What is Sexual Immorality?
The Bible says those who practice sexual immorality will not inherit the kingdom of God, but will be cast into eternal fire.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, no drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ? (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealously, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do them will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake of fire that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
What is sexual immorality?
It’s translated from the Greek word porneia which means fornication. The Bible uses the word for any kind of lust, sexual desire, or sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage between a husband and wife: for whom God designed sex that they may be one flesh.
From the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast tot his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” They are no longer two but one flesh. What God therefore has joined together, let not man separate. (Mark 10:6-9)
Since God created sex, He gets to define it. So, any kind of sex outside His definition of marriage is immoral and idolatrous: premarital sex, adultery, homosexuality, porn, and masturbation – since sex is not intended for one person but a husband and wife. Jesus said if a man lusts after a woman, he’s committed adultery in his heart.
You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)
The culture will say sex is okay as long as two people love each other, but causing someone else to sin is not loving.
Because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. (1 Corinthians 7:2)
When sex is enjoyed between a husband and wife, they protect one another from sinning. In a list of sins, sexual immorality is often at the top (see Mark 7:21-23, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Romans 13:13, Galatians 5:19-21, and Colossians 3:5-9). Every other sin is outside the body but sexual sins are committed against the body. It’s self-destruction, desecrating that which was made in God’s image. The body is for the Lord and for those united with Christ, sexual immorality dishonors that union, defiles the temple of the Holy Spirit and is likened to sleeping with prostitutes.
Do you not know your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15-20)
Let marriage be held in honor among all and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. (Hebrews 13:4)
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. (Ephesians 5:3)
…when we understand the text.
(This video is by WWUTT. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central.)