Jesus spoke more about money than he talked about heaven and hell, and heaven and hell combined.

Why?  Jesus was no tacky televangelistic salesman…He does not require a payment book from you the thickness of a Bible. If He did, He would be no deity. Jesus speaks of money because of love.

The Spirit of God identifies through story telling and proverb, the precise locale of the human heart.  He states that our money and our heart share the same space. If you were to Google Map the address of your heart, you would find the precise longitude and latitude of your bank account.

Stay with me for a moment. Look at my bank statements and you will see what I love.  You will find charities I support, government entities to whom I render, and wait for it…Amazon.com!  Oh Lordy, that one click shopping is amazing, yes?  Love those thank you messages “for your purchase” from Amazon.com! On closer examination of my order history you will discover grandchildren.  You will see robotic legos, stroller, blocks, space shuttle carseat, clothing for tiny legs and arms, children’s medical supplies…all for the grandchildren we adore.

Google Map my heart and and you will find both bank account and toothless grin of grandchild in the same space.

God does not need your money. He wants your heart.

Today…do you have the compassion for yourself to examine the longitude and latitude of your heart? You may find it in your order history.

^“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”-Jesus  Matthew 6.21

Scriptures on Money

Bible Verses About Money

Bible verses related to Money from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance

Hebrews 13:5 – [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Matthew 6:24 – No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 – He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this [is] also vanity.

Matthew 6:19-21 – Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:   (Read More…)

Luke 12:33-34 – Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.   (Read More…)

1 Timothy 6:17-19 – Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;   (Read More…)

Proverbs 13:11 – Wealth [gotten] by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

Matthew 6:31-33 – Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?   (Read More…)

Proverbs 22:7 – The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower [is] servant to the lender.

Acts 4:32-35 – And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.   (Read More…)

1 Timothy 5:8 – But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Proverbs 13:22 – A good [man] leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner [is] laid up for the just.

Acts 2:44-45 – And all that believed were together, and had all things common;   (Read More…)

Luke 16:11 – If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true [riches]?

Proverbs 30:8-9 – Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:   (Read More…)

Proverbs 22:1 – A [good] name [is] rather to be chosen than great riches, [and] loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 – Behold [that] which I have seen: [it is] good and comely [for one] to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it [is] his portion.   (Read More…)

En Espanol

Jesús habló más sobre el dinero que sobre el cielo y el infierno, y el cielo y el infierno combinados.
¿Por qué? Jesús no era un vendedor tele-evangelista de mal gusto… Él no requiere de usted un libro de pagos del grosor de una Biblia. Si lo hiciera, no sería una deidad. Jesús habla de dinero por amor.

El Espíritu de Dios identifica a través de la narración de historias y proverbios, el lugar preciso del corazón humano. Afirma que nuestro dinero y nuestro corazón comparten el mismo espacio. Si tuviera que buscar en Google Map la dirección de su corazón, encontraría la longitud y latitud precisas de su cuenta bancaria.
Quédate conmigo por un momento. Mira mis extractos bancarios y verás lo que amo. Encontrará organizaciones benéficas a las que apoyo, entidades gubernamentales a las que rindo, y espérelo… ¡Amazon.com! Dios mío, comprar con un solo clic es increíble, ¿no? ¡Me encantan esos mensajes de agradecimiento “por tu compra” de Amazon.com! En un examen más detallado de mi historial de pedidos, descubrirá nietos. Verá legos robóticos, cochecitos, bloques, asiento de automóvil del transbordador espacial, ropa para piernas y brazos diminutos, suministros médicos para niños… todo para los nietos que adoramos.
Google Map mi corazón y encontrará tanto la cuenta bancaria como la sonrisa desdentada del nieto en el mismo espacio.
Dios no necesita tu dinero. Él quiere tu corazón.
Hoy… ¿tienes la compasión por ti mismo para examinar la longitud y latitud de tu corazón? Puede encontrarlo en su historial de pedidos.

“Porque donde esté vuestro tesoro, allí estará también vuestro corazón.”—Jesús Mateo 6.21
Escrituras sobre el dinero
Versículos de la Biblia sobre el dinero
Versículos de la Biblia relacionados con el dinero de la versión King James (KJV) por relevancia
Hebreos 13:5 – [Que vuestra] conversación [sea] sin avaricia; [y estad] contentos con lo que tenéis; porque él ha dicho: Nunca te dejaré, ni te desampararé.
1 Timoteo 6:10 – Porque raíz de todos los males es el amor al dinero, el cual codiciando algunos, se extraviaron de la fe, y fueron traspasados de muchos dolores.
Mateo 6:24 – Ninguno puede servir a dos señores; porque o aborrecerá al uno y amará al otro; o si no, se apegará a uno y menospreciará al otro. No podéis servir a Dios ya las riquezas.
Eclesiastés 5:10 – El que ama la plata no se saciará de plata; ni el que ama la abundancia con aumento: esto también es vanidad.
Mateo 6:19-21 – No os hagáis tesoros en la tierra, donde la polilla y el orín corrompen, y donde los ladrones minan y hurtan:   (Leer más…)
Lucas 12:33-34 – Vended lo que poseéis, y dad limosna; haceos bolsas que no se envejezcan, tesoro en los cielos que nunca se agote, donde ladrón no llega, ni polilla corrompe. (Lee mas…)
1 Timoteo 6:17-19 – A los ricos de este mundo manda que no sean altivos, ni pongan la esperanza en las riquezas, las cuales son inciertas, sino en el Dios vivo, que nos da todas las cosas en abundancia para que las disfrutemos; (Lee mas…)
Proverbios 13:11 – Las riquezas [obtenidas] con vanidad disminuirán, pero el que las recoge con trabajo aumentará.
Mateo 6:31-33 – Por tanto, no os afanéis, diciendo: ¿Qué comeremos? o, ¿qué beberemos? o, ¿Con qué nos vestiremos? (Lee mas…)
Proverbios 22:7 – El rico se enseñorea de los pobres, y el que pide prestado [es] siervo del que presta.
Hechos 4:32-35 – Y la multitud de los que habían creído era de un solo corazón y de una sola alma; ninguno de ellos decía que algo de lo que poseía era suyo; pero tenían todas las cosas en común. (Lee mas…)
1 Timoteo 5:8 – Pero si alguno no provee para los suyos, y mayormente para los de su casa, ha negado la fe, y es peor que un incrédulo.
Proverbios 13:22 – El [hombre] bueno deja herencia a los hijos de sus hijos, y la riqueza del pecador [está] guardada para el justo.
Hechos 2:44-45 – Y todos los que habían creído estaban juntos, y tenían todas las cosas en común; (Lee mas…)
Lucas 16:11 – Así que, si en las riquezas injustas no fuisteis fieles, ¿quién os confiará las [riquezas] verdaderas?
Proverbios 30:8-9 – Quita de mí la vanidad y la mentira; no me des pobreza ni riqueza; aliméntame con comida conveniente para mí:   (Leer más…)
Proverbios 22:1 – Más vale el nombre [bueno] que las grandes riquezas, [y] el favor amoroso más que la plata y el oro.
Eclesiastés 5:18-20 – He aquí [lo] que he visto: [es] bueno y hermoso [para uno] comer y beber, y gozar del bien de todo su trabajo que toma debajo del sol todo el días de su vida que Dios le da, porque es su porción. (Lee mas…)

The Twelve Steps have assisted recovering people to find sobriety for over half a century. The principles are much more ancient founded upon the transformative work of Christ over 2000 years ago.

