TSteves
10-10-2007, 01:53 AM
Is romance sinful? Is it something to be ashamed of? Is romance only encouraged within the boundaries of Marriage??? In fact, what is the definition of romance within the church? Does romance equal lust? Can you Love some one Romantically without falling into lust? Can you express physical displays of romantic affection within the bounds or Marriage or outside the bounds of Marriage without it falling into the realm of sinful lust?
I once spoke a on the issue of Jesus’ humanity. When talking to various people about Jesus and the nature of peoples personal struggles the common reply I hear is “ Well that was Jesus , and he was GOD, Im not him and it was easier for him to withstand the temptation.”
Do you see what that last statement implies? It implies that, while Jesus came down to earth he still was inaccessible to us because he could do things we couldn’t and therefore we can’t identify with him.
The Bible said that Jesus knew temptation and yet knew no sin…I want to deal with that issue in light of Romance and who Jesus was.
Now I’m gonna venture into an area many people want to shy away from because of the questions it brings.
Jesus was 100% Human , right? And he was 33 when he died? Couldn’t Jesus have experienced the feelings and scenarios I have experience in my life by my age? Specifically, the love of a woman without the introduction of sinful lust?
I believe so…It’s entirely possible to think that Jesus loved a woman romantically and yet never crossed the boundary into sin. If he didn’t experience that then that is a human emotion he would have no frame of reference for ministering to someone struggling with relationships and all that they imply.
Look, flat out…ROMANCTIC LOVE OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF MARRIAGE DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY LEAD TO PHYSICAL SIN…THE POTENTIAL FOR SIN, YES…BUT NOT AUTOMATIC SIN…BUT THAT IS COMMON WITH ANYTHING IN OUR WORLD..
The bible says “For the love of money is the root of all evil” it doesn’t say money is evil but rather, what you do with the money…
Inversely, Romantic love outside the bounds of Marriage itself is not sinful but actually, its natural, Its what you do with it that makes it sinful… And you can be physically intimate without it venturing into sin.
Physical intimacy does not necessarily equal sex- but our society and even the church would have you think other wise----its about time we grow up
You can love someone romantically, holding their hands, even kiss them and it would not be sinful or lustful…and it’s entirely possible to think that Jesus experienced these things without ever falling into sin…temptation yes…sin no…If he didn’t experience this to some degree then he would have no clue about this aspect of human experience.
It’s a mind blowing thought to think of our Lord, Loving someone romantically because of all the questions it brings up. It forces people to question their own thoughts about romance in light of God and the fact that he has created something beautiful that the devil and the world has also corrupted to definition of…
Romancing the Stone….Could the stone be us? Could God be romancing us? The stone of our hearts have grown cold because we have been sold a bad bill of goods about what romance is and how it plays a role in our lives. Its about time we belly up to the bar and get real.
In the next post I will travel further down the slippery slope of dealing with christs Humanity in regards to romantic Love.
I once spoke a on the issue of Jesus’ humanity. When talking to various people about Jesus and the nature of peoples personal struggles the common reply I hear is “ Well that was Jesus , and he was GOD, Im not him and it was easier for him to withstand the temptation.”
Do you see what that last statement implies? It implies that, while Jesus came down to earth he still was inaccessible to us because he could do things we couldn’t and therefore we can’t identify with him.
The Bible said that Jesus knew temptation and yet knew no sin…I want to deal with that issue in light of Romance and who Jesus was.
Now I’m gonna venture into an area many people want to shy away from because of the questions it brings.
Jesus was 100% Human , right? And he was 33 when he died? Couldn’t Jesus have experienced the feelings and scenarios I have experience in my life by my age? Specifically, the love of a woman without the introduction of sinful lust?
I believe so…It’s entirely possible to think that Jesus loved a woman romantically and yet never crossed the boundary into sin. If he didn’t experience that then that is a human emotion he would have no frame of reference for ministering to someone struggling with relationships and all that they imply.
Look, flat out…ROMANCTIC LOVE OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF MARRIAGE DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY LEAD TO PHYSICAL SIN…THE POTENTIAL FOR SIN, YES…BUT NOT AUTOMATIC SIN…BUT THAT IS COMMON WITH ANYTHING IN OUR WORLD..
The bible says “For the love of money is the root of all evil” it doesn’t say money is evil but rather, what you do with the money…
Inversely, Romantic love outside the bounds of Marriage itself is not sinful but actually, its natural, Its what you do with it that makes it sinful… And you can be physically intimate without it venturing into sin.
Physical intimacy does not necessarily equal sex- but our society and even the church would have you think other wise----its about time we grow up
You can love someone romantically, holding their hands, even kiss them and it would not be sinful or lustful…and it’s entirely possible to think that Jesus experienced these things without ever falling into sin…temptation yes…sin no…If he didn’t experience this to some degree then he would have no clue about this aspect of human experience.
It’s a mind blowing thought to think of our Lord, Loving someone romantically because of all the questions it brings up. It forces people to question their own thoughts about romance in light of God and the fact that he has created something beautiful that the devil and the world has also corrupted to definition of…
Romancing the Stone….Could the stone be us? Could God be romancing us? The stone of our hearts have grown cold because we have been sold a bad bill of goods about what romance is and how it plays a role in our lives. Its about time we belly up to the bar and get real.
In the next post I will travel further down the slippery slope of dealing with christs Humanity in regards to romantic Love.