Kaleo San Diego Church > Articles > Money, Sex, and Power: The Subversive Nature of the Gospel

Money, Sex, and Power: The Subversive Nature of the Gospel

Jan 13, 2007
Series: Men

"Christianity agrees… that this universe is at war. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage." - C.S. Lewis

A City in a City

The purpose of the Christian Church is not to function as a chaplaincy for those who are barely hanging on to their faith. It is not intended to act as a safe-house where we gather to clean off the filth from the world around us.

The Christian community is not to be seen primarily as a support group where we receive inspiration and affirmation for living our individual lives. Though the community may provide all these personal blessings and more, the Christian community is intended to reflect a new way of being human to this world. We are to be an alternate city within San Diego, where we are demonstrating what a truly human society looks like. We are more than a support group for individuals, rather we as individuals are to gather together into a community and put on display what a society looks like when it is transformed by the Gospel. Simply, we are a counter-culture.

Since we are an alternate city, we are to show this city what it looks like when justice, mercy, compassion, truth, love, grace, and holiness reign.

In our day, what cities and citizens value and find themselves spending their lives pursuing, acquiring and attempting to manage is money, sex, and power.

Freed and Reshaped

The beauty of the Gospel is that it frees us from the strangle hold of money, sex and power, then reshapes us so that we can view these three things with totally different perspectives and values. Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31: “This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.”

Freed from Money, Sex and Power

At first pass this verse seems confusing at best, contradictory to the rest of Scripture at worst. What Paul is doing is teaching us about money, sex, power, and our relationship to them.

What Paul is saying is that the Gospel frees you from deriving too much of your hope, too much of your joy, too much of your meaning from money, sex, and power. Paul is telling us that money, sex, and power are to be demoted in our lives from the central place they once occupied in our life.

It is when we lose the conviction of the Gospel that we find other ways to make ourselves righteous. The false gospel teaches us that we are to believe, then perform so that we might receive salvation. The true Gospel teaches us that we believe, are saved, and then perform not to receive but because we have received. This motivation changes the way we view everything we touch in this life.

Money, sex, and power become demoted because they are no longer the values that give us our sense of meaning, joy, or our sense of righteousness before God, others, or ourselves. Paul shows us that when the Gospel comes in and we really believe its message we can keep a loose grip on these things. You can buy things, but not be overly enamored by them. You can have a spouse, but not place your identity or your ultimate meaning and joy in her. You can look at your family, your kids, your job, your possessions and say with all honesty that as valuable as those things are, they are not your true life, not anymore. To the degree that we grasp the Gospel, we will begin to see true freedom from the slavery of having our identities wrapped in changing circumstances.

Reshaping Our View and Use of Money, Sex, and Power

Because of the freedom won by Christ and the power of the cross, we can use money, sex, and power to build a truly human community rather than pursuing it only for our own personal needs and pleasure. This will look very different than the values of the world; it must since God is shaping it and not our own selfish interests.

Let’s look at each of the three (money, sex, power) to understand the world’s view and to discover God’s view.

First let’s start with the most popular: sex.

This World’s View of Sex

There are three dominant views of sex in our day which make up most, though not all, of the various opinions in our city.

1- Sexual Realism: Which treats sex as nothing more than just an appetite. This was a popular Roman view. The problem, in this view, is that sex needs to be more accessible. Your economic or social status is to blame. This has developed into a pragmatic hedonism in our day.

This view sees sex as inevitable, part of human desire and nature, something to be embraced like our need to eat or breathe. Since you can’t stop it, allow it to become whatever the desire leads to.

In this view, all sex is right if it is safe.

2- Sexual Platonism: Which sees sex as an animal passion that lowers us. This was a popular Greek view. The problem, in this view, is that sex needs to be less accessible. The body is to blame. This blossomed into Victorianism and in our day is more prevalent in fundamentalism.

This view sees sex as a necessary evil since it’s the only way to procreate. This view disdains sexuality but tolerates it so we have a legacy in our children.

In this view, all sex is wrong unless you are attempting to have children.