Seven of the Twelve Steps connect directly to spirituality. This is no accident. Spirituality touches transcendence, the truth behind drug use.  When an addict uses, she transcends her pain momentarily in the attempt to relieve its anxiety.  It makes sense that a careful attending to one’s spirit (non material truth) can heal addiction neural pathways.

The final three Steps touch conscious awareness and maturity.  Steps 10-12 teach the recovering addict to continue healthy self examination, spirituality, and giving the gift to others.

Are these not the character traits of the aware and the mature mind? I am focused on continued growth, humble enough to admit wrongs, praying-meditating on the ability of the prefrontal cortex to be aware of God committed to His will and power.

These are the traits of the mature.  A vet posted in a comment that he has been betrayed more by pastors than his brothers in the military. I agree.  We live in an era of replacing the sacred spirituality of conscious awareness and maturity with Nihilism.

The greatest betrayals whether from the clergy pedophile, or corrupt politicians in ecclesiastical organizations have emerged in this era. The pedophile and the politician alike project the nothing-matters-but-the-moment Nihilism of our culture.

Can we project a new vision?  One of connection with spirituality and maturity?  The Steps and their spiritual results have never been more relevant in a Nihilistic culture. Ongoing growth with humility matter, spirituality with conscious awareness transcends Nihilism, and the awakening that results…stunning.

 

 

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly
admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with
God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and
the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to
carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our
affairs

Diseased Addiction Neural Pathways are caused by unhealthy attachment to substances or relationships

The noun disease derives from a 13th century AD French word, aise, meaning peace of mind, balance, comfort, or well being.  The 13th century French verb is aiser, to help, to assist, give ease, bring to balance, mitigate, relieve from pain or care. Farmer states that ease is an 1861 slang term for “contenting a woman” sexually. ETYMONLINE

 

 

 

(This is an MRI of the grey matter of the brain. During the years 0-4 we form the foundation for relationships; anxiety regulation system, bonding, compassion, and the immune system.)

The word disease is built on the word aise which means balance. Add the prefix, des or dis meaning without and you have the word, disease, meaning imbalance.  Therefore disease in our conversation of addiction as disease means addiction neural pathways are imbalanced or dis-eased.

Our goal is to become people of balance, our sobriety is known for our ability to regulate anxiety of grief, resentment, trauma, or pain.

The anxiety regulation system which brings balance to diseased addiction neural pathways is driven by the attachment system which connects to intimate relationships.  We regulate our anxiety by attaching to God, to our support group, our healthy friends and family, and our therapist.

Attachment comes from the French word, attaché, which means “nailed or fixed to”. Philip Flores in his book Addiction as an Attachment Disorder 2004 focuses the work of recovery on attaching to others. He states:

     Attachment to others is as vital as the drive for sex or food. 

     Attachment regulates anxiety through transfer of oxytocin     

     and vasopressin. 

     Attachment increases density of opioid receptors and the ability

     to self soothe.      

    Without attachment 75% of infants die. (Flores, 2004)

 

 

 

(Diffusion Tensor Imaging of white matter neuro pathways. The “wires” connect to the grey matter for relationships formed between 0-4. Between the ages of 5-8 these wires form connecting us to people, places, things, sites, sounds, and smells.  This is called the arousal template. These neural pathways are made of fat, water, and protein. These pathways can change.)

“Intimate long lasting relationships are an integral part of human nature and the ability to establish long lasting gratifying relationships is directly related to the quality of early attachment experiences.  Difficulty overcoming ineffective attachment styles (Ainsworth 1989) can leave certain individuals vulnerable to addictive compulsions as compensatory behavior for their deficiency.   Louie (1996) emphasizes the primacy of this biologically driven need: ‘Attachment is not just a good idea, it’s the law.’” (Flores 2004) 

Without attachment both the compassion and the bonding systems do not develop.  We have difficulty expressing and receiving compassion and we may struggle to bond in healthy ways.

Every thought, word, deed has a physical structure in the brain wired by genetic code or experience.  These physical structures, or neural pathways, are either eased or diseased, balanced or imbalanced. We can with intentional focus of healthy relationships with God and each other attend to imbalanced neural pathways bringing ease and balance to that which was diseased.

Our sobriety is the beautiful process of bringing balance to imbalance, wholeness to lives fragmented by pain. Attaching to God, our support group, our healthy friends, and an amazing therapist…heals.

Sobriety is physiological and psychological balance from healthy attachment to intimate relationships.

Sobriety possesses a beauty among all the experiences of life.  Healing diseased addiction neuro pathways, mending broken relationships and meaning making of pain rival the richest events in our lives like the birth of a child, forgiveness, compassion for others and love for self.

Let’s define sobriety.  Multiple dictionaries describe the 14th century Old French term sobriete, in the positive sense meaning moderation, steadiness, clear of mind altering substances, life balance, or the human condition at birth. The early 15th century Latin term ebrietas, ebriety, means the state or habit of intoxication.

Therefore in this context sobriety is life balance opposed to ebriety which means the state of intoxication and life imbalance.  When a patrolman does a field sobriety test for a driver suspected of driving under the influence, the officer assesses the balance of the suspect physically, verbally, and cognitively. Imbalance in the driver will provoke the officer to administer a blood alcohol content test. The criteria for arrest is not presence of a substance, but sufficient alcohol content as to cause impairment.

So, can we agree that sobriety is life balance without impairment of substances or problematic behaviors?

The right hemisphere of the brain stores an internal working model of a child’s relationships, determining how she handles her feelings (Schore 2002, 14). A securely attached person accepts her feelings and regulates her anxiety by paying careful attention to it. She regulates herself as others regulated her. In contrast, an insecurely attached person reacts as if others will reject her feelings and anxiety. Feelings, perceived as dangerous, trigger unconscious memories of early relationships, which take the form of anxiety (Schore 2002, 21). The hippocampus, immature until the third or fourth year of life, remembers only the quality of early experiences— the somatic sensations and behaviors (De Rijk, Kitraki, and De Kloet 2010, 142; O’Keefe and Nadel 1978). Feelings trigger anxiety: bodily memories of an insecure attachment, sensations when anxiety was not regulated. These primordial representations of bodily states are the foundation on which all emotional growth and future experience proceeds.

Jon, Frederickson (2013-07-01). Co-Creating Change: Effective Dynamic Therapy Techniques (p. 27). Seven Leaves Press. Kindle Edition.

