A Pure Word

◆ Some readers of the Holy Scriptures have taken offense at what the Bible presents in regard to sexual matters. The Scriptures contain accounts involving the upright and noble place of sex in marriage. Also, there are some accounts dealing with misconduct, which accounts have long aided Bible readers to know what is improper in the sight of the Creator. Does the frankness of such information make the Bible immoral or obscene?

Writing on the modern “sexual revolution,” Professor David R. Mace points out: “The Biblical writers were not tongue-tied, as many Christians are today, in their treatment of this subject. They tell many stories about sexual behavior that would be considered quite unsuitable for public reading or public discussion, even in our enlightened age. Yet there is nothing about these stories that is offensive. They are straightforward, down-to-earth accounts. . . . Sex is treated as it should be, as part of human life. There is no embarrassed concealment. On the other hand, there is no leering suggestiveness either. The approach to sex is honest and healthy-minded. ‘Nowhere in the Bible,’ says Otto Piper, the Lutheran theologian, ‘is sex in danger of sinking to the level of the obscene.’”

Yes, the Scriptures are in some places quite frank, but never are they obscene or suggestive. As the psalmist wrote: “The law of Jehovah is perfect, bringing back the soul. . . . The commandment of Jehovah is clean, making the eyes shine. The fear of Jehovah is pure, standing forever.”​—Ps. 19:7-9.