Safe Sex: An Urban Legend

Teaching your children to honor God’s authority by obeying quickly and pleasantly has many blessings. One of these blessings is to learn to avoid the world’s wisdom, no matter how attractive it may appear. For example, there is the lie, the urban legend, that there can be safe sex outside of marriage.

Modern man, in his proverbial darkened state, plunges ever deeper into darkness by seeking new and creative ways to say Yes to sex outside of marriage. This thinking brings a rising tide of the health risks and emotional wreckage that comes from the practice of “safe sex.”

Safe sex outside of marriage is a deadly oxymoron of modern life. The truth is that any sex outside of marriage is anything but safe! Extramarital sex is one of the most dangerous activities that people can engage in. A few moments of pleasure are stupidly traded for a life of worry, insecurity and physical danger. Within one generation, the slide into immorality has gone from, “Can I get her to kiss me on the first date?” to, “Can I…” Well, you know what follows. The words of Solomon, 3,000 years ago, still ring true:

“Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.”
(Proverbs 6:27-29)

As Romans says, the truth of God has been exchanged for a lie. In this case, the lie is that there is safe sex outside of marriage. For example a young couple, using certain types of contraceptives, may, in fact, prevent the spread of a certain type of disease or infection or a pregnancy. But what about the spiritual damage that is being done every time this young couple engages in “protected” sexual activity? Their very souls are laid open to be ravaged by lies, deceit and insecurity. They are being wounded with wounds that may never heal. They will learn the fleeting enticements of self-pleasure instead of the treasures of sensitivity and selfless love. Relationships that have “protected” sex are plagued with fear, doubt, and even multiple forms of abuse. Divorce rates are up, spousal and domestic abuse is rampant, and abortions are considered to be a necessary part of life. This is the grim harvest of safe sex.

The world teaches that you can have sex any way, anytime you want to. Safe, protected sex outside of marriage is a modern urban legend, a hideous lie that waits to devour your children. Christian, have the courage to tell your children the truth about what constitutes sex that is safe. The marriage bed alone is the one place where sex is truly protected and is truly safe.

Shepherd Press