Since boyhood, my heart has beaten compassion for Native Americans. My mother told stories of our great great grandmother, Sarah Bond, who was a Native Pawnee. Grandma Sarah had dark beautiful eyes with prominent features of the plains Natives of North America. Sarah was born in 1841 and died a century later. Mother spoke of her raven hair woven in a thick braid flowing to her waist. Grandma Sarah lived during the aftermath of the Native American genocide called the Trail of Tears, the forcible government removal of Natives from the south east to Oklahoma. 4 thousand men, women, and children were killed by the United States Government through exposure, disease, and starvation. Forced to march nearly 1000 miles through the worst winter of the era, two generations perished .The young and the very old did not survive.

My grandmother did not march on the Trail of Tears. She witnessed other atrocities. Her Pawnee community declined from 12,000 in 1830 to 3400 by 1859 when she was 18 years old. By the time she turned 60 her proud nation numbered only 633. Grandma Sarah witnessed the decline of her people and culture by 94.725% during her lifetime. Think about 9 out of 10 of your friends and family perishing without a next generation to carry on.

How do I transform politically correct compassion to justice for the genocide of our family members? How do I personally move from heart felt empathy to cultural redemption? How do I conduct myself with the knowledge of murder and injustice at epic levels?

Cultural shift begins with boyhood compassion and belief. A great leader once said, “You must have the belief of a child.” The wonder of a boy, the passion of a man, and the belief in a God who brings truth and redemption change culture.

So, let’s examine our collective story with compassion and belief.

Understanding the genocide and dehumanization of Native Americans does not begin in the New World at Plymouth Rock. The wince of pain began in Europe. Our forefathers who sailed to and formed the 13 Colonies fled genocide and dehumanization in Europe at the hands of…political Christian parties. I enjoy writing, but I fear that my own bias and pain may dictate the following. So, I will cite the historical narrative with quotes.

“The religious persecution that drove settlers from Europe to the British North American colonies sprang from the conviction, held by Protestants and Catholics alike, that uniformity of religion must exist in any given society. This conviction rested on the belief that there was one true religion and that it was the duty of the civil authorities to impose it, forcibly if necessary, in the interest of saving the souls of all citizens. Nonconformists could expect no mercy and might be executed as heretics. The dominance of the concept, denounced by Roger Williams as “inforced uniformity of religion,” meant majority religious groups who controlled political power punished dissenters in their midst. In some areas Catholics persecuted Protestants, in others Protestants persecuted Catholics, and in still others Catholics and Protestants persecuted wayward coreligionists. Although England renounced religious persecution in 1689, it persisted on the European continent. Religious persecution, as observers in every century have commented, is often bloody and implacable and is remembered and resented for generations.”

Do you see it? Theological exclusivism of political Christian parties imposed the saving of souls through violence.

A warrior from the Viet Nam war era said to me, “You must first dehumanize your enemy before you do what you do to them.”

I suggest that the theological exclusivism of European Christianity drove a violence fueled by dehumanization. Again, let’s examine the historical narrative.

“David van der Leyen and Levina Ghyselins, described variously as Dutch Anabaptists or Mennonites, by Catholic authorities in Ghent in 1554 were strangled and burned. Van der Leyen was finally dispatched with an iron fork. Bracht’s Martyr’s Mirror is considered by modern Mennonites as second only in importance to the Bible in perpetuating their faith.

Jesuits like John Ogilvie (Ogilby) (1580-1615) were under constant surveillance and threat from the Protestant governments of England and Scotland. Ogilvie was sentenced to death by a Glasgow court and hanged and mutilated on March 10, 1615.

On October 31, 1731, the Catholic ruler of Salzburg, Austria, Archbishop Leopold von Firmian, issued an edict expelling as many as 20,000 Lutherans from his principality. Many propertyless Lutherans, given only eight days to leave their homes, froze to death as they drifted through the winter seeking sanctuary. The wealthier ones who were allowed three months to dispose of their property fared better. Some of these Salzburgers reached London, from whence they sailed to Georgia. Others found new homes in the Netherlands and East Prussia.

The slaughter of Huguenots (French Protestants) by Catholics at Sens, Burgundy in 1562 occurred at the beginning of more than thirty years of religious strife between French Protestants and Catholics. These wars produced numerous atrocities. The worst was the notorious St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in Paris, August 24, 1572. Thousands of Huguenots were butchered by Roman Catholic mobs. Although an accommodation between the two sides was sealed in 1598 by the Edict of Nantes, religious privileges of Huguenots eroded during the seventeenth century and were extinguished in 1685 by the revocation of the Edict. Perhaps as many as 400,000 French Protestants emigrated to various parts of the world, including the British North American colonies.

Huguenots at least matched the harshness of the persecutions of their Catholic opponents. In a period propaganda piece, a priest is disemboweled, his entrails wound up on a stick until they are torn out. In another illustration a priest is buried alive, and Catholic children are hacked to pieces. In another propaganda piece, alleged to have occurred in the village of Mans, was “too loathsome” for one nineteenth-century commentator to translate from the French. It shows a priest whose genitalia were cut off and grilled. Forced to eat his roasted private parts, the priest was then dissected by his torturers so they can observe him digesting his meal.

Irish Catholics of approximately one hundred Protestants from Loughgall Parish, County Armagh, at the bridge over the River Bann near Portadown, Ulster were slaughtered. This atrocity occurred at the beginning of the Irish Rebellion of 1641. Having held the Protestants as prisoners and tortured them, the Catholics drove them “like hogs” to the bridge, where they were stripped naked and forced into the water below at swordspoint. Survivors of the plunge were shot.

Puritans were English Protestants who wished to reform and purify the Church of England of what they considered to be unacceptable residues of Roman Catholicism. In the 1620s leaders of the English state and church grew increasingly unsympathetic to Puritan demands. They insisted that the Puritans conform to religious practices that they abhorred, removing their ministers from office and threatening them with “extirpation from the earth” if they did not fall in line. Zealous Puritan laymen received savage punishments. For example, in 1630 a man was sentenced to life imprisonment, had his property confiscated, his nose slit, an ear cut off, and his forehead branded “S.S.” (sower of sedition).

Beginning in 1630 as many as 20,000 Puritans emigrated to America from England to gain the liberty to worship God as they chose. Most settled in New England, but some went as far as the West Indies. Theologically, the Puritans were “non-separating Congregationalists.” Unlike the Pilgrims, who came to Massachusetts in 1620, the Puritans believed that the Church of England was a true church, though in need of major reforms. Every New England Congregational church was considered an independent entity, beholden to no hierarchy. The membership was composed, at least initially, of men and women who had undergone a conversion experience and could prove it to other members. Puritan leaders hoped (futilely, as it turned out) that, once their experiment was successful, England would imitate it by instituting a church order modeled after the New England Way.”

