Clarifications.

**DISCLAIMER** - This post is regarding my previous blog, so if you have not read that blog, I suggest you do so before looking at this. Thanks. :)

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So, I am really happy about the amount of responses that my previous blog received. It has been so good to know that it has sparked discussions with all sorts of different people! I'm very pleased. However, there are just two clarifications and "admittances" (?) that I want to make after hearing comments and views about my blog.

1. This first one is just for clarification. I have had a few people approach me about my comment saying that people who struggle with masturbation and sexual sin can still be in ministry. I did not fully clarify what I meant there, so let me do that now. If the person who is struggling with that sin is taking practical measures to rectify the situation and knows that it is a sin, then they can still be in ministry. However, they may not be able to be in a leadership position. On the other hand, if a person is going through that sin but does not think that it matters and continues to do it without thinking anything of it, then that person definitely should not be any part of ministry. They need to sort out their own relationship with God before they can minister to anyone else.

2. I asked the question in my blog about why sexual sin is put more at the forefront than other sins, and I have to say that even though I do not believe it is more evil than any sin, there is special emphasis put on it. In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 it says:

"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

As this passage clearly states, emphasis is put on sexual sin because it is committed against your own body and is not outside the body like all the other sins. Do I still know for sure whether or not masturbation is a sin? No. But I did get some views that make sense about the Scripture that says to flee from any hint of sexual immorality. Since there is no assurance that one can masturbate without thinking about sexual things, then that behavior still needs to be fled from and not even attempted. If there is even a chance that sin could occur in the process, then it is best to just leave it alone and not even mess with it.