You can’t watch the news over the past few months without constantly hearing about sexual assault, misconduct, and harassment. What used to be spoken of in police offices and courtrooms has become a subject for daily conversation. Here’s my take…
Sexual Deviance is Real and Pervasive.
I am not surprised by sexual deviance. When you use God’s definitions, we are surrounded by it every day. The sexual sins that God warns us about in the Bible are accepted and abundant in our society today. The two most common forms of sexual sin mentioned in the Bible are fornication and adultery. Here are their definitions from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary.
FORNICATION – FORNIC̵A´TION, n. [L. fornicatio.]
- The incontinence or lewdness of unmarried persons, male or female; also, the criminal conversation of a married man with an unmarried woman. Laws of Connecticut.
- Adultery. Matt. 5.
- Incest. 1 Cor. 5.
- Idolatry; a forsaking of the true God, and worshipping of idols. 2 Chron. 21. Rev. 19.
Fornication is an old word that encompasses a multitude of sexual sins including any sexual activity before marriage and sexual sin such as pornography after marriage.
[shareable text=”#Sexualharassment, misconduct & abuse are by-products of the sexual sins of #fornication and #adultery. Cut out the root and the fruit dies.”]Sexual harassment, misconduct & abuse are by-products of the sexual sins of fornication and adultery. Cut out the root and the fruit dies.[/shareable]
ADULTERY – ADUL´TERY, n. [L. adulterium. See Adulterate.]
- Violation of the marriage bed; a crime, or a civil injury, which introduces, or may introduce, into a family, a spurious offspring.
By the laws of Connecticut, the sexual intercourse of any man, with a married woman, is the crime of adultery in both: such intercourse of a married man, with an unmarried woman, is fornication in both, and adultery of the man, within the meaning of the law respecting divorce; but not a felonious adultery in either, or the crime of adultery at common law, or by statute. This latter offense is, in England, proceeded with only in the ecclesiastical courts.
In common usage, adultery means the unfaithfulness of any married person to the marriage bed. In England. Parliament grant absolute divorces, for infidelity to the marriage bed in either party; and the spiritual courts divorce a mensa et thoro.- In a scriptural sense, all manner of lewdness or unchastity, as in the seventh commandment.
- In scripture, idolatry, or apostasy from the true God. Jer. 3.
- In old laws, the fine and penalty imposed for the offense of adultery.
These sins have gained public acceptance, but are still an offense to God and bring destruction to those that indulge in them. They are sexual deviance with terrible consequences. If these happen regularly in public, we can only imagine the sins that take place in private!
It is sad, but not surprising that these terrible offenses happen in our sex-crazed culture. You can’t put sin in a box. You can’t decide to partake of sin and manage the consequences. Unchecked lust is a huge problem. It cries out for more. If lust can’t have what it wants by permission, it will seek to obtain it by any means. My heart hurts for every person who has been violated by another’s perversion. God will provide strength and comfort for the victims.
What is surprising is that people want to deal with the by-products of these sins without dealing with the root of the problem. Sexual harassment, misconduct & abuse are by-products of the sexual sins of fornication and adultery. Cut out the root and the fruit dies.
Here are a few past articles with tips to protect sexual purity.
5 Proven Steps to Protect Sexual Purity
The Sadly Forgotten Importance of Virginity
People Should Be Considered Innocent Until Proven Guilty.
Accusations are necessary to point out wrongdoing. Any credible allegation should be investigated. However, false accusations have been used since the beginning of time to hurt good people. Don’t assume people are guilty and expect them to prove their innocence. It is important to follow precepts of Biblical wisdom and established protocols for proper investigation.
This past article will help you sort through the confusion. Don’t get caught in the avalanche!