SEXUAL IMMORALITY VS. SEXUAL PURITY

Monday, November 4, 2013

“Monday’s Meat: Sexual Immorality vs. Sexual Purity”

Though the word “Sex” does not occur in Scripture, the biblical language does describe God’s plan for human sexual behavior, including Procreation of the Next Generation and Sexual Pleasure Within Marriage.

  

Sex was designed by the Creator as a Special Gift that allows a Husband and Wife to Express Oneness in Intimate and Exclusive Love and to share in His Plan for Procreation.  

Sexual Drives are given by God as the most natural high human bodies can experience. They are Destructive Only when Uncontrolled or Misused!

There are passages that express value for sex and celebrate it joyously (Genesis 18:12, “So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this PLEASURE?” NIV; Genesis 26:8, “When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac CARESSING HIS WIFE Rebekah” NIV; Read Also: Song of Solomon 4:1-16).

Other passages suggest abstinence from sexual activity (Exodus 19:15, “Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. ABSTAIN FROM SEXUAL RELATIONS” NIV; 1 Samuel 21:5, “David replied, “INDEED WOMEN HAVE BEEN KEPT FROM US, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!” NIV ).

Deviant Sexual Behavior is Clearly Condemned such as:

Homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22, “DO NOT HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH A MAN AS ONE DOES WITH A WOMAN; THAT IS DETESTABLE” NIV; Romans 1:26-27, “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for UNNATURAL ONES. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were INFLAMED WITH LUST FOR ONE ANOTHER. MEN COMMITTED SHAMEFUL ACTS WITH OTHER MEN, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error” NIV; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “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 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” NIV);

Bestiality (Exodus 22:19, “Anyone who has sexual relations WITH AN ANIMAL IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH” NIV; Leviticus 18:23, “DO NOT HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH AN ANIMAL AND DEFILE YOURSELF WITH IT. A WOMAN MUST NOT PRESENT HERSELF TO AN ANIMAL TO HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH IT; THAT IS PERVERSION” NIV);

Incest (Read: Leviticus 18:6-18; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13).

Rape (Read: Deuteronomy 22:23-29).

Prostitution (Read: Proverbs 7:1-27; 29:3, “A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth” NIV).

Any Intimate Sexual Relationship Outside of Monogamous Fidelity Within the Covenant of Marriage Is Condemned As Sexual Immorality (Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery” NIV; Deuteronomy 22:22, “If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel” NIV; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “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 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” NIV).

The Alternative is the Gift of Celibacy (Matthew 19:12, “For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others – and there are those who Choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it” NIV; 1 Corinthians 7:7, “I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that” NIV).

Believers are Expected to Exercise Self-Control in Overcoming Improper Sexual Impulses, Not By Asceticism but by the Power of the Holy Spirit. (Read: Galatians 5:16-25; 1 Timothy 4:1-5)

God Approves the Relationship in which Husband and Wife Meet Their Physical Needs in Sexual Intercourse (Proverbs 5:15, “Drink waters out of Your OWN Cistern [of a Pure Marriage Relationship], and fresh running waters out of Your OWN Well” AMP, Proverbs 5:18-19, “Let Your Fountain [of Human Life] be Blessed [with the Rewards of Fidelity], and Rejoice in the Wife of Your Youth. Let Her Be As the Loving Hind and Pleasant Doe [Tender, Gentle, Attractive] – Let Her Bosom Satisfy You At All Times, and Always Be Transported With Delight In Her Love” AMP).

