What Does God Say About Sex?

I have often run into people who ask the following questions:

Is having sex outside of marriage a sin?

Is masturbation a sin?

Is homosexuality a sin?

I have had person say to me, “Jesus never said homosexuality is a sin.” I know. This is exceedingly unbelievable, but I have had it happen and recently. In the past I have had someone tell me that homosexuality isn’t a sin, but homosexual rape is. We have to understand that in today's world of lies and false teaching, there really are people who do not know what the Bible says on this issue. We must be able to tell them.

What does the Bible really say about these things? Did the New Testament change anything? What did Jesus say about these sins?

First of all we must understand that any time Jesus talked about the Scriptures, he was referring to what we now call the Old Testament.

“Jesus Himself repeatedly confirmed the divine inspiration of O.T. Scripture throughout His earthly ministry, from beginning to end. As Robert Saucy writes:

'On every hand we find Him quoting Scripture or alluding to its contents in His teaching, and personally submitting His life to its authority .... There are 3,779 verses in the Authorized KJV of the four Gospels. According to Graham Scroggie, 1,934 of these verses, in whole or in part, contain the words of Christ. Out of these 1,934 verses approximately 180, or close to 1out of 10 verses of Jesus' recorded teaching, cite or indirectly allude to the O.T. Moreover, the Lord's references encompass the entire scope of the O.T. history. Among the many people and events mentioned are the creation of man and the institution of marriage (Mt.19:4-6), the death of Abel (Mt. 23:35), the days of Noah (Mt.24:37), the destruction of Sodom (Lk.17:29), Abraham (Jn.8:56), the appearance of God in the burning bush (Mk.12:26), the life of David (Mt.12:3), the ministry of Elijah (Lk.4:25), and the martyrdom of the prophet Zechariah (Mt.23:35). Jesus frequently referred to the Mosaic authorship of [the first five books of the Bible]. He mentioned Moses as the writer of the Law some 24 times and quoted him 16 times. He stated plainly in John 7:19, 'Did not Moses give you the law ... ?..... Jesus quoted from all sections of the book [of Isaiah] and ascribed the statements to [him] .... Jesus ... accepted [the historicity of the first chapters of Genesis]. According to our Lord, God did create Adam and Eve (Matt. 19:4), Cain and Abel existed (Lk. 1 1:51), and there was a flood in the days of Noah (Mt.24:38). Jesus accepted the reality of the destruction of Sodom by fire and brimstone and the story of Lots wife (Lk.17:29-32). He acknowledged the miracles of Elijah (Lk.4:25-26) and even the much ridiculed record of Jonah and the great fish is attested as reliable by Jesus (Mt. 12:40) .... No instance appears in Scripture of Jesus questioning the truthfulness of the O.T. record. Interspersed in the teaching of Jesus .... are several explicit statements about Scripture, which give us His understanding of their nature....

Matthew 5:17,18. 'Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.'(NIV)

'In these words, Jesus declared the absolute authority of the Scriptures down to the very detail....

'John 10:34-36. 'Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 1 1 have said you are gods' [Ps.82:6]? If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came-and the Scripture cannot be broken-what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, I am God's Son'?" (NIV)

'...Referring to Christ, Bishop Moule declared, 'He absolutely trusted the Bible; and though there are in it things inexplicable and intricate that have puzzled me so much, I am going, not in a blind sense, but reverently, to trust the Book because of Him."' ( Is the Bible Reliable?, Robert L. Saucy; Victor Books: Wheaton, IL; 1978,, pp.63,64,69-72)'”

From INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES by Leon Stump

So this idea that Jesus didn’t say such and such is bogus. If the sin is forbidden in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, then it is forbidden by Jesus Christ himself. The Bible, every single word of it, is not only inerrant, but also inspired by God. What the Bible says, God says. Jesus Christ is God, so it is perfectly correct to say that what the Bible says Jesus Christ himself says.

What does the Bible say is sexual sin? The following scriptures define all impurity and sexual immorality.

