Pastor's Column Test

"So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." — Genesis 1:27

The Siq in Jordan is the narrow passageway leading to the ancient city of Petra. Walking through it is an unforgettable experience. Stretching about one mile (1.6 kilometers) in length and no more than 20 feet (6 meters) wide, the gorge still preserves rows of shrines, water channels, and guard posts carved two thousand years ago, bearing witness to a thriving desert city that was once home to some thirty thousand people.

As we were making our way through the canyon, our guide suddenly stopped us. He instructed everyone to form a single file line, place our hands on the shoulders of the person in front of us, close our eyes, and continue walking until he told us to open them again. When we finally opened our eyes, we caught our first breathtaking glimpse of the world-famous Treasury, magnificently carved into the towering rose-colored cliffs and framed perfectly by the narrow opening at the end of the gorge. It was our first sight of the Rose City, said to be "half as old as time itself."

No matter how many photographs or films you have seen beforehand, nothing compares to witnessing Petra with your own eyes. As you continue exploring, you cannot help but wonder what life was like for the Nabataeans, who lived in this desert city thousands of years ago. Despite its harsh and barren surroundings, Petra flourished as a prosperous civilization until a series of powerful earthquakes in the sixth century A.D. eventually led to its abandonment.

Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of visiting many remarkable ancient sites, including the Colosseum in Rome, the Parthenon in Athens, Masada in Israel, and Ephesus in present-day Turkey. Although these ruins no longer display the full grandeur they once possessed, they still reveal enough to hint at their former magnificence. They stand as silent witnesses to past glory. What remains today are fragments—broken, damaged, distorted, and weathered echoes of what once was.

That image of brokenness, decay, distortion, and ruin also describes the profound reality each of us faces in our own lives. More specifically, we all struggle with distorted and impure sexual desires—the very subject this book seeks to address. But where do such desires come from?

If God created humanity in His own image and established marriage as a sacred union, then what went wrong? If sexuality is God's good and holy gift, why has it become a source of heartbreak, guilt, shame, and confusion? Why has something so beautiful become so deeply distorted, taking countless forms and even becoming a habit that enslaves us? Why are marriage and relationships between men and women so often marked by frustration and disappointment instead of fulfillment? Why do we find ourselves returning to the same temptations over and over again?

Unless we correctly identify the root of the problem, we cannot hope to find the right remedy. If the source of our struggles with lust is simply a lack of information, then education and research should provide the answer. If our problems arise from social pressures or cultural trends, then we need reformers and pioneers who can help us break free from those constraints. But if the root of our problem is spiritual, then we must look beyond all these approaches and seek God's help.

To find the answer, therefore, we must return to the beginning—to the place where everything first went wrong. We need the clear and practical perspective of Scripture, for the Bible exposes the complex ways human desires have been distorted since the Fall. This realistic perspective keeps us from making naïve or superficial diagnoses of our condition or from believing false promises that claim to solve our struggles. At the same time, it challenges us not to romanticize or idolize desire and sexuality, foolishly imagining that they can ultimately satisfy or set us free. Scripture's balanced teaching also keeps us from despising the natural responses of our bodies. Humanity's fall has distorted every aspect of God's good creation, including His design for sexuality and relationships. Yet despite the brokenness of our sexual lives and our understanding of sex, true goodness still remains.