A little boy who survived the 911 terror attack on the Twin Towers colored a picture of the macabre scene. He drew the towers, the smoke, the planes, and victims leaping to their deaths. He also approached the horror with compassion and belief. At the bottom of the Twin Towers where the victims fell to their deaths, he drew a…trampoline. His reason? Compassion and belief. He felt empathy with belief in the future. If this pain were to happen again, the afflicted survive by landing on the trampoline and landing safely.  Childlike compassion and belief possess the power to heal.

The perpetrators of genocide and dehumanization were victims of the same atrocities they inflicted on Native Americans. Besel van der Kolk states that our bodies remember trauma. This sensory information stores within the immune system, specifically in memory neurons. Our bodies never forget atrocity. The trauma re enacts so the body can process the pain and recover. The murder and injustice inflicted upon European immigrants repeated against Native Americans.

What you also did not see in the drawing of the tiny 911 survivor was revenge against the terrorists. His boyhood compassion beat for the victims. His belief created a new ending. Changing culture requires compassion. Redeeming injustice with healthy belief changes the human heart. Boyhood compassion and belief begin to heal the hurt within.

http://www.pawneenation.org/page/home/pawnee-history

Post Traumatic Re enactment: Christian Persecution Re enacts in Native American Genocide and Persecution

http://a.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01.html

In our performance shame driven results-are-the-only-means-to-the-end culture, we fight back. Our weapons?  Meditation. We refuse to permit the politics of corporate church and America to poison our families and heart. Check out these passages on meditation. Look at some of the points of beauty with me.

Meditation connects the left side of the brain, Broca’s area, with the right side of the brain where the working model for relationships forms.

In our work of Imago Curo, Caring for the Image of God within,  we focus on the vagus nerve endings in the chest area. We deliberately use words to attach to affect and the Vagus system.  We reconnect our system using meditation. You will love it, your body will thank you for it. You will sense a diminishing of toxic shame and nearness to God that may have escaped you in the corporate maelstrom of post modern church politics.

(This structure is called the Cingulate Gyrus responsible for processing pleasure, pain, and addiction neural pathways. When we meditate, reward structures wire from this part of the brain. Meditation changes the shape of the brain and our awareness of God and each other.)

Bible search results from Biblegateway.com…Thank you.

People love the conversation of healthy sexuality. People of faith, atheists, agnostics, same sex, intersex, non binary, heterosexuals…all say the same things to me. They feel more whole after healthy sexuality conversations. So, I have been working on some healthy perspectives for single Christians living in a sexualized culture.  Here we go with the first round of “Ten Commandments of Intimacy for Single Christians.” Check it out, I would love to hear your input.

10 Commandments of Intimacy for Single Christians

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart mind and soul and love thy friends with the same healthy passion.

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22.36-40

Thou shalt connect in intimate moments with God when you drive, before meetings, when you lie down and when you rise for work.

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6.6-7

Thou shalt love the image of God within you caring for your body, mind, and soul with compassion and gratitude.

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19.18

Thou shalt share a moment of beauty each week with a friend.

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27.4

Thou shalt demonstrate non genital affection each day.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3.12

Thou shalt give thy story as a gift to a friend daily.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5.11

Thou shalt laugh often with thy friends.

…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…. Ecclesiastes 3.4

Thou shalt make meaning of thy pain with thy healing community of friends.

…and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61.3

Thou shalt be content with sexual sobriety.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4.11-12

Thou shalt give thanks for the gift of singleness.

 I wish that all of you were as I am (single). But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 1 Corinthians 7.7

Biblical/Theological Approach to Healthy Sexuality

This is the beginning of a conversation on the Systematic Theology of Healthy Sex. You will see nine loci of theology connecting to healthy sexuality in Scripture. For Lent, feel free to reflect on one Loci each day for the first nine days. The purpose of a clear theology builds a foundation upon which we practice what we believe. As a pastor of religious folk for over thirty years, I have seen a dissociation or lack of integration of what people of faith believe and how they conduct their private lives. I have seen this in my own story and feel passion to move closer to the image of God.

Theology-God is Perfect Parent reflecting intimacy through The Trinity.

Jesus-Single and celibate, without sex scandal, is the exact image of God.

Pneumatology-The Holy Spirit is the transformational presence of God regenerating, comforting, leading, guiding, convicting, sealing and changing addiction neural pathways.

Scripture: All Scripture is inspired by God and prohibits judgement or condemnation of the sexuality of others.

Anthropology-Male/female sexuality is created in the image of God

Soteriology-Jesus redeems sexuality with compassion.

Hamartiology-All sexuality is broken and requires redeeming.

Ecclesiology-The church is the image of God reflecting healthy intimacy with God and each other.

Eternal Destiny-The boundaries of eternal destiny include healthy sexuality.

Fatherhood of God

“Throughout the Bible we find God portrayed as a Father. This portrayal, however, is surprisingly rare in the Old Testament. There God is specifically called the Father of the nation of Israel ( Deut 32:6 ; Isa 63:16 ; [twice] 64:8 ; Jeremiah 3:4Jeremiah 3:19 ; 31:9 ; Mal 1:6 ; 2:10 ) or the Father of certain individuals ( 2 Sam 7:14 ; 1 Chron 17:13 ; 22:10 ; 28:6 ; Psalm 68:5 ; 89:26 ) only fifteen times. (At times the father imagery is present although the term “Father” is not used [ Exod 4:22-23 ; Deut 1:31 ; 8:5 ; 14:1 ; Psalm 103:13 ; Jer 3:22 ; 31:20 ; Hosea 11:1-4 ; Mal 3:17 ]). This metaphor for God may have been avoided in the Old Testament due to its frequent use in the ancient Near East where it was used in various fertility religions and carried heavy sexual overtones. The avoidance of this description for God can still be found in the intertestamental literature. There its use is also rare: Apocrypha ( Wis 2:16; 14:3; Tob 13:4; Sir 23:1, 4; 51:10); Pseudepigrapha ( Jub 1:24, 28; 19:29; 3 Macc 5:7; 6:4, 8; T. Levi 18:6; T. Judah 24:2); and Dead Sea Scrolls (1 QH 9:35f.).

The teaching of the Fatherhood of God takes a decided turn with Jesus, for “Father” was his favorite term for addressing God. It appears on his lips some sixty-five times in the Synoptic Gospels and over one hundred times in John. The exact term Jesus used is still found three times in the New Testament ( Mark 14:36 ; Rom 8:15-16 ; Gal 4:6 ) but elsewhere the Aramaic term Abba is translated by the Greek pater [pathvr]. The uniqueness of Jesus’ teaching on this subject is evident for several reasons. For one, the rarity of this designation for God is striking. There is no evidence in pre-Christian Jewish literature that Jews addressed God as “Abba. ” A second unique feature about Jesus’ use of Abba as a designation for God involves the intimacy of the term. Abba was a term little children used when they addressed their fathers. At one time it was thought that since children used this term to address their fathers the nearest equivalent would be the English term “Daddy.” More recently, however, it has been pointed out that Abba was a term not only that small children used to address their fathers; it was also a term that older children and adults used. As a result it is best to understand Abba as the equivalent of “Father” rather than “Daddy.”

