Did you know aligning yourself with sexual sin can hinder you success?
Here are the definitions of the words adultery and fornication in the Greek and Hebrew. New Testament was written (mostly) in Hebrew, and New Testament in Greek.
Hebrew—zanah, zaw-naw’; adultery, fornication, and idolatry.
Greek—porneia, por-ni’-ah; adultery, incest, fornication, and idolatry.
The definitions from the Hebrew and Greek have the same meaning; we translated them in English to mean two different things. Adultery in Hebrew and Greek means what we call fornication, adultery and incest. Biblically, the sin of adultery is considered idolatry because you are choosing to disobey God’s word when you have sex outside wedlock. Anytime you choose to disobey God’s word, you are putting something else above God.
Please read carefully the following New Testament scriptures. Remember, the word “adultery” or “sexual immorality” mean any sex outside of wedlock. Wedlock is when you are legally married by an ordained minister. All of heaven knows the difference and you are not fooling the Holy Spirit if you lie to yourself and think you are “above the law” when it comes to what the Word of God says about sexual sin. Satan can take full advantage if you are participating in any sexual sin.
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 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. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. Eph 5:3-8 AMP
The New Testament scriptures above in Ephesians 5, say immoral people ( these scriptures are from a letter written to the Christians at Ephesus, not to unbelievers) will not have any inheritance in the kingdom of God and we are not to be partners with people, even Christians who partake in immoral behavior. Ephesians 5:8 says “God’s wrath comes upon those who are disobedient.” That means you if there is even a “hint of sexual immorality.”
The following set of scriptures about sexual sin are all New Testament and they apply to you:
Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust and shameful desires; don’t worship the good things of life, for that is idolatry. God’s terrible anger is upon those who do such things. Colossians 3:5-6 TLB
Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed worthy, precious, of great price, and especially dear) in all things. And thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored); for God will judge and punish the unchaste [all guilty of sexual vice] and adulterous. Hebrews 13:4
In Colossians, it says “God’s terrible anger is upon those who do such things” which include “sexual sin, impurity, lust.” Hebrews 13:4 says “God will judge and punish the unchaste and adulterous.” If you are suffering with depression, anxiety or any failure in your life, it could be a result of the fall out of sexual sin.
Below is 3 sets of New Testament scripture talking about homosexuality. Any church or Christian who tells you God is ok with homosexuality is deceived or lying.
That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Romans 1:26-28 NLT
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NASB) Or 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 effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God. 1 Timothy 1:9-11 NLT
There is a warning in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 below about how God wants you to treat Christians involved in sexual sins:
When I wrote to you before I said not to mix with evil people. But when I said that I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who live in sexual sin, or are greedy cheats and thieves and idol worshippers. For you can’t live in this world without being with people like that. What I meant was that you are not to keep company with anyone who claims to be a brother Christian but indulges in sexual sins, or is greedy, or is a swindler, or worships idols, or is a drunkard, or abusive. Don’t even eat lunch with such a person. It isn’t our job to judge outsiders. But it certainly is our job to judge and deal strongly those who are members of the church, and who are sinning in these ways. God alone is the Judge of those on the outside. But you yourselves must deal with this man and put him out of your church. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 TLB
According to scripture, we are not to pass judgment on any unbelievers including homosexuals. However, if someone in the church who is claiming to be a Christian is in sexual sin that is a different story. According to the bible, you are not to associate with any believer who is in sexual sin, greedy, steals, worships idols, is a drunk or abusive. This includes dating or marrying them. Or having a close friendship with them.
looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:15-15 NKJV
In the above scripture, Apostle Paul compares someone who is in sexual sin (fornicator) to Esau who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. Are you willing to sell your birthright for an immoral tussle under the sheets?
But every person is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. James 1:14-15
In James 1, every person brings forth death when they allow lust to conceive. Ignorance will not get you out of the consequences of sexual sin. Look around you, how many people have suffered due to sexual sin? If you have ever been in sexual sin, how have you suffered? Divorce, unwanted pregnancy, adultery in the marriage, disease, and/or a broken heart? There are always consequences, sometimes lasting a lifetime, and there a no exemptions in the New Testament.
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelations 21:6-8 NIV
In Revelations 21, it does not say a Christian is exempt from being in the fiery lake of burning sulfur if they are sexually immoral. Believing you are somehow exempt because you didn’t know, or have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is adding something to scripture that is not there. Do you really want to chance it? I live in America where there are hundreds of churches and easy access to Bibles and online Preachers. Very little excuse for anyone who has access to the Word of God. God is not stupid, he knows where you live and what you have access to, and how you are using what you have.
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. Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 AMP
Words spoken by Jesus Christ:
You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye serves as a trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be cast into hell (Gehenna).And if your right hand serves as a trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your entire body should be cast into hell (Gehenna). Matthew 5:27-30 AMP
Jesus said it was better to pluck out your eye than sin, and that was spoken right after he said whoever LOOKS at a woman (or man) with lust HAS ALREADY committed adultery. If you are having sex outside marriage you will inherit problems. Does God forgive? Yes! If you are in any sexual sin or flirting with the idea, then STOP right now. Ask God to forgive you and get as far away as possible from the situation!
The Reaping Process
For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them. Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. Gal 6: 5-10 NLT
I have been married to a wonderful Christian husband for decades now, but in my early 20’s I married a non Christian and we lived together before marriage. When my then husband ran off with other women. I cried out to the Lord and asked “Why God Why?!” Do you know what He said to me? I heard this response as clear as day in my spirit; “You brought the adultery on yourself. I am not mocked, whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Gal 6:7). When you committed fornication, you sowed a seed of adultery into your marriage. Now you are watching that seed come to fruition.”
Here is the scripture the Holy Spirit referenced when He communicated to my spirit:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Galatians 6:7-8
The Galatians church was born again, water baptized and Holy Spirit filled. We can rightfully say the same principles of “reaping and sowing” spoken Galatians 6:7-8 apply to us as well!
I bet you think the bad seeds you have sown suddenly disappeared when you repented of your sins, right? Where does it say that in the Bible? You are forgiven of your sins when you repent. True Biblical repentance means not only asking God to forgive you, but also completely turning away from sin. When you repent, spiritually you have been forgiven of your mistakes. However, God put certain principles into effect in His original creation of the world. Just because you have been forgiven spiritually, doesn’t mean that there isn’t a reaping process in the natural realm. One example are prisoners in jail who become Christians while incarcerated. They still must serve time for their crimes! They are not automatically released from jail because the gave their lives to Jesus Christ.
After seeking the Lord on the principle of sowing and reaping, the Holy Spirit spoke this to my spirit: “If you ask me to stop the reaping process I will.” I remembered the scripture in John 14:13-14; And whatsoever you ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
I asked God in His Son Jesus Christ’s name, to stop the reaping process on sexual sin in my life. I immediately sensed a “snap” in my spirit and joy began to well up inside of me! I encourage you to study all the scriptures in this blog and pray asking God to forgive you of all of your sins, along with stopping the reaping process!