The Beauty of Holiness - Part 2

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, 

to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

Romans 1:24

We are discussing the beauty of holiness.  Sin mars the beauty of holiness and we cannot worship God the way He requires when we are living in sin because there becomes a disconnect.  

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.  Isaiah  59:2

The word of God is very explicit in defining sin areas in our life.  Part 1 of this series deals with adultery.  This one, part 2, deals with some other forms of sexual immorality.

FORNICATION 

Another form of sin dealing with sexual immorality is fornication.  This sin includes adultery which is sexual intercourse by a married person with someone who is not their mate. Fornication also includes sexual intercourse between people who are not married. It includes sexual deviation such as homosexuality [with someone of the same sex] and incest [family member].  Just as with adultery, God is very specific in His stance on fornication.  Here is what He has to say:

Ø  Fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God: 

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.   1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Ø  The Bible tells us to abstain [refrain] from fornication:

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication:  1 Thessalonians 4:3

Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.  1 Corinthians 7:2           

Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand   1 Corinthians 10:8

Ø  The body is not intended for fornication because it belongs to the Lord. For this reason, we must flee fornication:

Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.  What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.   1 Corinthians 6:13,18-20

Ø  It is your responsibility to mortify fornication:

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:  Colossians 3:5

Apostle Paul let's us know that it is our responsibility to keep our body under subjection:

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.   1 Corinthians 9:27

Ø  Fornication is not to even be named among believers:

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;   Ephesians 5:3

Ø  If a person continues in fornication, he finally will be given over to it totally. Eventually, his conscience will no longer be bothered by it:

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,   Romans 1:26, 29

Homosexuality

Homosexuality is the act of intercourse between persons of the same sex. When the Bible speaks of homosexuality, its emphasis is on behavior, not condition. God loves sinners, but condemns sin. And the Bible's verdict on homosexual behavior, as with all sexual immorality, is that it is sinful. Some of what the Bible states about homosexuality:
 
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.  Leviticus 18:22,

[The wicked are sentenced to suffer] just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the adjacent towns—which likewise gave themselves over to impurity and indulged in unnatural vice and sensual perversity—are laid out [in plain sight] as an exhibit of perpetual punishment [to warn] of everlasting fire.  Jude 7 [Amp]

But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.  1 Timothy 1:8-11,

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  1 Corinthians 6:9-10,

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  Romans 1:26-28

Masturbation

The question of masturbation, as with all other questions about sexual activity, has to be considered within the broader scriptural context. We have to begin by asking: What was God's intent when he created sexual intimacy?  The Scriptures do not contain any specific or direct reference to masturbation. But it is clear that masturbation is an activity that violates God's intent. Masturbation is a form of sexual self-gratification. But sexual intimacy is intended by God to be a means of mutual gratification between a husband and wife, not a means of gratifying one's self. Simply put, masturbation is an act of selfishness rather than selflessness. It is a sin that calls for repentance followed by the fruits of faith, coupled with prayer asking God for help to see this sinful act in the light of God's intent, and for strength of faith to overcome it. 

Sexual Intercourse is a part of God's creation. And we are told that everything God created in the beginning was "very good",

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.  Genesis 1:31

God instituted marriage when he gave Eve to Adam to be his spouse

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.  Genesis 1:22-24

In addition, God ordained that sexual activity is to be limited to persons of the opposite sex, and that sexual intercourse is to take place only within a marriage. He forbids adultery

Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Exodus 20:14

Unmarried persons who engage in sexual activity are guilty of the sin of fornication

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (Galatians 5:19)

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:  Colossians 3:5;

God created sex to insure the propagation of the human race (Genesis 1:28), and to provide a special and unique bonding relationship between husband and wife.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  Genesis 2:24

It is important to understand that sexual activity is God-pleasing when it is done selflessly rather than selfishly. In this way it mirrors Christ's relationship to his church

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  Ephesians 5:22-25

While the Bible does not mention masturbation specifically, it has much to say about appropriate and inappropriate use of God's good gift of sex. And the Bible leaves no doubt about the fact that masturbation does not give glory to God.

Ø  Masturbation as a remedy for certain sexual problems. 

According to therapeutic theories, masturbation is a way to wean a person away from more serious sexual aberrations. But from a biblical point of view, both activities are sinful. Committing a lesser sin (e.g. masturbating) never justifies not committing a greater sin (e.g. being hooked on pornography). It is never God-pleasing to commit a "small" sin in order not to commit a "big" sin. The person who thinks that way is being deceived by Satan.

As you see, there is much to say in the word of God regarding various sin acts and how God feels about particular sins.  It begins in the Old Testament and continues in the New.   God was very specific with the children of Israel when He instructed them to be holy even as He is holy:

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, 

Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. 

Leviticus 19:1-2

The question becomes, how can we be holy as God instructs us to?   Apostle Paul gave an illustration of various works of our flesh or sin nature that we should kill:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21

These sinful acts are not of God and discount a lifestyle of holiness. God not only instructs us to be holy, but tells us to separate ourselves; to come out from among them. Who are ‘them’? Those who are not holy; those who have lent themselves to the works of the flesh.

Join me again for part 3 as we continue this study on the Beauty of Holiness!

(Bible Study)





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