“Love” is a confusing word in Western culture today. The self-referential, anything-goes mantra, “Love is love,” sums up the prevailing morality which celebrates any consensual coupling as unassailable love. But God is the author of love and designer of sex, not us. Heeding his guidance in these matters is far more satisfying and life-giving than heeding the mantras of our age. In matters of love and sex, trusting his Word rather than our fickle hearts will lead us to flourishing and health. 

This is a note we’re constantly sounding at TGC—not because we want to score victories in a culture war, but because we care about taking God at his Word and guiding people to the life found within his truth. Our two most-read articles this week sound this note. 

Patrick Schreiner unpacks a challenging passage (1 Tim. 2:15) against the cultural backdrop of Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s “Unholy” Grammy’s performance, reminding us, “We don’t follow God’s design because he’s a prude who likes to shackle our potential. Rather, we pursue God’s design because it yields freedom.”

And in our most-read article this week, J. D. Greear makes a compelling case for why downplaying the sin of homosexuality won’t win the next generation. He calls for the church to not shy away from the offense of repentance: “Repentance means denying the premise behind not only alternate sexualities but also the premise undergirding the entire spirit of our age: ‘I know who I am, and I know what’s best for me.’”

Indeed, as our secular age continues down the destructive path of “I know what’s best for me” sexual ethics, let’s keep sounding the better note, in a beautiful chord: God designed us and knows what’s best for us. On Valentine’s Day and every other day, let’s align our notions of love with his definition and design.