3- Sexual Romanticism: Which sees sex as repressed creativity. This was a popular European view. The problem, in this view, is that each human being is born with a healthy sexual desire, but it is twisted by the influence of society and its pressures. The world is to blame (but primarily religion). This blossomed into new forms of mysticism and in our day relativistic post-modernism.

This view sees sex as creative self-expression which gives us a sense of being alive. Personal liberty is considered a high value.

In this view, the quality of love and connection is the benefit of sex.

The Gospel critiques each of these views and dares to say they are all wrong. The Gospel is incredibly unique in how it approaches and views sex and sexuality.

Contrary to the Sexual Realists, the Gospel teaches us that our appetites are not good guides to make wise decisions. We abuse our appetites, even if those appetites are a good and necessary part of our preservation. We twist appetites and eat when we should say no, and say no when we should eat. There is more to us than just our simple biological appetites.

If this is true with our eating and drinking, how much more is this true when broaching the subject of sex? We know that sex is more than just physiological impulses. Sex is highly emotional, highly psychological, and highly physical. Sex is more than an appetite and therefore we shouldn’t attempt to trust such a complicated desire to teach us its true meaning when our appetites often lead us to destruction rather than nourishment. Can our appetites truly be trusted?

Contrary to Sexual Platonists, the Gospel shows us that sex is very good. The Bible has numerous places which speak about sex as a good gift from a good God to enjoy.

The Gospel View of Sex

Contrary to Sexual Romantics, the Gospel teaches us that love and sex are more than just personal and individual blessings. They are designed to build and strengthen a community. God created sexuality to build community and not just to personally satisfy you.

Sex is more than just for pleasure (as the man might assume) and more than just for fulfillment (which a woman might assume). Both fall short of teaching us what sex is designed for, which is the building of an alternate community.

How does sex build community?

1- Sex is for expanding community.

Sex is sacred in the Christian community because the act of sex is intended to co-create additional souls. You can eat all you want and all you’ll create is a large belly, but when two people come together in sexual union they have the capacity to do what no other appetite is designed to do: create a new life. Sex expands the human community, which expands the Christian community by God’s grace.

Let us not forget though, that if you are single and yet radically committed to the church, though you may never have physical children, you may have a multitude of spiritual children which expand the Kingdom of God and advance the Gospel. A single Christian can have a greater impact for the Kingdom than a dozen families if they are wholly committed to the mission of Christ to this world. Christianity legitimizes singleness and gives great value to those who may never be able to physically bear children. This is a unique Gospel perspective. The expansion of Christ’s community, whether through bearing children, adopting children, or spiritually parenting our brothers and sisters is of great value to our Father.

Sex, however, is given to us to enjoy so that we may experience the physical pleasure of what is to be intensified through spiritual pleasure in the expansion of the Kingdom. Our physical enjoyment should pale in comparison to the spiritual satisfaction we receive when one person repents and believes and is adopted into our family, God’s family.

Our motivation then for sexual fidelity is radically different from that of the world or that of religious fundamentalism. In fundamentalism, we are to abstain from sex outside of marriage because it hurts the family. But with a Gospel motivation, the reason for abstaining from sex outside of marriage is because it hurts the Kingdom. Why?

A- Because it undermines the character and quality of the Kingdom which is intended to build community

When you have sex with your covenant spouse, it strengthens your ability to be a witness to this world as it stabilizes and strengthens your community.
When you have sex with someone that is not your covenant spouse, you are weakening the trust and witness of that community and instead of strengthening the community to be a witness to the world, the world stands in judgment of us. Sex outside of marriage undermines stability and community and the character and quality of faithfulness to God and as a witness.
Sex then, can make you more or less faithful as a witness depending upon how you use it.

B- Because sex outside of marriage obscures the Gospel

Christ never gives Himself intimately to anyone that is not part of His covenant. The faithful union we have in Christ is to be reflected in the faithful union we have with our covenant spouse. Christ never cheats on His bride, nor does He give the benefits of Himself as a Groom to anyone but His own bride.
When we have sex outside of marriage we make Christ look like a cheating husband because we are to reflect the Gospel to this world.
Sex is designed to show off the intimacy we have with our God. It is a joining together as two into one in an exclusive committed relationship. God constantly uses language of intimacy and commitment to those who are His. Therefore, we are to value intimacy and commitment to one spouse only in the context of a covenant union in the same way.

