Sexual Immorality

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

When you love someone, you will respect that person. While you must love unconditionally and sacrificially, that doesn’t mean you don’t draw the line somewhere. And that is exactly what God does in 1 Corinthians 5-6. Explicitly referring to sexually immoral Christians, Paul says, “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral … not even to eat with such a person” (5:11). Again referring to Christians who live unrighteous lives: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites … will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you …” (6:9-11). If a Christian is living in sexual immorality and you offer him your fellowship, not only do you profane God’s Word, you are excusing him from the responsibility to repent and forsake his sin.

There are varying degrees of sin. A sexual sin is not another “common sin.” We are exhorted to flee from sexual sins because no other sin affects the body as this one does. When you fall into sexual immorality, you harm your own body (6:18). Not only that, you damage your inward man-spirit and soul-which is the real you (6:16-17). Your spirit gets defiled. Remember Samson? For one night’s pleasure, he lost the supernatural strength that flowed out from his spirit.

Sometimes I hear of people blaming God when they cannot resist sexual temptation. But look at the very first case of sin in the Garden of Eden. God created Adam without the sinful nature. He put Adam in an ideal environment where there was no one to make his life difficult. God provided all of Adam’s daily needs. He endowed Adam with strong mental powers. God gave Adam a life-partner to meet his emotional and physical needs. He gave Adam duties that engaged his mind and body, so that he would not feel bored. God even warned Adam of the consequences of disobedience; so it wasn’t going to be a surprise test. God had a personal relationship with Adam and the latter understood God rather well. Yet, all that still didn’t stop Adam from sinning. Why? Because out of His love for man, God bestowed man with the power of free will. Love gives us a choice to choose.

Make a choice today to keep your body pure. Instead of using your body for immoral pleasures, use your body to serve the Lord (6:13). If you are a single man or woman, guard the glory of your virginity. If you have lost it already, the blood of Jesus Christ can restore the glory of a pure spirit back to you again.