Am I just taking this too literally?

[Momo-P]

Recently I was looking at that verse, Ephesians 5:3, and it got me worrying. While I know sex is something reserved for married couples...does this mean we should really clean out our lives?

The verse seems to say you can't even mention something dealing with sexual immorality, but...wow. That pretty much covers every book, movie, tv show, whatever. Sure there's stuff out there that's totally clean, but lets be honest. A LOT OF THAT STUFF SUCKS. Either it's aimed at children or the best stories unfortunately have a few bad aspects to them.

Do we pay attention to these things for the evil within? No way! Still though...that seems like I better stop watching every anime I do because you have at least one character that makes a perverted comment or something. Heck, almost every movie out there today also has to have the sex scene or kid with the constant sexual refrences.

So just asking, am I taking this all too literal? I asked my parents and they actually mentioned how I guess the Bible would be out too since it talks about some bad stuff, which I suppose is true, but...gah.

Just driving me nuts.

[Popsicle]

[color="DeepSkyBlue"]I think that you may be taking it a little bit too literally, but you pretty much have the whole idea. I think it is nearly impossible for us to avoid talking about sexual impurity because in one time or another you have to tell at least one person that it is wrong. As Christians and followers of Christ we are called to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1-2) and become more like Christ. It's true we can never be perfect, but we have to try to be more Christ-like so that unbelievers see the difference God makes in our lives.

It's hard in today's world to get away from wordly and immoral things because nowadays the world is accepting of them. But we cannot conform to them (Romans 12:2). It is really hard to avoid sexually immoral things since they are EVERYWHERE these days, but we have to do our best. Even if it is turning down a new movie because of a certain scene or not watching a certain episode of your fav anime because of a comment. In order to become more Christ-like we have to try not to indulge ourselves with immoral behavior or thoughts. I know its hard but it is worth it when you see how you have changed. Hope this has helped you some!
[/color]

[EricTheFred]

This is one of those verses that has very widely varying translations, so it would help to know which one you read, so I knew what I was responding to.

The NIV is " But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people." The 'sexual immorality' is the key item, and the one most confusing. My Greek NT says "πορνεια", which is the root word for 'Pornography', so you can guess how this can be taken.

Here's where it gets complicated. This word derives from another word which is normally translated as 'Harlot', 'Prostitute', etc. and can be taken to mean either this or just a sexually promiscuous woman. The derivative πορνεια means actions associated with such a woman. Hence, the literal term 'Harlotry' or 'Prostitution' has been used in some translations. However, normally it is interpreted more broadly as wanton sexual behavior, because if you look at the rest of the passage, it is pretty clear St. Paul was writing about a more general mind-set of Earthly Gratification.

It's also important to point out that when this letter was written, a major part of the economy of Ephesus revolved around its well-known tourist attraction, the Temple of Artemis, and the big business that temple did in 'sacred' prostitution.

So what exactly does Paul mean? I think he was mostly interested in simply turning eyes away from Earthly desires. He wasn't being specific because he figured individual Christians could figure it out for themselves if they let themselves be guided by the Spirit.

One thing that has always struck me about the Epistles is, if you take them the way they are often taken, as a sort of Christian equivalent to Rabbinical law or Sharia, then it seems like no sooner than had Jesus ascended, but it seems the Apostles set up creating a whole new standard of perfect, righteous living just like the Pharisees had practiced. "Do this or be damned", so to speak. The thing is, it isn't right to use them that way.

Here is the difference. To the Pharisees, the rules they dealt with, the predecessor of modern Rabbinical law, are like a formula. Get it right, and you get to go to heaven. Fail and you're goin' down. To the Apostles, the rules are the perfection to which we should aspire, not the Christian Penal Code.

Underlying the Epistles are the understanding, this is the sin to which we are enslaved. How could you know what you need forgiveness for, unless you know what constitutes a sin? The only real salvation is Redemption through Jesus, but to accept his salvation, we have to accept that we have sinned.

