The Seriousness of Sexual Sin

It is not the purpose of this article to list and address every mention of sexual sin in the Bible, but merely to show that sexual sins are indeed portrayed as being serious and defiling in the New Testament in a similar way as they were in the Old Testament. In ushering in the New Covenant, Jesus & His Apostles and the writers of the New Testament did not suddenly begin winking at such sins. They taught that sexual sin, unless repented of and forsaken, would disqualify people from finally entering the eternal kingdom of God. There are various sorts of sexual sin. Sometimes sexual sin is spoken against in a general manner in the New Testament, and sometimes we find such sins being spoken against very specifically. However, it is very clear that whatever type of sexual sin is being practiced, it is all defiling (i.e. it all causes spiritual uncleanness). For example:

Mark 7:21-23 [Jesus said]: ²¹ “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications [porneia[1]] murders, ²² thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness [aselgeia[2]], an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” [cf. Matt 15:19-20]

Romans 1:24-32: ²⁴ “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. ²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. ²⁷ Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. ²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality [porneia], wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, ³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; ³² who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”

1 Corinthians 5:9-11: ⁹ “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral [pornos[3]] people. ¹⁰ Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral [pornos] people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral [pornos], or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-10: ⁹ “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators [pornos], nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals [malakos[4]], nor sodomites [arsenokoites[5]], ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”

1 Corinthians 6:13: “Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality [porneia] but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

1 Corinthians 6:18: “Flee sexual immorality [porneia]. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality [porneuo[6]] sins against his own body.”

1 Corinthians 7:2: “Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality [porneia], let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.”

1 Corinthians 10:8: “Nor let us commit sexual immorality [porneuo], as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;”

2 Corinthians 12:21: “lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication [porneia], and lewdness [aselgeia] which they have practiced.”

Galatians 5:19-21: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication [porneia], uncleanness, lewdness [aselgeia], idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Ephesians 5:3-7: ³ “But fornication [porneia] and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁴ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵ For this you know, that no fornicator [pornos], unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be partakers with them.”

Colossians 3:5: “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication [porneia], uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality [porneia];”

1 Timothy 1:9-11: ⁹ “knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, ¹⁰ for fornicators [pornos], for sodomites [arsenokoites], for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine ¹¹ according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.”

Hebrews 12:14-16: ¹⁴ “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵ looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶ lest there be any fornicator [pornos] or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.”

Hebrews 13:4: “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators [pornos] and adulterers God will judge.”

Revelation 2:14 [Jesus said]: “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality [porneuo].”

Revelation 2:20 [Jesus said]: “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality [porneuo] and eat things sacrificed to idols.”

Revelation 2:21 [Jesus said]: “And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality [porneia], and she did not repent.”

Revelation 9:21: “And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality [porneia] or their thefts.”

Revelation 21:8 [Jesus said]: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral [pornos], sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15 [Jesus said]: “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral [pornos] and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”

In conclusion

The efforts of many professing Christians to downplay the seriousness of sexual sin when it is so plainly spoken against in the Scriptures is a disturbing trend that is stumbling others. Whether it is sex outside of marriage, plain cases of adultery (or cases of divorce & remarriage while the original spouse is still living), viewing pornography, or lewdness & immodest dress—such things often are not recognized and addressed as sin in Christian congregations today. One area of sexual sin that gets much attention in the news and media is the practice of the homosexual or gay lifestyle. The practice of homosexuality is no longer recognized as sin by many professing Christians. When Bible-believing Christians dare to exhort practicing homosexuals to turn from their sin, such Christians are accused of being hateful toward others. On this specific issue, Dr. William Lane Craig wrote the following (the reasoning of which could be applied to a wide variety of moral issues):

“The question of the legitimacy of the homosexual lifestyle is a question of what God has to say about it. If there is no God, then there is no right and wrong, and it doesn’t make any difference what lifestyle you choose—the persecutor of homosexuals is morally equivalent to the advocate of homosexuality. But if God does exist, we can no longer go just on the basis of our own opinions. We have to find out what God thinks on the issue.

“So how do you find out what God thinks? The Christian says, you look in the Bible. And the Bible tells us that God forbids homosexual acts. Therefore, they are wrong. So basically the reasoning goes like this:

(1) We are all obligated to do God’s will.

(2) God’s will is expressed in the Bible.

(3) The Bible forbids homosexual behavior.

(4) Therefore, homosexual behavior is against God’s will, or is wrong.”[7]

Notes:

[1] Porneia—a general term for sexual immorality that is also used by Jesus in Matt 5:32 & 19:9. Strong’s #4202; The term would include all illicit sexual intercourse, such as: a. adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals, etc. b. Sexual intercourse with close relatives (Lev. 18). c. Sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman (Mk 10:11 is adultery).

[2] Aselgeia—Stong’s #766; unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence.

[3] Pornos—Strong’s #4205; 1. A man who prostitutes his body to another’s lust for hire; 2. A male prostitute; 3. A man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a fornicator.

[4] Malakos—Stong’s #3120; I. soft, soft to the touch; II. metaph. in a bad sense. A. Effeminate: i. of a catamite (i.e. a boy kept for homosexual practices); ii. of a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness; iii. of a male prostitute.

[5] Arsenokoites—Strong’s #733; one who lies with a male as with a female; sodomite; homosexual; abuser of (that defile) self with mankind.

[6] Porneuo—Strong’s #4203; to act the harlot, i.e. (lit.) indulge unlawful lust (of either sex), or (fig.) practice idolatry:–commit (fornication).

[7] https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/practical-issues/a-christian-perspective-on-homosexuality/#.WyNawIa2ix0.facebook