Sex is so powerful that God warns us about sexual immorality
(15) Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!
(16) Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
(17) But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
(18) Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
(19) Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
(20) you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
“Sexual Immorality” is the English translation for the Greek word “Porneos”, used in the original language of the New Testament. “Porneos” refers to all forms of sexual activity outside of marriage. This scripture also describes sex as a kind of super-glue that unites a couple so strongly that they become “one.” Sex creates intimacy on all levels; this is why we ought to protect it. This is why God wants us to be careful to only join ourselves to the one we are married to.
1 Timothy 1:9-11 (NIV)
(9) We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,
(10) for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine
(11) that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Romans 13:9-10 (NIV)
(9) The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
(10) Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
1 John 5:3 (NIV)
(3) In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
Why are there laws/commandments and how do we fulfill God’s requirements?
Adultery means sex between two people where either one or both are already married.
Proverbs 6:26-35 (NIV)
(26) For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man’s wife preys on your very life.
(27) Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?
(28) Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
(29) So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
(30) People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
(31) Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
(32) But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.
(33) Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away.
(34) For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
(35) He will not accept any compensation; he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.
Hebrews 13:4 (NIV)
(4) Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Why is adultery wrong?
What are the results of sexual immorality?
(19) The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
(20) idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
(21) and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
(20) Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
(21) For your ways are in full view of the Lord , and he examines all your paths.
(22) The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.
(23) For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.
(18) Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
Other Negative Results of Sexual Immorality
— Physically hurt other(s) and yourself — Sexually Transmitted Diseases – the effects are many, permanent and severe. Chlamydia can cause sterility; another STD can cause cervical cancer
(11) At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
— Emotionally unable to trust or love someone because of past hurts
— Unwanted pregnancy and abortion (sterility caused by abortion(s))
— Guilt and shame
Wrong Thinking About Sex
— Wrong thinking, “lust and pornography are OK.”(Matthew 5:28)
(28) But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
— Wrong thinking, “anything goes” (no responsibility) (Proverbs 15:10)
(10) Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die.
— Wrong thinking, “sex is for escaping reality” (detachment) (Proverbs 14:27)
(27) The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.
— Wrong thinking, “that’s what everyone is doing.” (Romans 12:2)
(2) Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
— Wrong thinking, “test drive before you make a commitment.” (Proverbs 26:18-19)
(18) Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death
(19) is one who deceives their neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
— Wrong thinking, “sex before marriage is OK because I will marry him/her eventually.”
(15) Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
— Wrong thinking, “if I say ‘no’ to sex before marriage, my girlfriend/boyfriend will leave me.” (Proverbs 11:22)
(22) Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
— Wrong thinking, “loosing your virginity for status (peer pressure) is OK.” (Proverbs 16:17)
(17) The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives.
— Wrong thinking, “sex for money, gifts, or convenience is OK.” (Proverbs 5:16-18)
(16) Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?
(17) Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
(18) May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
— Wrong thinking, “my sexual identity – I was born this way; I’m an addict.” (Proverbs 15:10)
(10) Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die.
— Date Rape – Wrong thinking, “she wanted it because she went on a date with me.” (Proverbs 14:22)
(22) Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.
(12) “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.
(13) You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
Why does God care about our bodies?
As you can see from the lists above, there are many good reasons why God would want us to protect our sexuality. But in today’s society there’s pressure on people to give up their virginity before marriage. Those who became Christians later in life didn’t know God’s design for marriage and sex. Many guys and girls would have looked at pornography or have been sexually active outside marriage and thought it was normal. Perhaps this describes you. Perhaps you are regretting opening God’s gift for marriage already. Perhaps because of wrong thinking and wrong decisions, you are feeling shame and fear regarding marriage.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)
(9) Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men
(10) nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
(11) And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
(17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)
(1) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
(2) because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
(3) For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,
(4) in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
What can you do if you have already made mistakes?
(Note – if you have been sexually abused, this is NOT your mistake, but you may want to ask God to make you pure. It will help you to privately talk to a leader you trust).
God’s Purity
How does God restore purity to us?
(18) “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord . “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
(9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
(17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Ask a Friend
How important is sexual purity to you? Why?
Application
Have you ever asked God to help you stay sexually pure?
How can you make sexual purity a priority in your life?
Prayer Model
Lord, thank you for the great gift of sex. Help me to treasure this gift, and keep it safe for marriage. I commit my body and my sexuality to you. Help me to live in your ways.
Key Verse
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