A third unique feature of Jesus’ teaching concerning the Fatherhood of God is that the frequency of this metaphor is out of all proportion to what we find elsewhere in the Old Testament and other Jewish literature. (Note 165+ times in the four Gospels compared to only 15 times in the entire Old Testament!) This was not just a way Jesus taught his disciples to address God; it was the way. They were to pray, “Father, hallowed by your name” ( Luke 11:2 ). This is why the Greek-speaking Gentile churches in Galatia and Rome continued to address God as Abba. They used this foreign title for God because Jesus had used it and taught his followers to do so. It should be pointed out that although Jesus addressed God as “Father” and taught his disciples to do the same, he never referred to God as “our Father.” ( Matt 6:9 is not an exception, for here Jesus is teaching his disciples how they [plural] should pray. ) His “Sonship” was different from that of his followers. He was by nature the Son; they were “sons” through adoption. This is clearly seen in John 20:17 in the distinction between “my” God and “your” God. It is also seen in Matthew 5:16, 45, 48; 6:1, 4, 6; 7:21; 10:32-33, where Jesus refers to “your” (singular and plural) and “my” father but never “our” father.

Because of Jesus’ use of this metaphor, it is not surprising that the rest of the New Testament also emphasizes the Fatherhood of God. In the Pauline letters God is described as “Father” over forty times. It occurs in blessings ( Rom 1:7 ; 1 Cor 1:3 ), doxologies ( Rom 15:6 ), thanksgivings ( 2 Cor 1:3 ; 1 Thess 1:2-3 ), prayers ( Col 1:12 ), exhortations ( Eph 5:20 ), and creeds ( 1 Cor 8:6 ; Eph 4:6 ). For Paul this fatherhood is based not so much on God’s role in creation but rather on the redemption and reconciliation he has made available in Jesus Christ. This is why Paul refers to “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” ( Rom 15:6 ; 2 Cor 1:3 ; 11:31 ). It is through the work of Christ that God invites us to call him “Abba, Father.” It is through Christ that grace and peace have resulted and we have become God’s children ( Rom 8:12-16 ; 1 Peter 1:3-4 ; 1 John 3:1 ).”

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/fatherhood-of-god.html

Trinity-(1) The Father is called God (John 6:27; 20:17; 1 Cor. 8:6; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 4:6; Phil. 2:11; 1 Pet. 1:2).

(2) Jesus Christ, the Son is declared to be God. His deity is proven by the divine names given to Him, by His works that only God could do (upholding all things, Col. 1:17; creation, Col. 1:16, John 1:3; and future judgment, John 5:27), by His divine attributes (eternality, John 17:5; omnipresence, Matt. 28:20; omnipotence, Heb. 1:3; omniscience, Matt. 9:4), and by explicit statements declaring His deity (John 1:1; 20:28; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8).

(3) The Holy Spirit is recognized as God. By comparing Peter’s comments in Acts 5:3 and 4, we see that in lying to the Holy Spirit (vs. 3), Ananias was lying to God (vs. 4). He has the attributes which only God can possess like omniscience (1 Cor. 2:10) and omnipresence (1 Cor. 6:19), and He regenerates people to new life (John 3:5-6, 8; Tit. 3:5), which must of necessity be a work of God for only God has the power of life. Finally, His deity is evident by the divine names used for the Spirit as “the Spirit of our God,” (1 Cor. 6:11), which should be understood as “the Spirit, who is our God.”

Jesus-Single and celibate, without sex scandal, is the exact image of God.

The Holy Spirit–

Genesis 1

New Living Translation 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.a 2The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Titus 3:5 ESV

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Galatians 3:27 ESV

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Acts 3:19 ESV

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,

Acts 2:38 ESV

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:1-47 ESV

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. …

The Holy Spirit by Wikipedia

Old Testament

What the Hebrew Bible calls “Spirit of God” and “Spirit of Elohim” is called in the Talmud and Midrash “Holy Spirit” (ruacḥ ha-kodesh). Although the expression “Holy Spirit” occurs in Ps. 51:11 and in Isa. 63:10–11, it had not yet acquired quite the same meaning which was attached to it in rabbinical literature: in the latter it is equivalent to the expression “Spirit of the Lord”. In Gen.1:2 God’s spirit hovered over the form of lifeless matter, thereby making the Creation possible.^[34] Although the ruach ha-kodesh may be named instead of God, it was conceived of as being something distinct; and, like everything earthly that comes from heaven, the ruach ha-kodesh is composed of light and fire.^[34] The most characteristic sign of the presence of the ruach ha-kodesh is the gift of prophecy. The use of the word “ruach” (Hebrew: “breath”, or “wind”) in the phrase ruach ha-kodesh seems to suggest that Judaic authorities believed the Holy Spirit was a kind of communication medium like the wind. The spirit talks sometimes with a masculine and sometimes with a feminine voice; the word ruacḥ is both masculine and feminine.^[34]

New Testament

The term Holy Spirit appears at least 90 times in the New Testament.^[7] The sacredness of the Holy Spirit to Christians is affirmed in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 12:30–32, Mark 3:28–30 and Luke 12:8–10) which proclaim that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin.^[35] The participation of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity is suggested in Jesus’ final post-Resurrection instruction to his disciples at the end of the Gospel of Matthew (28:19):^[36] “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.^[14]

Synoptic Gospels[edit]

The Holy Spirit is mentioned by all three authors of the synoptic Gospels. Most of the references are by the author of the Gospel of Luke; this emphasis is continued by the same author in the Book of Acts.

The Holy Spirit does not simply appear for the first time at Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus, but is present in the Gospel of Luke (in 1–2) prior to the birth of Jesus.^[7] In Luke 1:15, John the Baptist was said to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” prior to birth, and the Holy Spirit came upon the Virgin Mary in Luke 1:35.^[7] In Luke 3:16 John the Baptist stated that Jesus baptized not with water but with the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus during his baptism in the Jordan River.^[7] In Luke 11:13 Jesus provided assurances that God the Father would “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him”.^[7]

Mark 13:11 specifically refers to the power of the Holy Spirit to act and speak through the disciples of Jesus in time of need: “be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 10:20 refers to the same act of speaking through the disciples, but uses the term “Spirit of your Father”.^[37]

The sacredness of the Holy Spirit to Christians is affirmed in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 12:30–32, Mark 3:28–30 and Luke 12:8–10) which proclaim that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin.^[35]

Luke–Acts

Together, Luke–Acts contain over half of the references in the New Testament to the Holy Spirit although this author wrote approximately 25% of the content of the New Testament.