If you do believe that watching a particular show will tempt you into immortal behavior, then yes, shun it. I think we all know that Anime covers the entire spectrum, from Hamtaro all the way to genuine pornography. Obviously, somewhere between the two must exist a line where you should say "this is too much". For my own part, I don't believe that recognizing the existence of sexual thoughts and having fun with it for the sake of comedy is automatically sinful. However, at some point it becomes sinful, and you should be prayerfully mindful of the Spirit's guidance in order to stay away from that point.

[Momo-P]

Oh wow, I didn't really know about the prostitute translation. Thanks for all that info, it does make me feel a little bit better. ^^;

And just so you know, the translation I was going by was from here;

http://bible.cc/ephesians/5-3.htm

From the start I knew to check other translations, but the fact they all were saying "don't let it even be named among you" was really getting to me. I know not to gossip, and I understand setting a good example for non-believers, but it almost seemed to be saying "if this movie has one bad scene in it, don't watch it because others will think you approve of that aspect."

Now...could they? Yes, but...most of the stuff I watch really isn't that caked in sexual sin. I can definitely see how someone would think you approve of perverted stuff if you watched a show full of fanservice and sexual jokes, but if the show you watches only has 5% of pervy material, why would they even assume that? I mean...people may be stupid, but we aren't that stupid.

[termyt]

Eric answered that extremely well.

There is no "if you do this you go to Hell" law. There is no law at all, only grace. If you deem it necessary to follow the law, then you must follow it completely – a path that leads to destruction instead of salvation.

A recurring theme in Paul’s Epistles is the freedom Gentiles have from the Law given to the Jews. Through tradition, Jewish Christians clung to the ways of the Law – Sabbath observance, Kosher/dietary laws, circumcision, etc. Paul himself got into a bit of an argument with Peter over these laws and won the acceptance of uncircumcised Gentiles into the church while leaving them free of most of the law (food sacraficed to idols was still forbidden). In a couple different letters (especially Galatians) he warns the Christians not to fall for the teaching of other “Christians” who were going around preaching that all must be circumcised.

The point is, it is our faith that saves us through God’s grace. There are no rules to follow. You are literally free to do whatever your heart desires, but that’s the catch. Followers of Christ adopt/receive a Christ-like heart. So, if we are Christians, we are literally free to do anything a Christ-like heart desires.

Therefore, what appear to be commandments are generally explanations of what a Christ-like heart desires. An effective way to make your heart more Christ-like is to do the things you know His heart desires. Do them enough while denying your own heart’s desires and before you know it your own heart will desire the same things as a Christ-like one.

[teen4truth]

I take that verse as meaning that we should strive to have pure things surround us. After all, what we surround ourselves with effects who we are. No, we can't get rid of all impure things, but we can draw a line and set standards. For example, one of my personal standards is that I don't want to watch anything with nudity or sex (unless its a scene between spouses and it doesn't actually show anything). I don't find that entertaining, I find it disgusting because I know it hurts the heart of God. I just can't enjoy a moive with that.

But anyway, look at your perspective. Make sure you're looking at this thinking, "how can I live in a way that pleases God?" and not "how much can I get away with?"

[Momo-P]

But anyway, look at your perspective. Make sure you're looking at this thinking, "how can I live in a way that pleases God?" and not "how much can I get away with?"

Oh trust me, I totally do that. My view for a long time has always been "if I can't justify my actions before God, then I better stay away from it". Otherwise I know there are some animes I really loved, but eh...no matter how I really tried to break them down, there was just no way I could back myself up.

So my problem really wasn't choosing what I can and cannot watch, it was whether or not it would make other people think badly of Christians and therefore shouldn't even be around me.

[mitsuki lover]

Ephesus wasn't as bad when compared to Corinth of the time.Corinth was so morally bankrupt that any immoral person of the day was termed a 'Corinthian'.
I would go with the pornography translation myself since such things were as readily avaible in those days as they are now.So it would have been easy for the early Christians to be influenced by what they saw and read,just as it would be today.
Pornography was just as part of Roman culture as it is a part of Western culture today.
Guess we never learn,now do we?

[Sohma]

Momo, thanks so much for posting this question! I have wondered about this for awhile now but I never asked. And Eric, thanks for the great answer. (=