Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  
And the world is passing away, and the lust (epithumia) of it;
but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
(1 John 2:15-17)

Libido is a Latin word meaning “lust.”

While the term "libido" has taken on an overly sexual meaning in today's world, to Jung, it represented all psychic energy and not just sexual energy. Psychology" refer to the overall and science leave much to be desired in understanding man. The Latin word Libido was not carried over into the Koine Greek of the New Testament. nor does 'libido." A Biblical view of Libido is very different than the secular view!

Sexual desire back-when (in Eden that is) —was a very different matter than it is now. It was holistic not merely genital. When any one of is sexually active, whether alone, or with another person, a kind of joining process takes place. It’s inevitable. 

A Biblical view of Libido is very different than the secular view! The redeemed side of libido can better be likened to the sap in tree of life. The original tree of life in the Garden in Eden appears for a final time in the Book of the Revelation:

“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot (porne) becomes one body (soma) with her? For “the two,” God says, “shall become one flesh (sarx).”

In this example that which is "joined" may be another person, but often the partner is not a real person but a fantasy. Fantasies have a life of their own--they are archetypes. In the above example a young man may engage mentally in his M fantasy, at first with a girl. After that heterosexual fantasy fades and loses it's ability to increase pleasure at orgasm his preference "evolves." These days (since the smart phone became universal), boys as young as 11 learn about pornography, often even before they discover masturbation. (The image in one's fantasy is chosen for one's maximum pleasure). The slippery slope after that is downhill all the way. Soon curiosity in one's fantasies devolves into fantasizing about sex with another male. The next level down, takes the kid into the occult. The "great harlot" is the archetype. A recent survey showed that 25% of boys these days identified with the gay subculture! Huge pornography web sites handle explicit material that's not safe for grown men to surf.

Because of the cultural disconnect today, young guys don't usually look to the older generation for role models. It's not unusual for a boy to discover that his dad also masturbates. The greater moral responsibility surely lies with the older generation? The counterculture is not merely about sex, it's about lifestyles and role models.

By the way, men and women are equally fallen. Men are invited to be circumcised (spiritually), women are to seek purity of emotions and spirit so as to edify her husband not drag him down. See The Circumcision Papers.

Only about 8000 years ago God created a man (and a woman) in His own image, and placed us in a grand garden:

Then God said, ‘Let us make man  in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ 

So God created man  in his image,
   in the image of God he created them;
   male and female he created them. 

God blessed them, an God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day... (Genesis 1:26-31)

Our first parents have certainly accomplished that first part of their calling, filling the earth with offspring. Earth's present 8000 million (8 billion) inhabitants are all "sons of Adam and daughters of Eve." We don't need no more babies (The current rate of abortions is about 60 million per year). Globalists suggest world population ought to be brought down to a more manageable 500 million or so, a factor of 16. This can't possibly be done by human reasoning.

Yes, God created sex also for pleasure, but told us clearly He would honor sexual expression only within covenantal unions of one man/one woman. Sexual expression was given for bearing children but also for pleasure. (The genitalia of both men and women are jam-packed with pleasure-giving nerves.) Birth control is readily available now, for the man, or for the woman. The world is overpopulated severely now, so couples need to pray before bringing children into the world, especially if their ability to care for their children through adolescence is uncertain. Godly marriages do exist, and they are national treasures. But they are few and far between. It ought to be obvious that the male and female sexual apparatus comes in pairs. Penises and vaginas go together. Sexual instincts are very powerful; their misuse does lots of damage! Ray Stedman addressed this his message, "Sex in Marriage." (1978).

The article, "Wedding Garments" may be on interest. Jewish traditional weddings (when properly conducted), teach us much about what marriage is supposed to be like. The archetypal pattern, of course is the Garden of Eden. See Bill Risk's "The Ultimate Wedding." Perhaps the article Marriage Archetypes will be helpful? Note that Jesus at the present time is a single man who was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.

Human beings are not just a little bit compromised in the world. The term "Total Depravity" suits most of us. When anyone gives Jesus permission to change the status quo, he or she enters into a journey towards wholeness (holiness). There will be no sex in heaven, but transformed libido will probably be there.

Jesus, the Son of God is a man not a woman. His entire life on earth demonstrated all the characteristics of "maleness." Man was created male/female, (Adam/Eve), but the image of God in man is equally feminine. The true church is often thought of as the Second Eve, just as Jesus is the Second, or Last Adam.