Leviticus 18

Unlawful Sexual Relations

¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'I am the LORD your God. ³ You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. ⁴ You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. ⁵ Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD .

⁶ " 'No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD .

⁷ " 'Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

⁸ " 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father.

⁹ " 'Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

¹⁰ " 'Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would dishonor you.

¹¹ " 'Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

¹² " 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.

¹³ " 'Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative.

¹⁴ " 'Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.

¹⁵ " 'Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not have relations with her.

¹⁶ " 'Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother.

¹⁷ " 'Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

¹⁸ " 'Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

¹⁹ " 'Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.

²⁰ " 'Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her.

²¹ " 'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed [1] to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD .

²² " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

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 a perversion.

The Lord our God continues by telling us what will happen to the nations that allow these kinds of sins. Very important for us to know since OUR nation now allows these sins.

²⁴ " 'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. ²⁵ Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. ²⁶ But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, ²⁷ for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. ²⁸ And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. ²⁹ " 'Everyone who does any of these detestable things-such persons must be cut off from their people. ³⁰ Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.' "

New Testament<

Romans 1:32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also APPROVE OF THOSE WHO PRACTICE THEM.

Romans 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.

Eph. 5:3 But among you THERE MUST NOT BE EVEN A HINT OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY OR ANY KIND OF IMPURITY . . .

I Thes 4:3-7It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality, that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God, and that in this no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

What is sexual immorality and impurity? Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology tells us.

The most common term in the New Testament for sexual immorality is porneia [porneiva], and its related forms pornos [povrno"] and porneuo [porneuvw]. An emphatic form of the verb, ekporneuo [ejkporneuvw], "indulging in sexual immorality, " occurs in Jude 7. These words have been translated variously into English, some renderings for an immoral person being "whoremonger, " "fornicator, " "loose liver, " and "sexually immoral." The term pornos [povrno"] refers to a man who engages in coition with a porne [povrnh], or female prostitute. The extended description of wanton immorality in Romans 1:24-32 discusses women spurning natural sexual relationships for unnatural ones, that is, indulging in lesbian activities of the kind practiced at Lesbos in pagan Greek religious ceremonies. The males are described as inflamed with lust for one another, and this leads to indecent and immoral behavior. In 1 Corinthians 6:9 the sexually immoral are classified as adulterers, male prostitutes, and homosexual offenders. In 1 Timothy 1:10, sexually immoral people are described comprehensively as adulterers and perverts.

Any time the Bible forbids sexual impurity or sexual immorality, it is talking about adulterers, homosexuals, all the sex sins described in Leviticus, sex with anyone to whom you are not married.

Jesus took it a step further. He said that anyone who looked at a person to lust had already committed adultery.

Matt. 5: 27-29 You have heard that it was said, "Do not commit adultery." But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If you're right eye causes you to sin. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

In other words are sexual fantasies are the sin of adultery. Masturbation is forbidden here. Some may say, “But just because a person masturbates doesn’t mean he or she is having sexual fantasies while he or she is doing it.?

There is yet another step we must consider. We are Christians are commanded by Jesus to live pure and holy lives.

I Thes 4:3-7It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality, that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God, and that in this no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

Eph. 5:3 But among you THERE MUST NOT BE EVEN A HINT OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY OR ANY KIND OF IMPURITY . . .

Eph. 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, WHICH ARE OUT OF PLACE, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person--such a man is an idolater- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. THEREFORE DO NOT BE PARTNERS WITH THEM.

Romans 1:32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also APPROVE OF THOSE WHO PRACTICE THEM.

1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; ¹⁰ I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. ¹¹ But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one.

Because we are commanded to live holy we must watch what we see and hear and read. Jesus says in Romans that not only do those people who commit sexual immorality deserve death but so do those who approver of those who practice these sins. We should be like Job who made a covenant with God that he would not even look upon a maid. He was a married man and he wanted to stay pure before his God. So should we. Keeping that in mind this should end all R-rated movies, almost all PG-13 movies, all most all sitcoms, rock music, secular country music and many other things. What good does anyone get from those things any way? How do those things help us to love and serve our Savior?

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