Moral Controversies That Have No Right to Exist
Sexual Sins
There is abundant, definitive and direct mention of sexual sins of all sorts in the Bible.
The other two examples of moral controversies in this article, abortion and the failure to execute violent criminals (apply capital punishment), are easily and biblically divided into the exclusive sides. In this way we can authoritatively declare what is morally right and wrong. Specifically,
- in the example of abortion (chapter 2), the unborn child is either murdered or is not murdered;
- in the example of failing to execute the violent criminal (chapter 3), the violent criminal is either put to death or is not put to death.
For either of these, and from a biblical perspective, there really is no ambiguity and no other options.
Regarding sexual sins in current US culture, though, there has been and is now is an active drive to continually lower the moral level of what is to be regarded as sexual sin. By this point in time, there is essentially nothing of the most deviant and aberrant of sexual behavior that is NOT considered acceptable somewhere, with the possible exception of rape and incest.
[I say “possible” exception because of the existence of sex cults (like NXIVM) and sexual predators (like Jeffry Epstein). Both are widely known, but it took years for them to come to justice. How many still exist which are not yet generally known and which currently operate with impunity?
There will always be the financially independent and/or sexually deranged elements of society that embrace the existence of promiscuous groups (of any size) and which seek their continuance. They may pass from the scene—but be sure that others will arise to take their place consistent with the fallen nature of man.]
US culture may have blurred sexual sins, but the teachings of the Scriptures remain as clear and focused as they have been since the beginning of the Scriptures.
The biblical truth is this: there are no ignored, optional, slight, medium, normal or major categories of sexual sins. There are only sexual sins!
The moral self-destruction in the US is accelerating and its sins have surely “piled up to heaven” (to borrow a graphic biblical phrase used twice of Babylon (in Jer 51.9 of ancient Babylon, then again in Rev 18.5 of the future Babylon). We have achieved, in this “progressive/leftist” generation, a willingness to reject any rules or limits on sexual behavior; we instead yield to ever more degrading, degraded and deviant sexual practices. It is only “social inertia” that make it appear that there are still some limits of sexual sins that are not acceptable. In reality, however, there are essentially none which would be universally condemned.
While sexual sins are on the increase in the US, one category especially stands out: sexual sins related to gender. I devote two subchapters under this chapter to this topic:
- Gender Sins and Gay Pride
- Transgenderism
These items (and many more!) are in the news daily:
- some new law has been passed to allow transexuals into girls’/womens’ bathrooms;
- children as young as 4 years old are shown films proclaiming the normalcy of “families” with either “two mommies” or “two daddies”;
- teachers showing elementary school children films on "touching themselves for pleasure" and masturbation;
- people who still have a modicum of moral decency are being persecuted (and sometimes prosecuted) for maintaining that men are men and women are women and that a man is not a woman or vice versa;
- “Gay Pride” parades take place in every major city (and our extraordinarily foolish VP Harris marches with them!);
- everywhere, the people most determined to shred the realization of their “real” sex in favor of an imagined one expect the people who truly are “normal” (adjective is deliberate!) are expected to join them in their self-deception by using their declared “preferred personal pronouns"!
We are witnessing the complete moral collapse of the US; that collapse is led by the unholy coalition of homosexuals and transexuals the their leftist/liberal political enablers, media and academia.
[EDIT May 2023: "drag queens" performing their perversion for children has become commonplace in many cities and in public libraries and schools.]
The purpose of this article is to declare what the Bible teaches about sexual sins, and how serious they are in the view of the Divine Court, and the punishment that they will receive at The Great White Throne Judgment, sooner for some.
The LORD’s words through the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 1 provide the insight needed to explain what we observe in the country (and the world, for that matter) and serve as the biblical foundation of this 5-part chapter:
Rom 1.18-32
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
[The verb in verses 24, 26 and 28 above is παραδίδωμι [G3860, to give into the hands or power of another].
For more information on the divine process of “handing/giving over”, please see Backsliding? Or… But what about “believers” who practice sin: the “handing over” to Satan. on this site.]