Jesus’ Side Is Pierced 

"Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” (John 19:31-37)

The church of Jesus Christ, which He has been building since Pentecost AD 30, is the Second Eve, the Bride of Christ is symbolized by the blood poured out from the wounded side of Jesus, after He had died. The Bride of Christ is not His mother, nor one individual woman. She is millions of men, women and children from Pentecost to the Rapture.

This obscure teacher (Jesus) announced to his disciples that he would build his assembly, his church, his ekklesia. He said this late in life, just before his final trip to Jerusalem where he would be betrayed and killed. He was not talking about a building a synagogue, a fraternal order, nor a major corporation--so his announcement must have sounded incongruous to his students. Yet they readily followed him to their deaths and became martyrs to his cause in the decades after their teacher departed. The Apostles did, however implement the program of Jesus. That glorious church is nearly finished and soon to be unveiled.

Fast forward two thousand years: Is there any evidence that what Jesus had announced He would do, would ever come to pass?

One huge world wide, very rich, institution has long claimed that the Apostle Peter was commissioned to be the first head of that body. But Peter was killed in Rome about 30 years later along with the Apostle Paul, and no church entity or building would appear on earth until nearly 300 years after Peter and Paul were executed. Nevertheless, thousands of ordinary people in the Roman Empire became followers of Jesus in the first three centuries, and obviously many more down to today. No one man-made institution in the world can claim to be the church Jesus is building! Local churches are supposed to be microcosms of the macrocosm church.

But the dynamics of what ought-to-be today are best seen in small groups. Our broken culture exhibits all sorts of gender confusion. Obviously heaven is for whole people of only two genders.

"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 

32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5)

Homework Part One

Nekrosis and Thanatos

The Uniqueness of Creation Week

In Six Days

Made in the Image of God

Man's Lost Dominion

The Anguish of Adam

The Ruin of Creation

World Population Since Creation

Population of the PreFlood World

On the Great Flood of Noah

In the Hindu discipline known as Kundalini Yogi, the libido is likened to a coiled serpent located at the base of the spine, It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power associated with the divine feminine or the formless aspect of the goddess.  (Wikipedia)

What struck me is that almost no one I know has a Biblical view of man these days! For instance: allowing Jesus Christ into one's life makes us immediately new in spirit and the soul is renewed as well. But "the body is dead because of sin."

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption.

When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:1-16)

