If you were to get on a plane today and travel to the country of Turkey and find your way to the Port city of Izmir and then travel south roughly 50 miles, you could walk through the remnants of a ancient Greek temple that was originally built for Artemis around 650 BC.
About 100 years after it was constructed it flooded and then was rebuilt, and then burned down and then rebuilt again.
The Romans later adapted it for their god, Diana.
Diana was the god of many things, but the primary practice of her temple revolved around her role in fertility and childbirth. There are references to this temple in the Bible because of its proximity to the church at Ephesus where Paul's letter to that church, what we call Ephesians, was written. The temple was known for all kinds of sexual immorality, prostitution of all ages, sacrifices, and evil beyond imagination.
The architecture and artistry inside the temple is largely why it was considered one of the wonders of the world. Ancient artists (those who were masters of their craft) could pull off various illusions or tricks of perspective. Perhaps you've heard that if you look at the Mona Lisa or other renaissance paintings that the eyes of these paintings will follow you regardless of where you stand. Similarly, it's reported that one particular painting of Diana at the entrance to her temple when viewed on the way in …carried a soft smile, but upon leaving that smile disappeared and in its place …a disgusted frown.
Why is a smile on the way in and a frown on the way out meaningful?
Family Matters (and Why This Commandment Shows Up at All)
Our teaching team recently taught through the Ten Commandments. Twenty percent of them are about the family. That’s not an accident; it’s a blueprint. Honor teaches us how to respond to imperfect authority. Adultery teaches us what covenant faithfulness looks like between husband and wife—and why God cares so much about it.
Facts, Feelings, and “Everyone Does It”
You’ve heard the line: “Half of marriages end in divorce, half of men cheat.” It’s scare-stat math. The real picture is complicated, but here’s the point: when we repeat inflated stats, we normalize betrayal. “If it’s inevitable, why fight?” That’s how despair disciples us.
Why Christians Often Do Better (and Why It’s Not Because We’re Better)
Regular church involvement correlates with lower infidelity, not because Christians are morally superior, but because ideas matter. If faithfulness is named as a high ideal—and you’re surrounded by people who agree—you’re more likely to fight for it. Beliefs form habits. Habits form lives.
The Big Frame
Sex and marriage aren’t small items in the junk drawer of human life. They’re among God’s greatest gifts, which is why evil throws its weight at them. If we don’t understand what sex is for, we’ll mishandle it, baptize it, or weaponize it.
"Ideas disciple us long before actions expose us."
Where We’re Going
In this series, I’ll name three cultural lies about sex, show the better Christian story, clarify what the seventh commandment protects, and speak to the tempted, the tangled, and the haunted. Diana smiles at the door. Jesus tells the truth at the door.
Reflection Questions
- What “stat” or story about marriage has shaped your expectations (for better or worse)?
- Who are the people around you reinforcing faithfulness as a high ideal?
Share this post with a friend and invite them to read Part 2 with you—then compare notes over coffee.