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For about a month or so, recently, news reports were marked with frequent mentions about an ongoing kidnapping case. It involved a fifty-year-old-man (who was a public school teacher) and a fifteen-year-old girl (a student at the school) from Tennessee. The media reported how the teacher persuaded the young girl to go with him, apparently because of his physical attraction to her. They were finally found in California last week and were taken back to Tennessee—she, to be reunited with her family and he, to face charges. Amidst all the things be said about the case and the sensational details of it, the man who would prosecute the charges against the former teacher said, “…at the end of the day, she is still a fifteen-year-old girl.” Those remarks reminded everyone of the seriousness of the charges, and the consequences that face the man if he is found guilty of those charges.
A young lady’s life has been altered because of this older man and the mental harm done to her is difficult to estimate. He has damaged his wife and their marriage. He could very possibly spend the rest of his life marked as a sex offender, with restrictions and limitations that will be heavy burdens to bear.
The reaction of people within America has been generally negative toward the man, in regard to his actions. However, the same society that would condemn him and his actions defends a number of sexual choices by individuals, and those choices seem to increase almost every day. However, at the end of the day, sexual sin is still sin, no matter who commits it or defends it.
Concerning the Gentiles of the first century, Paul said, “Therefore God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves . . .And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done” (Romans 1:24, 28 ESV).
At the end of the day, sin is still sin. And there is coming a day when God will hold all sinners accountable for their sins (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Lance Cordle
Calvert City, KY
BulletinDigest.com