Acts of the Apostles[edit]

The Acts of the Apostles has sometimes been called the “Book of the Holy Spirit” or the “Acts of the Holy Spirit”.^[38][39] Of the seventy or so occurrences of the word Pneuma in Acts, fifty-five refer to the Holy Spirit.^[39]

From the start, in Acts 1:2, the reader is reminded that the ministry of Jesus, while he was on earth, was carried out through the power of the Holy Spirit and that the “acts of the apostles” continue the acts of Jesus and are also facilitated by the Holy Spirit.^[39] Acts presents the Holy Spirit as the “life principle” of the early Church and provides five separate and dramatic instances of its outpouring on believers in 2:1–4, 4:28–31, 8:15–17, 10:44and 19:6.^[38]

References to the Holy Spirit appear throughout Acts, for example Acts 1:5 and 8 stating towards the beginning: “For John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit … ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you” referring to the fulfillment of the prophecy of John the Baptist in Luke 3:16: “he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit”.^[40]

Johannine literature[edit]

Three separate terms, namely Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth and Paraclete are used in the Johannine writings.^[9] The “Spirit of Truth” is used in John 14:17, 15:26 and 16:13.^[7] The First Epistle of John then contrasts this with the “spirit of error” in 1 John 4:6.^[7] 1 John 4:1–6 provides the separation between spirits “that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” and those who in error refuse it—an indication of their being evil spirits.^[41]

In John 14:26 Jesus states: “But the Comforter, [even] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things”. The identity of the “Comforter” has been the subject of debate among theologians, who have proposed multiple theories on the matter.^[42]

Pauline Epistles[edit]

The Holy Spirit plays a key role in the Pauline epistles; and the Apostle Paul‘s pneumatology is closely connected to his theology and Christology, to the point of being almost inseparable from them.^[8]

The First Epistle to the Thessalonians, which was likely the first of Paul’s letters, introduces a characterization of the Holy Spirit in 1:6 and 4:8 which is found throughout his epistles.^[43] In 1 Thessalonians 1:6 Paul refers to the imitation of Christ (and himself) and states: “And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit”, whose source is identified in 1 Thessalonians 4:8 as “God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you”.^[43][44][45]

These two themes of receiving the Spirit “like Christ” and God being the source of the Spirit persist in Pauline letters as the characterization of the relationship of Christians with God.^[43] For Paul the imitation of Christ involves readiness to be shaped by the Holy Spirit, as in Romans 8:4 and 8:11: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”^[44]

The First Epistle to the Thessalonians also refers to the power of the Holy Spirit in 1:5, a theme also found in other Pauline letters.^[46]

Jesus and the Holy Spirit[edit]

The New Testament details a close relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus during his earthly life and ministry.^[10] The Apostles’ Creed echoes the statements in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, stating that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary.^[11]

Specific New Testament references to the interaction of Jesus and the Holy Spirit during his earthly life, and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit during his ministry include:^[10][11][47]

• “Spirit without measure” having been given to Jesus in John 3:34, referring to the word spoken by Jesus (Rhema) being the words of God.^[48]

• Baptism of Jesus, with the Holy Spirit descending on him as a dove in Matthew 3:13–17, Mark 1:9–11and Luke 3:21–23
• Temptation of Jesus, in Matthew 4:1 the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the desert to be tempted
• The Spirit casting out demons (Matthew 12:28), in Exorcising the blind and mute man miracle
• Rejoice the Spirit in Luke 10:21 where seventy disciples are sent out by Jesus
• Acts 1:2 states that until his death and resurrection, Jesus “had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles”
• Referring to the sacrifice of Jesus to be crucified out of obedience to the father, Hebrews 9:14 states that Jesus “through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God”

In his Farewell Discourse to his disciples, Jesus promised that he would “send the Holy Spirit” to them after his departure, in John 15:26 stating: “whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth … shall bear witness of me”.^[12][13]

Mainstream doctrines[edit]

The theology of spirits is called pneumatology. The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Lord and Giver of Life in the Nicene creed.^[49] He is The Creator Spirit, present before the creation of the universe and through his power everything was made in Jesus Christ, by God the Father.^[49] Christian hymnssuch as Veni Creator Spiritus reflects this belief.^[49]

In early Christianity, the concept of salvation was closely related to the invocation of the “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”.^[15][16] and since the first century, Christians have called upon God with the name “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” in prayer, baptism, communion, exorcism, hymn-singing, preaching, confession, absolution and benediction.^[15][16] This is reflected in the saying: “Before there was a ‘doctrine’ of the Trinity, Christian prayer invoked the Holy Trinity”.^[15]

For the majority of Christian denominations, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and is Almighty God.^[2][3][50] The Holy Spirit is understood to be one of the three persons of the Trinity. As such he is personal and also fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and Son of God.^[2][3][50] He is different from the Father and the Son in that he proceeds from the Father (and, according to Roman Catholics, Old Catholics, Anglicans, and Protestants, from the Father and the Son) as described in the Nicene Creed.^[3][51] The Triune God is thus manifested as three Persons (Greek hypostases),^[52] in One Divine Being (Greek: Ousia),^[4] called the Godhead (from Old English: Godhood), the Divine Essence of God.^[53]

In the New Testament, by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, while maintaining her virginity.^[54] The Holy Spirit descended over Jesus in a corporeal way, as a dove, at the time of his baptism, and a voice from Heaven was heard: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”^[55][55][56] He is the Sanctifier of souls, the Helper,^[57] Comforter,^[58] the Giver of graces, he who leads souls to the Father and the Son.^[49]

The Holy Spirit is credited with inspiring believers and allowing for them to interpret all the sacred scripture and leads prophets, both in Old Testamentand New Testament.^[59] Christians receive the Fruits of the Holy Spirit by means of his mercy and grace.^[60]

God the Holy Spirit[edit]

	Veni Creator Spiritus MENU 0:00
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The Christian doctrine of the Trinity includes the concept of God the Holy Spirit, along with God the Son and God the Father.^[61][62] Theologian Vladimir Lossky has argued that while in the act of the Incarnation, God the Son became manifest as the Son of God, the same did not take place for God the Holy Spirit which remained unrevealed.^[63] Yet, as in 1 Corinthians 6:19, God the Spirit continues to dwell in bodies of the faithful.^[62].

In a similar way, the Latin treatise De Trinitate (On the Trinity) of Saint Augustine of Hippo affirms: “For as the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, which no one doubts to be said in respect to substance, yet we do not say that the very Supreme Trinity itself is three Gods, but one God… But position, and condition, and places, and times, are not said to be in God properly, but metaphorically and through similitudes… And as respects action (or making), perhaps it may be said most truly of God alone, for God alone makes and Himself is not made. Nor is He liable to passions as far as belongs to that substance whereby He is God… So the Father is omnipotent, the Son omnipotent, and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent; yet not three omnipotents, but one omnipotent… Whatever, therefore, is spoken of God in respect to Himself, is both spoken singly of each Person, that is, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and together of the Trinity itself, not plurally but in the singular.”^[64].