Vine’s Dictionary on Lust A — 1: ἐπιθυμία  (Strong's #1939 — Noun Feminine — epithumia — ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah) denotes "strong desire" of any kind, the various kinds being frequently specified by some adjective (see below). The word is used of a good desire only in Luke 22:15; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:17. Everywhere else it has a bad sense. In Romans 6:12 the injunction against letting sin reign in our mortal body to obey the "lust" thereof, refers to those evil desires which are ready to express themselves in bodily activity. They are equally the "lusts" of the flesh, Romans 13:14; Galatians 5:16,24; Ephesians 2:3; 2 Peter 2:18; 1 John 2:16 , a phrase which describes the emotions of the soul, the natural tendency towards things evil. Such "lusts" are not necessarily base and immoral, they may be refined in character, but are evil if inconsistent with the will of God. Other descriptions besides those already mentioned are: "of the mind," Ephesians 2:3; "evil (desire)," Colossians 3:5; "the passion of," 1 Thessalonians 4:5 , RV; "foolish and hurtful," 1 Timothy 6:9; "youthful," 2 Timothy 2:22; "divers," 2 Timothy 3:6;  Titus 3:3; "their own,"  2 Timothy 4:3; 2 Peter 3:3;  Jude 1:16; "worldly," Titus 2:12; "his own," James 1:14; "your former," 1 Peter 1:14 , RV; "fleshly," 1 Peter 2:11; "of men,"  1 Peter 4:2; "of defilement," 2 Peter 2:10; "of the eyes," 1 John 2:16; of the world ("thereof"), 1 John 2:17; "their own ungodly," Jude 1:18 . In Revelation 18:14 "(the fruits) which thy soul lusted after" is, lit., "of thy soul's lust." See DESIRE , A, No. 1 (where associated words are noted).  A — 2: ὄρεξις  (Strong's #3715 — Noun Feminine — orexis — or'-ex-is ) lit., "a reaching" or "stretching after" (akin to oregomai, "to stretch oneself out, reach after"), a general term for every kind of desire, is used in  Romans 1:27 , "lust."  A — 3: ἡδονή  (Strong's #2237 — Noun Feminine — hedone — hay-don-ay' ) "pleasure," is translated "lusts," in the AV of James 4:1,3 (RV, "pleasure"). See PLEASURE.  Note: In  1 Thessalonians 4:5 , AV, pathos, "passion" (RV, "passion"), is translated "lust," which is the better rendering of the next word epithumia, rendered "concupiscence." Pathos is described by Trench as "the diseased condition out of which epithumia springs." In  1 Corinthians 12:6 : epithumetes, a luster after, is rendered "to lust."  B — 1: ἐπιθυμέω  (Strong's #1937 — Verb — epithumeo — ep-ee-thoo-meh'-o ) akin to A, No. 1, has the same twofold meaning as the noun, namely (a) "to desire," used of the Holy Spirit against the flesh, Galatians 5:17 (see below); of the Lord Jesus, Luke 22:15, "I have desired;" of the holy angels, 1 Peter 1:12; of good men, for good things,  Matthew 13:17; 1 Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 6:11; of men, for things without moral quality, Luke 15:16; 16:21; 17:22; Revelation 9:6; (b) of "evil desires," in respect of which it is translated "to lust" in Matthew 5:28; 1 Corinthians 10:6;  Galatians 5:17 (1st part; see below); James 4:2; to covet, Acts 20:23; Romans 7:7; 13:9 . See COVET , DESIRE , B, No. 2.  Notes: (1) In Galatians 5:17 , in the statement, "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh," the Holy Spirit is intended, as in the preceding verse. To walk by the Spirit involves the opposition here referred to. The verb "lusteth" is not repeated in the second part of the statement, but must in some way be supplied. Since in modern English the word "lust" is used exclusively in a bad sense, it is unsuitable as a translation of epithumeo, where the word is used in a good sense. As the rendering "desire" is used of the Lord Jesus (as mentioned above), it may be best so understood here in respect of the Holy Spirit. (2) In James 4:5 the RV translates correctly in giving two questions, each of a rhetorical character, asked by way of remonstrance. The first draws attention to the fact that it is impossible for the Scripture to speak in vain; the second to the impossibility that the Holy Spirit, whom God has caused to dwell in the believer, should "long (unto envying)," epipotheo (AV, "lust"). Here again, not the human spirit is in view, but the Spirit of God; cp. 1 Corinthians 6:19.

Homework Part Two

Sexuality and Wholeness Papers

The Marriage Archetype

Holiness and Wholeness

Sexual Absolutes in Scripture

The End of Sex 

Worship of Sex 

Masturbation 

The Consequence Engine 

SSA 

The Ego Papers

Temptation

Gender Confusion

The Flesh, The World and the Devil

The Excluded Ones 

The Bride of Christ

A Wedding Invitation from Jesus

Wife of Jehovah/Bride of Christ 

Wholeness of Person

The Last One Percent

It Takes Three to Tango

Yin, Yang, The Tao and Wholeness

Love and Relationships: Song of Solomon

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
—meditate on these things.
The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me,
these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
(Philippians 4:8,9)

John Eldredge on the Journey of Desire

Everything so far is written withe the unmarried in view. But John Eldredge has some good insights for the married:

Over My Dead Body!

Ray Stedman

The first time one encounters the Biblical term "one flesh" is in Genesis, in a verse probably inserted by Moses into the original account which had been handed down to him from Adam. Eve had just been taken from the side of Adam and presented to the first man as the one partner in all of creation who "corresponded" to him.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24)

The bonding which occurs between man and wife in a good marriage deepens as the years go by. It is wonderful to see the love and unity in a marriage of 30 or 40 or 50 years. Such marriages should be considered national treasures. 

But, every sexual liaison, whether within marriage or not, carries with it that mysterious deep bonding process of becoming "one flesh" with the other person. Divorce is terribly painful partly because of the violent ripping apart of this "one flesh" bond-- a tearing apart which goes to the core of one's being.

The Biblical concept of "one fleshness" comes up again in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians Paul writes, 

Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." 

But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 5:13-20)

Battle Cry for a Generation, by Ron Luce captured my attention back in 2006. Ron book is about the very rapid collapse of our society in recent years. Not only is marriage considered of little or no importance to many young people today, but sexual hook-ups--which have nothing lasting to do with any real relationship between persons--are now as common as eating and sleeping among many teenagers. [A whole related subject is that marriage does not seem like a very attractive option to many young people today for a variety of reasons].