Both Husband and Wife have Sexual Needs that are to be Met in Marriage, and Each is to Meet the Needs of the Other and Not His Own. (1 Corinthians 7:3, “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights (goodwill, kindness, and what is due her as his wife), and likewise the wife to her husband” AMP),

The Purposes For Sexual Intimacy Are These:

1.       Knowledge (Genesis 4:1, “And Adam KNEW Eve as his wife, and she became pregnant and bore Cain; and she said, I have gotten and gained a man with the help of the Lord” AMP);

2.       Unity (Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall BECOME UNITED AND CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE, AND THEY SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH” AMP);

3.       Comfort (Genesis 24:67, “And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus ISAAC WAS COMFORTED AFTER HIS MOTHER’S DEATH” AMP);

4.       Procreation (Genesis 1:28, “And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and FILL THE EARTH, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth” NIV);

5.       Relaxation and Play (Read: Song of Solomon 2:8-17; 4:1-16), and

6.       A Defense Against Temptation (1 Corinthians 7:2-5, “But because of the temptation to impurity and to avoid immorality, let each [man] have his OWN Wife and let each [woman] have her OWN Husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights (goodwill, kindness, and what is due her as his wife), and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have [exclusive] authority and control over her own body, but the husband [has his rights]; likewise also the husband does not have [exclusive] authority and control over his body, but the wife [has her rights]. Do not refuse and deprive and defraud each other [of your due marital rights], except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourselves unhindered to prayer. But afterwards resume marital relations, lest Satan TEMPT YOU [TO SIN] THROUGH YOUR LACK OF RESTRAINT OF SEXUAL DESIRE” AMP).

A Husband is Commanded to Find Satisfaction and Joy With His Wife and to Concern Himself With Meeting Her Unique Needs  (Proverbs 5:19, “Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant doe [tender, gentle, attractive] – let Her Bosom SATISFY you at all times, and always be transported with delight in her love” AMP) (Ecclesiastes 9:9, “Live JOYFULLY With the Wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun – all the days of futility. For that is your portion in this life and in your work at which you toil under the sun” AMP) (Deuteronomy 24:5, “When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken” AMP; 1 Peter 3:7, “In the same way you married men should live CONSIDERATELY with [your wives], with an intelligent recognition [of the marriage relation], honoring the woman as [physically] the weaker, but [realizing that you] are joint heirs of the grace (God’s unmerited favor) of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered and cut off. [Otherwise you cannot pray effectively.]” AMP).

A Wife Is Responsible For Availability, Preparation and Planning, Interest, and Sensitivity to Unique Masculine Needs (Read: 1 Corinthians 7:3-5) (Song of Solomon 4:9, “You have ravished my heart and given me courage, my sister, my [promised] bride; you have ravished my heart and given me courage with one look from your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.” AMP) (Song of Solomon 4:16, “[You have called me a garden, she said] Oh, I pray that the [cold]north wind and the [soft] south wind may blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out [in abundance for you in whom my soul delights]. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat its choicest fruits” AMP; Song of Solomon 5:2, “I went to sleep, but my heart stayed awake. [I dreamed that I heard] the voice of my beloved as he knocked [at the door of my mother’s cottage]. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my spotless one [he said], for I am wet with the [heavy] night dew; my hair is covered with it. “ AMP) (Genesis 24:67, “And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother's death” AMP).

Now, If We Would Just Stay Within The Confines Of Scripture, Sexuality Could Go Back To Being The Beautiful Gift God Presented It As!

“Sexual Immorality: A Pathway to Tragedy”

In the New Testament, Sexual Immorality (Greek: “Porneia”) refers to the voluntary sexual intercourse of an unmarried person with anyone of the opposite sex (Colossians 3:5, “So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God)” AMP; 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living): that you should abstain and shrink from all sexual vice” AMP).

The term is also used to describe Prostitution (Revelation 2:14, “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: you have some people there who are clinging to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to set a trap and a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, [to entice them] to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols and to practice lewdness [giving themselves up to sexual vice]” AMP)  

And all forms of inappropriate sexual behavior (John 8:41, “You were doing the works of your [own] father. They said to Him, We are not illegitimate children and born out of fornication; we have one Father, even God” AMP; 1 Corinthians 5:1, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, impurity of a sort that is condemned and does not occur even among the heathen; for a man has [his own] father’s wife” AMP; 1 Corinthians 6:13, 18, “...The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but [is intended] for the Lord, and the Lord [is intended] for the body [ to save, sanctify, and raise it again…Shun immorality and all sexual looseness [flee from impurity in thought, word, or deed]. Any other sin which a man commits is one outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” AMP).

