable for someone who is set apart for God and His purposes. God has made the boundaries clear, and if someone chooses to ignore or disobey them in order to suit their own desires, then it is God who they are disobeying and they cannot claim to be His follower, which is what a Christian is. A person cannot be a Christian and yet ignore or disobey the One they are claiming to follow.
One of Jesus's closest disciples, John, wrote to the church regarding sin and the lifestyle in which they, as holy, sanctified Christians were required to live:
"And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."
I John 3:4-9
It's impossible to live a perfect, sinless life. Only Jesus was able to do that. But that should be the goal we are striving for. When our eyes are set on Jesus, and our focus is His kingdom, sin is not on our mind. It's only when we take our eyes off of Him and focus on ourselves that sin comes and crouches at our door. Those who do not abide in Jesus sins, and whoever sins does not know Him and is of the devil. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, therefore a true Christian cannot become a slave to it, nor can he condone it.
John tells the church not to love the world, or the things in the world, and if anyone does, then the love of God is not in him. This is what it means to be holy and sanctified. He goes on to say that the world consists of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and that these things are not of God:
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."
I John 2:15-17
Lust can impart many things, including sexual sin. Christians are commanded by God not to love the world which includes lust, however, just like the world, there are professing Christians who agree with the world and condone the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Some even characterize their identity as being gay, homosexual, or a gender other than the male or female in which God created them to be. Many heterosexual Christians love the world and entertain their lust by condoning, practicing or partaking in pornography, premarital sex and sexual sins which I previously mentioned. These lifestyles are not holy or sanctified, nor do they lead us in the direction to become holy and sanctified. These are worldly lifestyles which are a perverted view of sex, lived for the purpose of satisfying their own sensuous desires.
Overcoming Sexual Sin
So what do you do if you are struggling with sexual sin and how do you avoid the consequences that I have outlined here? First and foremost, Repent! The message of Jesus and his forerunner, John the Baptist were the same, "Repent and believe for the kingdom of heaven is near!" There is no way to enter the kingdom of heaven unless you repent and believe.
Everyone sins. But there is a difference between someone who sins and unrepentant sin. Someone who sins feels remorse, guilt and shame afterwards. They feel terrible for sinning against God and anyone they have sinned against. They are haunted by a guilty conscience. They want to make it right, so they confess their sin to God and ask for His forgiveness. They also confess their sin to their accountability partner. They might even confess to the person they sinned against and ask for their forgiveness. Confession and asking for forgiveness clears the conscience and makes us right with God.
Unrepentant sin on the other hand, hardens our hearts until we no longer have a guilty conscience and we eventually fall away from God, as I have already discussed.
"Repent" means "to turn away from". So in order to repent from sexual sin, one turns away from it. Turning away from and denying yourself sound very similar. Jesus instructs his followers to do both.
Doing so is not easy and takes genuine discipline. Having someone hold you accountable is important and helpful. I also learned that replacing sin with something else, something good, is extremely helpful. Reading and studying the Bible, prayer, worship and fellowship with other believers works miracles when trying to overcome sin. Some cases may require help from a counselor. If so, be sure to go to an authentic Christian counselor. Because of the varying degrees of theology in today's liberal climate, a "Christian" counselor may not believe Biblical Truth, thereby offering you unbiblical counsel and steering you in the wrong direction. There are also solid Christian ministries that can be of great help.
Conclusion
The allegations made against Ravi Zacharias are a great tragedy, especially if they are true. Yes, he impacted millions with his teachings and it's tragic that he fell, but more importantly our God and Lord was made to look like a fool. Second to that, which I have not mentioned much, are his victims whose lives he negatively effected and devastated. These are the tragedies, not that a late, celebrity Christian now has a reputation of being a sexual sinner.
My purpose in writing and sharing this is out of concern for the body of Christ. Sin among the body is becoming just as rampant as sin outside of the body. We look at those outside and criticize them for what they are doing to the world, but we ignore the planks in our own eyes. Those of the body are those God will hold accountable for living in accordance with His ways, not those who are outside of the church. We need to be concerned for the way our world is heading, but we need to be more concerned for the things of God, starting with our own healthy relationship with Him that begins with repenting of our sins.
My hope and prayer is that Christians will repent and begin seeking first the kingdom of God. This is the only thing will bring change to our world, finish the task of accomplishing the Great Commission and give glory to God.
All praise, honor and glory to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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