In any kind of sexual activity, pleasure-producing hormones are released in our brains. The memory of a sexual experience is stored in the brain in a kind-of extra vivid, multidimensional format. Another chemical is also released during sex--oxytocin. In animals and in people this amazing hormone is responsible for trust between partners, and pair bonding. The catch is that oxytocin is associated with any and every form of sexual behavior--whether within marriage or elsewhere. Masturbation produces oxytocin--increasing narcissism perhaps? Internet pornography "bonds" the participant to his favorite images on the screen. Homosexuals "bond" because of oxytocin and also become "one flesh," though in an inverted sort of way. Oxytocin will motivate gays to go on to further homosexual actions, though other factors operate to cause most gays to become promiscuous rather than monogamous. 

Worse still, other studies have shown that for males, any form of sex apart from marriage decreases a man's ability to bond well with a wife after marriage, and even decreases his desire to marry in the first place. A non-abstinent male may come to prefer "pagan sex" to the long term commitment and hard work which marriage requires. 

In the past half-century, the entire social order has not only been turned upside down, but also inside out. God's purpose for sex, clear from the beginning of our race as described in Genesis is a long-gone concept in our culture.  That is, sexual expression should always be a part of a heterosexual marriage--but sexual activity should be unknown, unheard of, in any other setting! The New Testament's several warnings about this are all equally strong--these are matters of life and death as far as Christians are concerned:

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, must not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 

But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:1-17)

We have no inherent "rights" to sex! Though abstinence can be very difficult to attain after a life of promiscuity, limiting sex to marriage is not an option for the followers of Christ. However, God never asks us to live a certain life-style without providing the means for us to do so! The long-term rewards for obedience to His standards are evident to all who pay attention to walking with Jesus. Ron Luce's book shows clearly that millions of our young people are currently self-destructing before our eyes with no one showing them that there is any other way to live. The failure of professing Christians to live up to minimal standards for godliness is surely a big factor in the current breakdown of our social order.

Societies are built around stable family structures--it's how God designed things. When young people lack role models for manhood and womanhood and marriage, how can they be expected to build a stable next-generation? Probably they can't--barring a radical wake up move by the slumbering church of our day. To quote from Ray Stedman, "Marriage can not survive in a society which tolerates sexual immorality." 

In summary, all sexual experiences have consequences (not just STDs and unwanted babies). Accompanying sex are complex changes in the way we bond to a real partner--or how we bond even to virtual images in the mind. Sex was designed for marriage. God honors no other expression of our sexuality. 

"Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge." (Hebrews 13:4)

The soul of man is invisible and forms an interface between body and spirit. The soul is usually considered the seat of the mind, the will and the emotions. Non-Christians have a spirit but are said to be "spiritually dead" and "soulishly" governed, since only a regenerated spirit, a  spirit reconnected to the living God, has the power and motivation to live a life-style in tune with God. 

The idea that two people could be soul-brothers--"one in soul" is also found in the Bible. King David had a poor family upbringing--which he never overcame, as one sees in the sad accounts of his 10+ marriages and his many failures to relate well with his sons in Second Samuel. Had his short-lived friendship with Saul's son Jonathan lasted longer, David's family life might have gone much better. Jonathan--perhaps 20 years older than David--was a perfect mentor for young David and their love was perfectly godly. Sadly their friendship was short-lived because of circumstances beyond their control. 

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Let the LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies." Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul." (1 Samuel 1:16-17)

When Jonathan was killed in battle along with his father, David wept openly,

Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher: 

"The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath, Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon-- Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. "O mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, From the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, And the sword of Saul did not return empty. 

"Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

"O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury; Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. "How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was slain in your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me; Your love to me was wonderful, Surpassing the love of women. 

"How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war perished!" (2 Samuel 2:17-27)

In an article in Touchstone magazine, A REQUIEM FOR FRIENDSHIP: Why Boys Will Not Be Boys & Other Consequences of the Sexual Revolution, Professor Anthony Esolen  shows how healthy, normal, affectionate, relationships between men have all but disappeared in our culture--largely because the counterfeits of real love such as "gay marriages" get all the media attention. Jesus predicted the lonely, loveless character of our culture at the end of the age, "Because wickedness is multiplied, the love of most men will grow cold." 

Just as the terms "one flesh" and "one soul" appear in the Bible, so also does the term "one spirit." It is found in the same passage from First Corinthians quoted above,

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him."