2- Sex Solidifies Community

Sex is intended to be a covenant renewal ceremony. Baptism is when we make our public commitment to Christ, like a marriage in many ways, and communion is when we lovingly reflect, renew, and are nourished through the physical act of taking the Lords body, much like the physical act of sex is for a couple. Marriage is the public proclamation and commitment to one another, sex is the renewing ceremony to solidify that commitment.

Sex is then intended also as a way in which we strengthen and cement our community. Sex, therefore, is not intended to be a creative self-expression, rather, it is a renewing of your self-donation. In marriage you give yourself one to the other; in sex, you are renewing that self-donation.

3- Sex Sweetens Community

There is no view of sex in all other religions or worldview that is as robust as that of the biblical view of sex.

Because we have a Trinitarian God, who for eternity has enjoyed an intimate Triune community of Father, Son, and Spirit, pouring love into each other in a joyous donation of one for the other, we can see the true meaning of sex. Sex between a man and woman points to the love between the Father and the Son as well as that between Christ and the believer.

Sex can then be enjoyed often and in proper glory to God and joy for both partners if it is seen through the lens of the Gospel. Through such a lens, sex is given meaning and value beyond the mere physical appetite or desire, beyond the mere purpose of procreation, and beyond selfish self-expression. To truly have great sex, one must learn the purpose of it through the redemption accomplished and applied by the One groom for the one bride in loving union, intimacy and commitment for all eternity.

The Gospel View of Money

The Gospel view of money is not all that different than that of sex. You are to use your financial resources as a tool, given by God, to build and strengthen community for the benefit of the family of God and a witness to this world.

The Gospel view of money can be summarized under three main headings, and no other religion teaches or affirms these three things:

1- The Material World is an Intrinsic Good

Material goods and pleasures are not an illusion, like Eastern religions. They are not spiritually corrupting, like the Platonist’s or Hellenist’s view. Land, produce, wine, meat, homes, trees, etc., are all good in God’s view.

We are stewards who are called to manage God’s wealth and possessions in a way that is enjoyable for us and glorifying and faithful to Him. However…

2- Sin and Injustice Leads to a Corruption of the Material World

God desires that we use His property and resources not for our own personal agenda, but for the well-fare and well-being of those He has created in His image with less.

We live in the richest and most powerful (money/power) nation in the world. God blesses a people or nation intending that they spread that wealth around for the benefit of others suffering from injustice or impoverishment. The Bible is filled with passages of God calling His people to care for those who have less. The widow, the poor, the powerless are tests for us to determine whether or not the Gospel has shaped the way we look at our money and life.

2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

3- God Forms a People to Model to this World a Redeemed Society in which Wealth and Possessions are used to Build a Community

Usually the question that we ask is, “How much am I required to give?” The problem with this question is that it betrays the Gospel heart, which says, “How much can I give?” But, for the sake of clarity, the Bible does give us some instruction on this matter.

1 Corinthians 4:7: “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”

A steward is a person who by God’s grace belongs to God. And, because they belong to God they recognize that ultimately everything they are and have belongs to God and has been given to them as a gift. Therefore, they then seek to both enjoy the gifts God has given them as well as invest those gifts in others and the future by distributing them wisely. This includes everything from time, money, skills, etc.

So, what should I give?

In the Old Testament God’s people paid no taxes while they were under a theocracy, though they did have to pay taxes when they had kings (I Samuel 17:25; II Kings 23:35; Ezekiel 4:13, 20; Nehemiah 5:4).

At the time of Jesus, the combination of state and religious tax was roughly 40%. Jesus also paid His taxes (Matthew 17:24-27, 22:15-22) and Christians are to do likewise (Romans 13:7).

In addition to taxes, God’s people in the Old Testament also had various tithes (basically religious obligations) that are listed below:

10% Funded the Levite priests’ ministry (Numbers 18:21-16, 27:30).

10% Paid for the festivals to build community & celebration (Deuteronomy 12:10-11, 12:17-18, 14:22-27).

3.3% Helped the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).

