Sex Maddened: unmasking the deep face of evil
Introduction
This week I received an A.P.N. bulletin with two consecutive headlined articles, first, Number of Teens in America who Identify as LGBT Skyrockets. About a quarter of US teens no longer identify as heterosexual. This catastrophe images the social dynamic that to be “cisgendered” is no longer “cool”. The second article was even more disturbing, Plans Advance for Texas Schools to Display Ten Commandments. Have these dear devoted folk never read Romans: “through the law comes the consciousness of sin…the law brings wrath…the law came in to increase the trespass…For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.” (Rom 3:20; 4:15; 5:20; 7:8-10) The revelation of the old covenant provokes sin, which the roots of the LBGT explosion in the America can be traced back to upholding Law in the place of Gospel. Much more profound was an article sent to me the same day. Steve McAlpine’s, Make Sure You Don’t Join a Sexular Church (see below). Shortly after (29/6/23 p.3) our state’s major newspaper headlined, Pride and Joy, with photos of Perth Football Club President Adrian Barich, a lapsed Catholic, transgender woman Danielle (previously Dean) Laidley, and well-known “Evangelical”, now president of West Perth Football Club Dr. Neale Fong, all cheering on an upcoming Gay Pride game. A saying sprung to mind relevant to out contemporary cultural craziness, “Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad” (Cf. they are mad over idols.” (Jer 50:38; Hos 4:17) Thankfully, “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” (Am 3:7).
A Sexular Age
McAlpine sees the sexular gospel of affirming all gender identities/practices as incompatible with the actual gospel based on the biblical revelation of God’s creating humanity as male and female (Gen 1:26-28; Matt 19:3ff.). His concern is that over time the focus of the church shifts away from the gospel of Jesus (if it was ever there in the first place), to proclaiming the gospel of sex. The question eventually becomes “What will this church not affirm?” Given that such a “church” is addicted to the approval of the sexular age, the only thing it cannot affirm is the true gospel of Jesus. The sexularising of the Church moves it in the exact opposite direction to the dynamic of the Spirit and kingdom of God. Beneath the surface all humans possess an innate sense (sensus divinitatis Calvin) of God’s reality and greatness: “what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,” (Rom 1:19-20). Humans must worship beyond themselves (transcendent), today this is the idol of sexuality. We are constantly confronted with a vision of the image of a “God” (cf. Gen 3:5; Rom 1:22) stripped of eternal glory. We are well on the road to worshipping the image of the beast (Rev 13:14ff.).
Demonised
When must receive Paul contention, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12), as God’s revelation. Our struggle is NOT primarily against political ideologies but far more powerful evil spiritual beings. E.g., if transexual surgery is willing bodily mutilation, it is essentially one with the vicious self-harm of demon-possessed people described in Scripture (1 Ki 18:28; Mark 5:5). Only demonisation can explain the celebration of asexuality (the lack of sexual desire) as a legitimate human choice (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asexuality). Such phenomena move us beyond the traditions of spirits seeking intercourse with humans to realising spirits devoid of physical sensations are driven by satanic envy and ambition (Js 3:15-16) with an intensity beyond all fleshly sensation. Their pure evil that can only be overcome through the holy energy of the cross.
A Dramatic Atonement
The undivided ferocity, intensity, and passion of fallen powers (cf. Rev 12:12) has been overcome by God’s infinite love for us in Christ. The ancient dramatic theory of the atonement which pictures Jesus overcoming Satan in a great cosmic conflict. “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.’ (John 12:31-34), “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Col 2:15), “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8). We witness this limitless sacrificial love in Jesus’ anguish to obey his “Abba, Father” in Gethsemane (Mark 14:36) and supremely where he loses all sense of personal identity as he is engulfed by the thick darkness of the demonic abyss (Rev 9:1-2, 11) and cries out in anguish, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). In the Lord’s sacrificial agony is the salvation of the world (John 1:29).
A Painful Sovereignty
The Bible extols predestinating divine sovereignty and human responsibility. It was by “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” that “lawless men” crucified Jesus (Acts 2:23-24 cf. 4:27-30). Such revelations immerse the Old Testament prophets in unspeakable “anguish” (Jer 4:19; Lam 1:12; Dan 10:16) accompanied by overwhelming visions of God (Isa 6; 21; Ezek 1; Hab 3; cf. Rev.) Today, the Western Church wants the latter without the former, as if there could be resurrection without crucifixion (Matt 23:27; Phil 3:10; Rev 5:3). Today, few see that the devil’s wicked plan to destroy us through compromise is a subset of God’s plan to glorify his beloved Lamb. To see such realties (Rev 1:10ff.) requires a far deeper participation in the empathetic priestly/prophetic intercession of Christ (Acts 9:4; Heb 7:2). When the Church functions as a “living idol” (Ezek 3:24-27) moved by the Spirit to see and speak only the Lord’s revelation, then will be see from heaven (Col 3:1-3) that Satan’s present attempt to destroy us is ultimately laughable and press on in the assurance of the total triumph of the Lamb; “he who sits in the heavens laughs” (Ps 2:7; cf. 37:13; 59:8; Job 22:19; Proverbs 1:26)
Conclusion
At times whilst preaching/raying I have been so overcome by the Spirit of the victorious ascended Jesus I must suppress laughter at his victory over the powers of darkness. Only a Christ-centred theology “can be nothing else but the most thankful and happy science!” (Barth). The Lord Jesus has handed the world over to a madness, whilst much of the Church is diverted from his sovereign glory and attempts to remedy a spiritual problem by political lobbying. Seen in the Spirit through incessant prayer a great turnaround in world and Church is “coming soon” (Rev 22:7, 12, 20). I exhort you to such a turnaround now, lest you too become maddened by evil powers.