In Christian theology the Holy Spirit is believed to perform specific divine functions in the life of the Christian or the church. The action of the Holy Spirit is seen as an essential part of the bringing of the person to the Christian faith.^[65] The new believer is “born again of the Spirit”.^[66] The Holy Spirit enables Christian life by dwelling in the individual believers and enables them to live a righteous and faithful life.^[65] The Holy Spirit also acts as comforter or Paraclete, one who intercedes, or supports or acts as an advocate, particularly in times of trial. And he acts to convince the unredeemed person both of the sinfulness of their actions, and of their moral standing as sinners before God.^[67] Another faculty of the Holy Spirit is the inspiration and interpretation of scripture. The Holy Spirit both inspires the writing of the scriptures and interprets them to the Christian and the church.^[68]

Procession of the Holy Spirit[edit]

In John 15:26 Jesus says of the Holy Spirit: “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” In 325, the First Council of Nicaea, being the first ecumenical council, ended its Creed with the words “and in the Holy Spirit”. In 381, the First Council of Constantinople, being the second ecumenical council, expanded the Creed and stated that Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father” (ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον). This phrase was based on John 15:26 (ὃ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται). In 451, the Council of Chalcedon, being the fourth ecumenical council, affirmed the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.^[69] In the same time, the question of procession of the Holy Spirit was addressed by various Christian theologians, expressing diverse views and using different terminology, thus initiating the debate that became focused on the Filioque clause.

In 589, the Third Council of Toledo in its third canon officially accepted the doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son (“a Patre et Filio procedere”).^[70] During the next few centuries, two distinctive schools of thought were gradually shaped, Eastern and Western. Eastern theologians were teaching that Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only (notion referred as monoprocessionism),^[71] while Western theologians were teaching that Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (notion referred as filioquism).^[72] Debates and controversies between two sides became the main point of difference within the Christian pneumatology.

Fruit and Gifts of the Spirit[edit]

The “fruit of the Holy Spirit“^[73] consists of “permanent dispositions”^[73] (in this similar to the permanent character of the sacraments), virtuous characteristics engendered in the Christian by the action of the Holy Spirit.^[74] Galatians 5:22–23 names nine aspects and states:^[74]

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.

In the Epistle to the Galatians these nine characteristics are in contrast to the “works of the flesh” and highlight the positive manifestations of the work of the Holy Spirit in believers.^[74]

The “gifts of the Holy Spirit“^[73] are distinct from the Fruit of the Spirit, and consist of specific abilities granted to the individual Christian.^[65] They are frequently known by the Greek word for gift, charisma, in English charism, from which the term charismatic derives. There is no generally agreed upon exhaustive list of the gifts, and various Christian denominations use different lists, often drawing upon 1 Corinthians 12, Romans12 and Ephesians 4.^[75] Pentecostal denominations and the charismatic movement teach that the absence of the supernatural gifts was due to the neglect of the Holy Spirit and his work by the major denominations.^[75] Believers in the relevance of the supernatural gifts sometimes speak of a Baptism with the Holy Spirit or Filling with the Holy Spirit which the Christian needs to experience in order to receive those gifts. However, many Christian denominations hold that the Baptism with the Holy Spirit is identical with conversion, and that all Christians are by definition baptized in the Holy Spirit.^[75]

The “seven gifts of the Holy Spirit“^[73] pour out on a believer at baptism, and are traditionally derived from Isaiah 11:1–2, although the New Testament does not refer to Isaiah 11:1–2 regarding these gifts.^[75][76] These 7 gifts are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude (strength), knowledge, pietyand fear of the Lord.^[75][76] This is the view of the Catholic Church^[73][76] and many other mainstream Christian groups.^[75]

Denominational variations[edit]

Christian denominations have doctrinal variations in their beliefs regarding the Holy Spirit. A well-known example is the Filioque controversy regarding the Holy Spirit – one of the key differences between the teachings of the main Western Churches and various Eastern Christian denominations (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Church of the East).^[77][78]

The Filioque debate centers around whether the Nicene Creed should state that the Spirit “proceeds from the Father” and then have a stop, as the creed was initially adopted in Greek (and followed thereafter by the Eastern Church), or should say “from the Father and the Son” as was later adopted in Latin and followed by the Western Church, filioque being “and from the Son” in Latin.^[79]

Towards the end of the 20th century, discussions took place about the removal of Filioque in the Nicene Creed from Anglican prayer books along the lines of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox approach, but these still have not reached a state of final implementation.^[80]

The majority of mainstream Protestantism hold similar views on the theology of the Holy Spirit as the Roman Catholic Church, but there are significant differences in belief between Pentecostalism and the rest of Protestantism.^[2][81]Pentecostalism has a focus on “Baptism with the Spirit”, relying on Acts 1:5 which refers to “now you will baptize with the Holy Spirit”.^[82] The more recent Charismatic movements have a focus on the “gifts of the Spirit” (such as healing, prophecy, etc.) and rely on 1 Corinthians 12 as a scriptural basis, but often differ from Pentecostal movements.^[83]

Anthropology-The Meaning of Humans

Salvation-Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, …

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat …

John 10:15 As the Father knows me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down …

Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this …

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ …

Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse …

Ephesians 5:2,23-27 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us…

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ …

1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal …

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, …

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first …

Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, 

Hamartiology: The Meaning of Sin
Acts 3:19 ESV

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,

Acts 2:38 ESV

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

James 4:17 ESV
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Romans 6:23 ESV
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 1:8-10 ESV
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Romans 3:23 ESV
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Mark 7:20-23 ESV
And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Psalm 51:5 ESV
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

James 4:7 ESV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 John 3:4 ESV
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

Galatians 5:19-21 ESV
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:16 ESV
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

1 John 5:17 ESV
All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

Genesis 4:7 ESV
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

John 3:16-17 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Matthew 5:48 ESV
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

James 1:15 ESV
Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

John 8:34 ESV
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.

1 John 1:9 ESV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 3:6-10 ESV
No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Matthew 5:28 ESV
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Romans 5:12 ESV
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

Hebrews 10:26 ESV
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Isaiah 59:1-2 ESV
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Romans 14:1-23 ESV
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. …

Proverbs 8:13 ESV
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

James 1:14 ESV
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

John 3:16 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Micah 7:18-19 ESV
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 ESV
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Proverbs 28:13 ESV
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Matthew 15:17-20 ESV
Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

Psalm 51:10 ESV
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

2 Timothy 2:19 ESV
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Romans 1:28-32 ESV
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

John 3:3 ESV
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

1 John 3:8 ESV
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

John 5:14 ESV
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

1 Peter 2:24 ESV
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Isaiah 59:2 ESV
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Jesus– The exact image of God, single and celibate, without sexual scandal, affirms the intimacy of God’s image in marriage and healthy sexual boundaries.

Matthew 19:1-12,  Matthew 5:27-32,  Colossians 1:15-17 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

John 5:19 ESV

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

John 10:30 ESV

I and the Father are one.”

John 8:28 ESV

So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

John 1:18 ESV

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

John 3:16-17 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Ecclesiology-The Meaning of the Church

1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 6:13

“Food for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will destroy them both. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. read more.

Romans 12:4-5

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Ephesians 4:4

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

Colossians 1:24

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.

Colossians 1:18

He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Ephesians 1:22

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,

Ephesians 5:23

For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

John 2:19-22

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. read more.

