#MeToo

With multiple stories being heard about sexual immorality today (like the #MeToo movement), it’s important to consider these few truths about what the Bible says about God, humanity, and sexual abuse – whether you’ve personally experienced it or not.

God’s Creation

In Christian belief, every human being is designed and constructed in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Compared to other popular worldviews, such as naturalism[1] or agnosticism[2], the Christian’s understanding of humanity is radically beautiful and dignified.

There is incredible value, purpose, and meaning in every single person on the planet – no matter their age, race, religion or gender. Why? Because their very being has been made by God and has His image. We bear a reflection of who God is and the ability to actively reflect Him. In fact, it’s our reflecting God by loving Him and loving others that is our very purpose (Matthew 22:34-40).

And, the Bible doesn’t simply say that God made us, but it says that He made us carefully. Consider the beautiful words of Psalm 139:13-16,

“For you (God) formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

The God of the Bible beautifully and carefully constructs every human being in His glorious image and likeness. This is a crucial reason why sexual abuse is pure and blatant evil.

Sexual Abuse

It’s not just culture that deems sexual abuse as evil, but the Bible describes it as such as well. Judges 19:1-30 tells a dramatic story of a horrendous act where a woman is sexually abused all night and is left for dead in the morning – literally.

The abuse she suffered was sick, horrible, and evil – and the Scriptures agree (Judges 20:3,12,13).

Why does the Bible deem sexual abuse as evil? Because any abuse (sexual, mental, physical, etc.) made upon a human is not only incredibly damaging to a person’s body, mind and soul, but it is a direct offense to God – for every human is God’s unique workmanship.

Hope

Thankfully, God isn’t only our Maker, but a Healer as well. He constantly calls people to Himself, enabling them to “walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:5) He reestablishes their ultimate purpose, meaning, and value as being made in His image. It doesn’t matter whether they’ve done the unthinkable or suffered the indescribable.

God takes the worst of sinners and the most broken of victims and gives them abundant life in Christ. There is no evil He can’t triumph and there is no damage He can’t restore.

To finish, consider the following truth for every sufferer of sexual abuse (as well as every other believer):

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

[1] The worldview that believes that only time, space, and matter exists. In the naturalistic worldview, there is no such thing as the “supernatural” or “spiritual.”

[2] The worldview that believes that there might be a god (or something like a god) out there, but doesn’t know it yet and remains skeptical until proven otherwise.

This article was originally published on October 18, 2017.