Additional was given as gleanings for the poor and alien (Leviticus 19:9-10).

Plus, there were occasional additional tithes (i.e. Nehemiah 10:32-33).

Summary: The total mandatory OT tithe was over 25% of gross income.

Also, above this there were offerings that were not required but were to be given above and beyond the tithe out of love for God and particular needs that arose (i.e. Exodus 25:1-2 cf. 36:2-7; Numbers 18:11- 13).

Nowhere in the OT is there a punishment for not tithing, so tithing is not technically a law. However, God does speak of consequences for His people who do not help fund His ministry in the world.

Malachi 3:8-10: “‘Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, “How do we rob you?” In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’”

Proverbs 11:24: “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”

“While many Christian churches teach the biblical principle of tithing – that is, giving 10% of one’s income to the church – relatively few people follow the practice. One out of every six adults (17%) claims to tithe, but a comparison of the amount that people gave to churches and their household income revealed that just 6% actually donated one-tenth of their income (pre-tax or post-tax) to churches. The level of misreporting among born again Christians was just as prolific: 32% reported tithing, yet only 12% actually did so in 2000 (Barna). 16% of born-again Christians gave no money to his/her church during 1999 (Barna). Church members give on an average of 1.6 to 2.5% of their income. The Average American loses $100 per year in change and 23% of church members give less than that. The more money a person makes, the less likely he/she is to tithe” (Barna).

Common Questions about Giving

1. What should I do if I cannot afford to tithe?

You should do what you can and seek to grow in financial wisdom. If your financial situation is strained because of an unusual need (i.e. injury, elderly, single parent etc.) then the church may need to assist you. 2 Corinthians 8:1-4: “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.”

2. Should I Tithe Off My Gross or Net Income? Should I Tithe Off All My Income or Only My Salary?

Proverbs 3:9: “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops…”

3. How Much Should I Tithe?

This matter is between you and Lord. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

4. How Much Does Kaleo tithe?

Our church tithes 10% of its income (and much more in other resources- intellectual capital- time, expertise, etc.) to fund outreaches and the planting of other churches around the city and world.

Twenty to thirty years after the Apostle John died, there was a letter written to explain what was going on in the spread of the Church. It was a description of the church that was immensely attractive and gives us a glimpse as to how the Church grew so rapidly and caused many to be curious about Christ. It is called:

The Epistle to Diognetus, c. AD 130

“For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life.

“They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others and yet suffer all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all others; they beget children; but they do not destroy their babies. They share their table with all, but not their bed with all. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their exemplary lives. They love all men and yet are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and restored to life. They are poor yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things and yet abound in all; they are dishonored and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of and yet are justified; they are reviled and bless; they are insulted and repay the insult with honor; they do good yet are punished as evildoers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. To sum it all up in one word—what the soul is to the body, that are Christians in the world.”

When you look read this letter you see four things that mark their life:

1- A Complete Absence of Racism (Power)

“Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers.”

The Christians were Jews, Africans, Greeks, and Romans, but they were Christians first, then Jews and Africans second. Christianity gives you a higher sense of identity than your homeland, and a higher loyalty than your race. It gives you the ability to critique your nation and race because your nation and race are not primary, they are secondary. Christians can appreciate other cultures, yet be critical of their own. They no longer aboslutized their nation or race as the best and this cut racism at the root.

2- A High View of Life (Sex)

“they do not destroy their babies.”

Back then, you could kill your babies if they were unwanted or the wrong gender by throwing them in the dung pile out back or taking them down to the river and tossing them in it. Also, in Roman culture it was permissible for you to kill a slave without having to answer for it since they were considered walking tools, or human animals. Christians saw every life, no matter how unwanted or expendable, as absolutely valuable and of incredible worth.

3- They Had an Unusual View of Sex (Sex)

“They share their table with all, but not their bed with all.”

The third reason that people looked at them so strangely was because they had such an unusual view of sex. The pagan opinion about sex was that it was nothing more than an appetite. When you’re hungry you eat. When you’re thirsty you drink. When you’re feeling amorous you have sex. This was their idea about sex, so they had various sexual practices that fed their “appetites.”