In Corinthians, the context is a discussion about our bodies being the temples of a holy God, sanctuaries of intimate fellowship and communion. When the Bible talks about love, it begins with our personal relationship with God and then extends to loving our family, friends and neighbors.  The starting place for real love is in the sanctuary of the human spirit--not the body--not the soul. When we consent to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in and over our life, our spirit and God's spirit are joined together in an inner union not unlike a marriage. This happens when we submit all that we are to Jesus as Lord--and then go on to make life-style changes that bring us into harmony with  God's revealed will and character. 

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul and all your might" -- is, after all the First and Great commandment. The Second Commandment, as everyone knows, is to love one's neighbor as oneself. One can not reverse the order of these two great commandments. 

The breakdown of any culture as vividly described in Romans Chapter One begins in the heart of man--with a subtle loss of worship of the one true God and then the gradual intrusion of other "loves" (idols) into one's affections crowding God into second or third place. This is why Solomon warned, 

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of the heart spring the issues of life."  (Proverbs 4:23)

A key verse in Luke's gospel--Jesus speaking about Himself--says "The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost."  Jesus did not come to merely save those who were lost, but that which was lost.  What has been lost to mankind is the secret of our humanity! The work of Jesus in the world is to give back and restore to very lost and confused people our manhood, our womanhood, our person hood. 

Intimacy is something most of us long for in life, but something we all tend to fear. True intimacy depends on knowing God first and foremost. "You shall have no other gods before me." If we tolerate other gods in the temples of our bodies we are idolaters and spiritual adulterers. In that state of mind, we can not expect any of our interpersonal relationships with other people to work! As Ray Stedman once said, "God has no favorites but He does have many intimates." Normal humanity, as God intended it,  can enjoy a variety of intimate, fulfilling relationships because Jesus is invited to be the Third Party--the Mediator, the Lover--in all Christian relationships. 

Radical obedience to Jesus is nowadays an imperative for all true followers of Jesus lest we find our selves dragged over the precipice of the fast approaching destruction of our society. Obviously the kind of behavior God expects of mankind can only be attained when people choose to follow Jesus. As the world grows more decadent and corrupt, the followers of Jesus, though few in number, should be gaining in purity, in godlikeness, and in holiness.

By the lifestyle Jesus lived when He was here among us on earth, Jesus showed us that "normal humanity" was designed to depend totally on the indwelling life of Another. Jesus did not come primarily to show us what God is like (though that happened as well). Jesus came to show us by the way He lived that we must die to self and grant Him permission to live His wondrous life in and through us every day we live. In a similar manner, Jesus did everything in dependence on the father who lived in Him, never acting on His divine authority, never taking matters into His own hands, during His time among us on earth. 

These days it is very hard to tell Christians from non-Christians. Divorce rates are the same in both groups. and unfortunately sexual immorality and pagan life-styles are also about the same among many "Christians" as among outsiders to the Christian family. Mere church attendance doesn't hack it either for most of us. Accountability and small groups along with radical life style changes requiring tough and sacrificial separation from the pagan culture around us as minimum requirements. 

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him; If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself." (2 Timothy 2:1-13)

Putting all this together: Fallen man is governed by the neo-pagan culture around us--primarily through the flesh and the soul. Humanity as God designed us to be ruled from our spirits operating in close harmony with God the Holy Spirit. This is how Adam lived before He fell--this is how Jesus, the Last Adam lives today as our example, our Healer, our Lord. We are not saved as Lone Ranger Christians, however, but as members of a community, the Body of Christ. Our healing and wholeness is related to the family of God, to His people. 

By the way, psychologists sort of understand Sublimation--the channeling of libido into useful, creative, redemptive actions in society. Since it's impossible for us to be non-sexual can we channel all that passion into art, music, creative output? (Obviously good parents understand that raising children is very demanding.) The Fall made us selfish and stubborn and naive. Cultivating a close relationship with Jesus demands our all. I think of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo and William Shakespeare and Albert Einstein as gifted individuals who left us great legacies. The list is long and your name might end up there, God knows. A "Christian" list is something you might want to look into?

 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;
and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are

adultery, moicheia
fornication, porneia
uncleanness, akatharsia
lewdness, aselgeia
 idolatry, eidōlolatria
sorcery, pharmakeia
hatred, echthra
contentions, eris
jealousies, zēlos
outbursts of wrath, thymos
selfish ambitions, zēlos
dissensions, dichostasia
heresies, hairesis envy, phthonos
murders, phonos
drunkenness, methē
revelries, kōmos

and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past,
that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such there is no law.

 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
(Galatians 5:16-26)

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