HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 308
page A306
Sexuality continued
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 6 :1 9 -2 0 | Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God
bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
When we become Christians, we dedicate ourselves to the Lord, and that includes our
bodies. They are no longer truly ours, but his temple. In marriage, our bodies belong not
only to ourselves but also to our spouses.
Does God specifically forbid adultery or is it merely implied in Scripture?
• E X O DU S 2 0 :1 4 | “You must not commit adultery.”
The command from God is about as specific as a command can get—adultery is sin in
God’s eyes. He does not simply suggest that we should not do it; he demands it. God is
clear concerning what he expects.
What is the best way to avoid adultery?
• MAT T H E W 1 5 :1 9 | “From the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.” (See note on page 877.)
The seeds of adultery are planted in the garden of the heart. Guard what is planted in your
heart—through what you read, watch, or think about—to avoid growing the fruit of adultery.
PROMISE FROM GOD
S
• H E B R E W S 1 3 :4 | Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage.
God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.
HelpFinder
Sharing See Friendship; Giving; Serving
Sickness See Healing
Significance See Self-Esteem
Sin See also Conscience; Evil; Forgiveness; Guilt; Holiness; Mercy & Grace;
Obedience; Regrets; Salvation; Temptation
Sin will always be an offensive word. We can talk openly and impersonally about crimes
like rape and murder; we can make statistics out of our adulteries, unwed pregnancies,
and divorces; we can trivialize greed, selfishness, and lust—or elevate them to the level of
cultural values—but to call anything sin makes us uncomfortable. The word sin implies the
violation of an objective and absolute standard or code of behavior established by God.
We almost instinctively feel this to be an infringement on our rights. Yet such an attitude
displays a terrible misunderstanding of sin and an underestimation of God. When a doctor
correctly diagnoses a disease in our body, we do not accuse her of impinging on our freedom; rather, we are grateful because we know diseases can destroy our lives. The Bible
teaches that God is concerned about sin—not because he wants to limit our freedom and
enjoyment of life—but because sin is a disease of the soul that destroys our lives and leads
to spiritual death if we do not treat it.
The idea of sin seems rather outdated. What is sin, anyway?
• R O MA NS 3 :2 3 | Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Sin is falling short of the standards of conduct and purity required by a holy God.
• R O MA NS 2 :1 5 | They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own
conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.
Sin is violating God’s moral law.