Adultery (Greek: “Moicheia”) identified as extra-marital infidelity. The two terms however, later were used interchangeably (Matthew 15:19, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts (reasonings and disputings and designs) such as murder, adultery, sexual vice, theft, false witnessing, slander, and irreverent speech” AMP; Mark 7:21, “For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery” AMP; John 8:3, “When the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle of the court and put the case before Him” AMP; Galatians 5:19, “Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency” AMP).

Sexual Immorality covers a number of sins and came to be used as a general term to cover all sexual sins. Though all these actions forbidden by Scripture were despicable in God’s eyes, None is Unforgivable. However, Sexual Intimacy is a special gift from God to express the deepest physical and spiritual unity between husband and wife as well as being God’s seal on the marriage. Thus, God expects us to take very seriously the safeguards He has established for that exclusive and intimate union.

Bearing in Mind that Sexual Immorality has Tragic Consequences:

1.       God’s gift of sexuality, which is a good and unifying communication of love, is often abused when misused (Read: Genesis 2:24; Song of Solomon 3:4-5; Matthew 19:5);

2.       The bodies that God created to be His temple, the dwelling place for the Holy Spirit, are often degraded (Read: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17);

3.       As does any sin, those who participate separate themselves from God, break their fellowship with other believers, and bring hurt to the Kingdom of God (Read: Amos 3:3; Romans 3:23);

4.       Those with whom the perpetrator commits such acts are exploited and violated (Read: 2 Samuel 13:14-19);

5.       The natural and holy intimacy God has designed in a permanent, monogamous relationship is often denied when it deters from the original plan (Read: Genesis 24:67; Mark 10:6-9).

Still all must remember God’s mercy and forgiveness. Therefore, any woman who has engaged in Sexual Immorality can still find forgiveness and healing at the foot of the Cross (Read: John 8:3-11).

“Sexual Purity: Passion Held By Principle”

The love life of a Christian is a crucial battleground. Each Christian woman must consider the authority of Christ over human passions, then set her heart on Purity. Chastity means abstention from sexual activity outside of marriage and is a Christian Obligation. 

For the Christian there is one rule and one rule only: Total Abstention From Sexual Activity Prior to Marriage and Total Faithfulness Within Marriage (Read: 1 Corinthians 7:1-9).

Christians are to Prize the Sanctity of Sex. This means learning the disciplines of longing, loneliness, uncertainty, hope, trust, and unconditional commitment to Christ – a commitment requiring that regardless of what passion we may feel, We Must Remain Pure.

Chastity presupposes not taking lightly any act or thought that is not appropriate to the kind of commitment you have to God. To equate any and every personal sexual desire as natural, healthy, and God-given is a powerful lie. God does not give desires that cannot be fulfilled according to His Standards of Holiness, Wholeness, and Purity. 

Sexual Purity is one of the foremost means of safeguarding a marriage from that which pollutes, corrupts, infects, or destroys – physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

Purity means Freedom from Contamination, from anything that would spoil the taste or the pleasure, reduce the power, or in any way adulterate what a thing is meant to be. Within Marriage, sexual union is natural, healthy, and pleasurable not only for the moment – But For All of Life Together. Sexual Intimacy is natural, in the sense in which the original Designer created it to be. 

When virginity and purity are no longer protected and prized, there is dullness, monotony, and sheer boredom. By trying to grab fulfillment everywhere, You Find It Nowhere!

Purity before marriage consists of giving ourselves to and for each other in obedience to God. Passion Must Be Held By Principle, And Never Compromised! The Principle is Love – and not merely erotic, sentimental, or sexual feeling. For there is no other way to control passion and no other route to purity and joy but by the Principles of Scripture.

If you choose to avoid the Sin of Sexual Immorality, that is certainly God’s ideal; but if you have already given away your virginity, or participated in any unhealthy, unnatural form of sexual behavior, know this: The Message of the Gospel Proclaims New Birth, a New Beginning, and a New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!” AMP).

You Can Begin Again, And Be Better. You’ll Never Perish Living By the Principles of Scripture!

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