50 Shades of Reality

Valentine’s Day has coincided with the release of the movie version of the described ‘erotic novel’, 50 Shades of Grey. Nice timing! I haven’t read the book and I won’t be seeing the movie. I don’t reckon it would be helpful for my soul! But it does make me reflect on where our cultural thinking and actions are going.
There’s a wonderful verse in the book of Genesis, quoted again by Jesus, which says “for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen 2:24).
Adam is delighted with the formation of Eve. She was just right! This is the Bible’s way of saying that a man and a woman are designed to complement each other. Furthermore it points to the distinct and special character of sexual union. It is a bond to each other that God sees as binding, for in such a way the two become one. Jesus adds to it, “what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matt 19:6).
Here is a distinct view of sexuality which frequently stands at odds with contemporary attitudes. It is a bonding and binding of two lives, which has the potentiality for further life and expresses a most intimate commitment of one to the other.
Today’s world actually reminds me of the heady mix of sex and religion Israel encountered in the land of the Canaanites. For these ancients, sex was their way of connecting with the divine and seeking to influence how the gods acted in the natural world. Israel sometimes succumbed to its power (eg Numbers 25).
It is because human sexuality is one of God’s good gifts, that it is so liable to distortion. The New Testament warns us to flee from sexual immorality (eg 1 Cor 6:18), not for prudish reasons, but to preserve the integrity and honour of the relationships for which God has formed us.
Romance and love can be appropriately celebrated on Valentine’s Day.
The 50 shades of reality are that the significance and power of Genesis 2:24 will be well and truly lost in the endless pursuit of a new experience or a new relationship. There are many who have substantial commercial interests in propagating such a view. May God help us, His people, to know the blessings that come from honouring His intentions for us in the book of Genesis