Ephesians 2:19-22

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, read more.

Galatians 3:27

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Colossians 2:19

and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.

Ephesians 4:15-16

but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:25

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

Ephesians 5:29-30

for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.

Colossians 3:15

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Romans 12:6-8

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Ephesians 4:11-13

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Scripture-All Scripture is Inspired by God prohibiting judgement or condemnation  of the sexuality of others.

Matthew 7:1-3 (ESV)

7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Romans 2 (ESV)

2 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

The Inspiration, Inerrancy,
and Authority of the Bibleby Ron Rhodes

What Is Inspiration?Biblical inspiration may be defined as God’s superintending of the human authors so that, using their own individual personalities (and even their writing styles), they composed and recorded without error His revelation to man in the words of the original autographs. Inspiration means that “the Holy Spirit of God superintended the human writers in the production of Scripture so that what they wrote was precisely what God wanted written.”

When you break the doctrine of inspiration down to its essential elements, there are seven key factors:

• Divine origin and causality;
• Human agency;
• Written verbally (in words);
• Plenary (all of Scripture is inspired, not just parts of it);
• Only the “Autographs” (the original documents penned by the biblical authors) are inspired;
• Because Scripture is inspired, it is inerrant; and
• Because Scripture is inspired and inerrant, it alone has final authority.

The word inspiration literally means “God-breathed” in the Greek. And because Scripture is breathed out by God, it is true and inerrant. Consider the following syllogism:

Major Premise:

God is true (Romans 3:4).

Minor Premise:

God breathed out the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16).

Conclusion:

Therefore, the Scriptures are true (John 17:17).

As illustrated above, the inerrancy of Scripture can be inferred by premises that are themselves taught by Scripture.

We read in Scripture that truth is an attribute of God (Jeremiah 10:10; John 1:14; 14:6; 17:3), and that God speaks truthfully – that is, He does not lie (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Titus 1:2; Romans 3:3-4).

We also are told that Scripture is “breathed out” by God (2 Timothy 3:16).

The Word of God, then, is true (John 17:14,17; cf. Psalm 119:142; 151; 160; Revelation 21:5; 22:6).

Eternal Destiny-The boundaries of eternal destiny include healthy sexuality.

Revelation 17:1-5

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. read more.

Galatians 5:19

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,

1 Corinthians 6:13

Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.

Hebrews 12:16

that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

1 Corinthians 7:2

But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband.

1 Corinthians 5:1

It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.

Ephesians 5:5

For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Colossians 3:5

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

Revelation 21:7-8

⁷ Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. ⁸ But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

El mayor placer de mi vida? Los nietos. Son hermosos, divertidos y me transportan a los días de risa y amor con mis hijos. Los nietos representan todo lo saludable de la familia; reflejan el pasado, lo que tenemos en común ahora y el legado de la esperanza futura. ¿Mi objetivo apasionante en la vida? Enseñe a los nietos a pescar, a amar, a vivir con honor y a tocar la belleza de conocer la compasión de Dios por ellos mismos.
Ingrese a la sexualidad saludable. Los nietos son retratos de una relación y una sexualidad sanas. Representan lo que creemos sobre la vida, el amor y la sexualidad. ¿No son nuestro legado de sexualidad saludable?
¿No nos complace ese conocimiento?
Mi padre biológico fue ministro ordenado de la Iglesia Metodista Unida durante 25 años. Al mismo tiempo que predicaba verdades bíblicas los domingos con una larga túnica negra y mantos multicolores sobre los hombros, se aprovechaba de las mujeres de su oficina pastoral que buscaban su apoyo en la oración. No sabemos el número de víctimas. Mi familia y yo hemos descubierto que él sedujo a la joven viuda que buscaba consuelo pastoral por la muerte de su esposo, el organista, la esposa del pastor musical y numerosos aconsejados que trascendieron décadas. La última de sus víctimas se casó después de divorciarse de mi madre. El pastor depredador continuó abusando de su hijastra. Mi padre murió prácticamente solo en un centro para personas mayores en Las Vegas, Nevada. La ironía entra aquí en la historia. La misión de su vida era conectarse con una mujer de manera significativa y buscar una conexión espiritual que llenara su vacío. Parece que la obsesión por el sexo no saludable anuló la intimidad y la satisfacción espiritual.
Los fiscales identificaron a 1.000 católicos de la Arquidiócesis de Pensilvania agredidos sexualmente por sus sacerdotes. Una de las celebridades cristianas contemporáneas más célebres de mi vida fue acusada de conducta sexual inapropiada que abarcó décadas de abuso y manipulación retorcidos. Todo su equipo de liderazgo renunció en medio de amenazas de responsabilidad. Esto no tiene precedentes. Todavía me siento en shock.
En resumen, nunca escuché una palabra sobre sexualidad saludable de ninguno de estos personajes. Lo que quiero decir es que, al reflexionar sobre los abusos de mi padre, la pedofilia y la agresión sexual por parte de sacerdotes católicos y la mala conducta sexual de la celebridad cristiana, no recuerdo un movimiento, una conversación o una serie de sermones sobre la belleza y equilibrio de una sexualidad saludable. Recuerdo declaraciones de prohibición de conductas sexuales, pero ningún movimiento lleno de compasión por una sexualidad saludable. No puedo señalar una narrativa de plenitud y redención de la sexualidad.
¿Podemos comenzar aquí… en un lugar de compasión y amor por el equilibrio y la plenitud? ¿Podemos proyectar una gran visión por el bien de nuestros hijos y nietos mientras reconstruimos una historia familiar a partir de las cenizas del abuso y el desprecio?
Comencemos con la espiritualidad y la compasión. Ya que nuestra conversación tiene una narrativa bíblica dialogemos sobre Cristo y la sexualidad saludable. Para mis lectores ateos y agnósticos, perdonen y tengan paciencia, creo que apreciarán esta conversación. Aguanta hasta el final, con respeto.
Jesús era soltero y célibe. Sin escándalos sexuales. No hay juicio político por mala conducta o abuso de sus seguidores. No hay renuncias ni acusaciones por delitos sexuales en más de 2000 años. Cristo proyectó una visión compasiva de intimidad con Dios. Jesús no escribió libros ni blogs, evitó el estatus de celebridad. El crucifijo, más que joyas, es evidencia empírica de que dio su vida por lo que creía y por quienes amaba. Jesús creyó y vivió la historia de la sexualidad sana. Lo admiro por todo lo anterior.
Jesús se encuentra con una mujer junto a un pozo. Rompe barreras sociales y tabúes de género al hablar con una mujer racialmente diversa del Cercano Oriente. Tiene antecedentes de repetición traumática, es decir, sexo en serie con múltiples parejas. Jesús es bondadoso y compasivo. Ellos hablan. Encuentra una rica fe en Dios. Toda su comunidad experimenta transformación debido a la compasión y la verdad de Cristo. Los muros religioso-raciales caen, los tabúes de género se reparan y se produce plenitud sexual.