Romans 8:38-39

38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love – not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us – nothing in the whole created world – will be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Love Always

This was always one of the classic verses that was quoted around me. The fact that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Yet, there are struggles and sins that are always showcased to show our separation from God. I’ve been wrestling with my own sinful behavior over the last four years especially to see if my behaviors, words, thoughts, and decisions align with what it means to live a godly life. Through my studies and journey with Christian, I have come to understand sin as something that distorts my life in the love of God, neighbor, creation, and even ourselves. That whatever dehumanizes or exploits is out of step with God’s ideal for the world.

Two things that I have both wrestled with and tried to help others understand and comprehend are the effects of porn usage and gambling. A lot of Christians, both conservative and progressive, see porn deeply bound up with exploitation and dehumanization. It creates a narrative that teaches its consumers to view people as objects instead of humans. It often has situations with forced coercion into sexual activities, trafficking, unsafe working conditions, and economic pressures. Plus, porn often dilutes and corrupts how a person can see sex, bodies, and relationships. Overall, porn that participates in exploitation, coercion, or dehumanization – and habits that train me to treat others as objects – are sinful because they oppose love and justice. For me, there has been a greater inner push to really understand the dynamics of relationships and intimacy in this capacity. To create a true path that understands sexuality, relationships, and attraction more specifically, than the general knowledge we’re taught from parents, guardians, school, etc. It’s been a fruitful journey so far and one that helps me understand my shortfalls and sinful mindsets still, but thankfully there is a God that loves me and wants to see me overcome this. God will give me the strength to understand why these behaviors harm love, justice, and wholeness, wisdom on how to overcome them, and the faith that overcoming these behaviors will lead to being more like the person that he created me to be. 

While there are no explicit scriptures related to gambling, there are ample about greed, the love of money, neglect of the poor, and unjust systems. Gambling becomes problematic when it’s driven by greed over gratitude; when it preys on the vulnerable; and when it leads a person to neglecting responsibilities. Low-stakes play that doesn’t harm your responsibilities and isn’t fueled by greed might be a morally gray area, but the exploitative, addictive, and/or irresponsible gambling is sinful because it harms people and communities. Gambling is a major concern, especially of late with the rise of betting apps like Kalshi. People are taking the rush of the dopamine to hit the parlays over security and making sure all their needs are met. They treat gambling like a get-rich-quick scheme instead of a form of entertainment. Overall, I have been there, and it’s been a long-time for me to get out of that mindset. What has helped when I go to the casino is slowing down. I am intentional with my play through not rushing my spins, allowing the payouts to fully play through before re-spinning, and also walking away when the machines are not winning after a decent time. Just recently I had some success with these tips, so there may be some confirmation bias, but I share these with you as a way to potentially share some help for you. Overall, use God’s resources wisely, and not for selfish gain or greed. 

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: While I highlighted sins like porn and greed, what sin do you struggle with and how can you have God overcome them through you?