Creator, Father, King #310

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.

Sex.

What do you think of when you read that word? Sadly, in our ungodly, overly sexualized culture, sex has become a dirty word. God never intended it to be so. When God created the world in perfection, he intended sex to be both a beautiful means of creating new life and an enjoyable gift of intimacy—but always between a married husband and wife. However, sin entered the world and marred God’s perfect ideal.

In the centuries that followed, humanity spread across the earth, and pagan religions sprouted up. Sexually speaking, many of these ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome were grossly perverted. Under the guise of religion, these cultures incorporated all sorts of sinful sexual practices into their worship rituals. They did this to appease the gods and promote a fertile harvest season, among other reasons. Really, it was just an excuse for people to fulfill the lusts of their flesh.

These vile practices were abhorrent to God. Throughout Scripture—in both the Old and New Testaments—the Lord consistently called his people to sexual purity.

He is still doing that today.

What’s It Mean?

Today’s world is still filled with sexual immorality. Everywhere you turn, the world cheapens sex and offers perverse pleasure to gratify our fleshly desires. Yet God calls his children to “be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

Among all other rebellion against God, sexual sin is unique. Look at 1 Corinthians 6:18-20:

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

This means keep your mind pure. Reject pornography. Honor your body and others’ as God’s temple. And above all, wait until marriage for sexual intimacy.

If you have fallen in this area, remember this: no true child of God will suffer condemnation (Romans 8:1). Christ purchased your forgiveness at the Cross. But God does call you to pursue righteousness.

Don’t cheapen God’s beautiful gift of sex. Enjoy it as he meant you to—at its proper time. You won’t regret it.

Now What?

Read these passages about sexual purity: Romans 13:11-14; Ephesians 5:3-14; Colossians 3:5-10; and 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8.

Did You Know?

The apostle Paul denounced sexual immorality in eight of his thirteen New Testament letters.