The “giving over” is a punitive action the LORD takes for those devoted to knowingly and openly sinning against Him.
Rom 2.4-8
Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
[When I was a very young Christian, I was puzzled by the LORD’s handling of sin and His punishment of the nation of Israel during the time of Joshua, compared to the time after the death of Joshua.
Part of the LORD’s instruction to the soldiers under Joshua prior to the taking of the city of Jericho (their first military campaign) was that the city was under the LORD’s ban: everything of value in the city was to be gathered into the LORD’s treasury (to be maintained by the priests). (Jos 6.17) The soldiers were given strict instructions to keep themselves personally away from those articles under the ban (that is, not taking them as spoils of war). Breaking that ban would bring a curse and serious trouble upon the young nation of Israel. (Jos 6.18)
In the sad pattern of the nations’ 40 years of rebellion against the LORD, Achan broke the ban and kept some items of value. (Jos 7.1) The curse of that single rebellion fell upon Israel and brought them great trouble, just as the LORD warned. Moreover, the nation was punished by the death of others of their soldiers; only after this did they amend their ways. Afterward, the LORD mostly blessed their campaign through the Promised Land during the life of Joshua (though the army and people were becoming spiritually lazy and unfaithful).
After Joshua’s death, however, it seemed that the LORD no longer took immediate action against them for their many transgressions. Entire generations went after idols and displeased the LORD greatly (to which the book of Judges abundantly attests).
The question I had at that time was “why?”. Why was the early nation punished immediately while the nation later went decades (sometime much longer) before divine judgment broke forth upon their disobedience?
The answer is found in Romans chapter 1 and 2 (above). The disobedient nation of Israel was “storing up wrath for [themselves] the day of wrath and revelation” which was to come.
The LORD made it abundantly clear what judgment and punishment they would endure for their rebellion—He did not need to repeat the immediacy of punishment. Punishment would follow, but in the case of rebellion, if the LORD chose to delay that punishment it was simply to intensify the punishment for that rebellion in the “day of wrath and revelation”.
Breaking the LORD’s law later rather than sooner leads to increased culpability, not the opposite!
Stated differently: in the case of the obstinate sinner, it is far better that he/she should be punished sooner and repent quickly than to continue in rebellion against the LORD with seeming impunity. The latter guarantees a magnification of the punishment he/she will receive at the Day. Those who continue in sin will have plenty of time in Hades to "mentally replay" their sin, and in their doom ask themselves “What was I thinking?! Why didn’t I listen the first time?!”
The lost, ignoring the Scripture, do not have the ability now to perceive the real cost of their rebellion against the LORD. They reason, “Well nothing bad has happened to me so far, so there isn’t a problem and there is no risk.” The verse below never enters into their mind:
Rom 2.4
Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
Before the judgment falls, the LORD exercises amazing patience; when that judgment finally falls, it will be permanent and severe! For any lost person reading this, fall to your knees before the LORD and repent before He gives you over to your sin! Should that happen, you are doomed!]
The “giving over” is a divine judgment which is as perfectly beautiful and righteous as it is terrifying and permanent.
[Note that subchapter A will deal with this topic in greater detail, specifically in the types of sexual sins mentioned in Romans chapter 1.]
For those bent on disobedience against the Almighty, the “giving over” increases the severity of the coming judgment by amplifying their sinful desires and attenuating the constraining action of their conscience. They will engage in their sins with vigor; in every practical sense, there is nothing left in the action of conscience to curtail their sinful behavior. The punishment that will be meted out at the Great White Throne Judgment has no practical limit—it will be for eternity!
Having set the biblical foundation for the divine judgment and treatment of obstinate sin (something which surely applies to the sexual sins of our culture), we are ready to begin. Note this large topic is divided into 5 subchapters.
[Please note: the subchapters below are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the types of sexual sins, nor an exhaustive treatment of that individual type of sexual sin! Rather, I sought to highlight each classification of sexual sin in the light of the Scripture.
I’m quite sure that I don’t want even to be exposed to the panoply of deviant sexual thought and behavior! The research for this article was quite enough!]
This chapter is presented in 5 subchapters:
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