Young Men, Sex and the New Testament Times

Reading William Barclay’s Letters to the Seven Churches

I used to read to book store customers this quote from Barclay’s own pen:

“It is not that Jesus is God. Time and time again the Fourth Gospel speaks of God sending Jesus into the world. Time and time again we see Jesus praying to God. Time and time again we see Jesus unhesitatingly and unquestioningly and unconditionally accepting the will of God for himself. Nowhere does the New Testament identify Jesus and God. He said: `He who has seen me has seen God.' There are attributes of God I do not see in Jesus. I do not see God's omniscience in Jesus, for there are things which Jesus did not know...”

A Spiritual Autobiography Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975, p. 56.


Evangelicals standing at the front counter, who had asked why we refused to carry Barclay’s material, would be shocked to hear this quote from such a popular writer. That huge matter aside, I have been reading his little study on the background of the churches of the Revelation.

One quote related to the church of Pergamos (Barclay commenting on Revelation 2:14c…, “to commit sexual immorality.”)

“It has been said that chastity was the one completely new virtue which Christianity introduced into the ancient world. In the ancient world sexual morals were loose; relationships outside of marriage were entirely accepted and produced no stigma whatsoever. Demosthenes has laid it down: ‘We have courtesans for the sake of pleasure; we have concubines for the sale of daily cohabitation; we have wives for the purpose of having children legitimately; and of having a faithful guardian of our household affairs.’ He was not saying anything which was in the least shocking; he was simply laying down what accepted pattern of sexual life. Cicero in his Pro Caelio pleads: ‘If there is anyone who thinks that young men should be absolutely forbidden the love of courtesans, he is extremely severe. I am not able to deny the principle that he states. But he is at variance, not only with the license of what our own age allows, but also with the customs and concessions of our ancestors. When indeed was this not done? When did anyone ever find fault with it? When was such permission denied? When was it that that which is now lawful was not lawful?’ To Cicero such relationships were an accepted part of life of a young man.” pp. 39-40


The Pauline admonitions, “…abstain from sexual immorality…,” and from Hebrews, “…Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge…,” and last, a text like, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…” are watershed passages for the will of our Almighty—and He counsels us for blessing, emotional and physical security and so that we might be His witness of holiness, that we might not be in “fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”


I’ve been working on preparation for helping men with sexual lusts, pornography and related snares. The Lord Jesus Christ addressed this topic with both churches—Pergamos and Thyatira.


G. Mark Sumpter