"Stand firm," Paul says, "lest you become enslaved again (Galatians 5:1).

 

Growing up, half-way between our house and downtown Indianapolis was an X-rated movie theatre and book store. In those days we did not venture to the downtown area all that often, but most times when we passed the intersection where the business stood, there were people protesting the establishment by walking along the sidewalk while holding picket signs. The dedicated handful of activists carried hand-made posters touting three-word blurbs which decried the evils of p*rnography. Through the eyes of a teenager, the protests did little to stop the individuals who were going into the building, nor did they have the effect of closing the business. The media and community seemed to ignore their efforts. Proponents argued that it was an issue of free speech - if you didn't like it, you didn't have to frequent the business. And the Christians who carried the signs were seen to be extremists who obviously didn't like s*x.

 

Do you have similar images when faced with the idea of opposing p*rnography? Isn't this at the heart just an issue of preference - like turning off the television when an objectionable show comes on or choosing not to go to a movie that carries an R rating? Shouldn't Christians protect the freedom of speech so that some day the tables won't be turned against us? Aren't our hands tied anyway because of the separation of church and state? Besides, at worst, isn't p*rnography just a victimless crime - adults choosing to do what gives them some enjoyment and pleasure? And honestly, even convinced that there is some harm from p*rnography - who wants to be out walking on a street, carrying a sign, and opening one's self to embarrassment and ridicule?

 

Over the next several issues, we are going to look to discover the real answers to these and other questions that surround the issue of p*rnography in a community. We will begin that question by first looking at biblical teaching that provides a foundation of truth, not so much just for opposing p*rnography and sin, but for promoting a Spirit-driven lifestyle. From the fifth chapter of Galatians, we'll be reminded of the devastating grip that sin has on our lives, and that we are all in need of God's grace. We will be challenged to apply that grace to serve others rather than indulge in an excess-driven lifestyle. We will be encouraged to control the desires of the sinful nature in order to truly live by God's spirit. We will find that a church can honestly teach the benefits of a disciplined lifestyle - including strong admonitions against p*rnography -because the Bible clearly contrasts living by the Spirit and living by one's sinful nature.

 

Paul begins the fifth chapter by challenging us to stand firm against the evils and vices of this world. While p*rnography is certainly one vice that leaps out at us, Paul is providing a foundation and rationale for standing against any issue - whether it be abortion, homosexuality, alcoholism, infidelity or greed. Because of the nature of the fallen world in which we live, unless we understand some deep, foundational spiritual truths, we often find ourselves battling the same foe again and again.

 

It seems clear that only when we talk about sin in its broader perspective can we expect to make a real difference in not only the impact of sin in the world, but in trying to decrease the amount of sin in our own lives. When we try to combat an abortion clinic or a s*xually oriented business, we need to be reminded of the people - real people for whom Christ died - that are touched and impacted. We need tohumbly be reminded that we too are sinners - perhaps not fallen to every temptation, but susceptible to temptation.

 

Paul wants more than anything else to remind the Galatians that they need to do everything that they can to remain free - free from the bondage of the Law and free from the bondage of sin. We really nullify the Lord's redemptive work if we again become enslaved to a lifestyle dependent upon keeping portions of the Law. But we are also to see that the sinful nature can nullify his work if we allow it to regain a stronghold of our nature and lifestyle.

 

He encourages us to stand firm - to not let ourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery - slavery to the Law or slavery to the sinful nature. We are to stand firm because we all face the sinful nature together, because we all stand in need of a savior, and because we are all called to express our faith in love.

 

I.       STAND FIRM: WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER 

How do you combat the accusation that if you point out someone else's sin you come across as either "holier than thou"or out of touch with reality? Paul paints the answer very clearly: when it comes to sin, we are all in this together.

 

Sin entangles us. The Hebrew writer says it this way:

 

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the righthand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3NIV

 

It hinders us. It clouds our judgment. It slows our progress. It is like running a race with ankle weights on; like going to hit the baseball with the "doughnut" still on the end of the bat. It binds our strengths. It hardens our hearts. It touches us all.

 

Make no mistake about it: sin EASILY entangles us. No one is exempt from it. No one escapes its snare. Our points of temptation may be different, but we all fall to temptation. Time and time again.

 

If I take a stand against homosexuality, or abortion, or p*rnography, it is not because I am perfect, nor am I bidding someone to follow me and my example. I take a stand against it for two reasons; first God has revealed in his Word that it is wrong. I also stand against it because of the practical truths that I see at work in the world around me.

 

II.     STAND FIRM: WE ALL NEED A SAVIOR

Because we all stand together stained by sin, we all stand together in need of a savior. We need a savior to free us from sin- to crucify its power and hold in our lives. We need a savior to free us from the judgment that sin brings upon us.