Christians came along with a radically different sex ethics and basically taught that sex was God’s appointed means to show that you belong completely, permanently and exclusively to your spouse. Sex was viewed by the Christian as a celebration, as a complete and permanent demonstration of the closeness of the commitment to one another in the bonds of love. What is so odd about this is that in Rome, the Christians were raised in a time of a pagan sex ethic, yet, when they came to Christ, they found this new way of sexual intimacy and they felt liberated from the bondage of their appetites. Sex became beautiful, incredibly fulfilling and enjoyable because it had meaning, value, healing and emotional content to it. Pagans were getting converted and trying it out and telling all their friends about this new form of liberated sexuality. This ran through the Empire and when people tried it they couldn’t believe how incredible it was. This is a bit different than today isn’t it? We are told that to be liberated, you should treat it as an appetite and nothing more. For those that were raised with that kind of sex ethic, they would tell you it doesn’t work and is not fulfilling.

4- These Christians were Radically Generous (Money)

“They share their table with all… They are poor yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things and yet abound in all…”

The Witness of the Early Church

Let’s consider the witness of the early Church. These early Christians were marked by eye-popping generosity. They were radically generous and people couldn’t believe how giving they were with all things.

They changed the way they looked at having so little. They were short of everything yet had plenty of everything. This meant they had so little because they gave everything away and yet were happy with what little they had. They were content.

How did Rome, with all its decadence and slavery and immorality, turn Christian within a couple of hundred years? Because of radically generous Christians. And no one could match the beauty of these early Christians. Their lifestyle was startling, gorgeous, beautiful, sparkling and incredibly attractive, even if you hated them. People would look at them and ask what happened inside of them that made them so quick to give their lives and money away.

Let me read another early description of Christians.

From the Apology of Tertullian, AD 197

“We are a body knit together as such by a common religious profession, by unity of discipline, and by the bond of a common hope. We meet together as an assembly and congregation, that, offering up prayer to God as with united force, we may wrestle with Him in our supplications. This strong exertion God delights in. We pray, too, for the emperors, for their ministers and for all in authority, for the welfare of the world, for the prevalence of peace, for the delay of the final consummation. We assemble to read our sacred writings… and with the sacred words we nourish our faith, we animate our hope, we make our confidence more steadfast; and no less by inculcations of God’s precepts we confirm good habits. In the same place also exhortations are made, rebukes and sacred censures are administered. For with a great gravity is the work of judging carried on among us, as befits those who feel assured that they are in the sight of God; and you have the most notable example of judgment to come when anyone has sinned so grievously as to require his severance from us in prayer, in the congregation and in all sacred intercourse. The tried men of our elders preside over us, obtaining that honor not by purchase but by established character. There is no buying and selling of any sort in the things of God. Though we have our treasure-chest, it is not made up of purchase-money, as of a religion that has its price. These gifts are…not spent on feasts, and drinking-bouts, and eating-houses, but to support and bury poor people, to supply the wants of boys and girls destitute of means and parents, and of old persons confined now to the house; such, too, as have suffered shipwreck; and if there happen to be any in the mines or banished to the islands or shut up in the prisons, for nothing but their fidelity to the cause of God's Church, they become the nurslings of their confession. But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See, they say, how they love one another, for they themselves are animated by mutual hatred. See, they say about us, how they are ready even to die for one another, for they themselves would sooner kill.”

Sociologist Rodney Stark analyzed the survival and growth of the Early Church in the first few centuries. Here is his fascinating summary of the Early Church:

"...Christianity served as a revitalization movement that arose in response to the misery, chaos, fear, and brutality of life in the urban Greco-Roman world… Christianity revitalized life in Greco-Roman cities by providing new norms and new kinds of social relationships able to cope with many urgent problems. To cities filled with the homeless and impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers, Christianity offered an immediate basis for attachment. To cities filled with orphans and widows, Christianity provided a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by violent ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity. And to cities faced with epidemics, fire, and earthquakes, Christianity offered effective nursing services… For what they brought was not simply an urban movement, but a new culture capable of making life in Greco-Roman cities more tolerable." Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity, Princeton University Press, 1996, page 161

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