The Scriptures do not mention a lot of sins by name like pedophilia, drug abuse, pornography, or gambling, but such sins violate clear Bible principles such as fornication, unhealthful living and mismanagement of resources.
Pedophilia – Unnatural affection
The word “fornication” in Greek is porneia, (from which we get the English words porno and pornography.) This word in Scripture refers to any illicit sexual activity including pedophilia. Paul lists fornication among the “lusts of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16–21). The Bible clearly condemns all the sins of the flesh as seen in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, Ephesians 5:5, 1 Corinthians 7:2, 1 Corinthians 6:13-20, Colossians 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:3 and 1 Peter 2:11.
Pedophilia is among the sins that are “without natural affection” which Paul speaks about in Romans 1:31 and 2 Timothy 3:3 describing the wicked. Jesus warned against offending the children: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). Causing a child to stumble is such a grave sin that Jesus said it would be better to die than do such a horrible act.
The Bible teaches that the only “natural affection” or sexual relationship that is sanctified by God is between one man and one woman who are married to each other (Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:1-9). The Lord states that fornication is one of the sins that come from the heart of a man that is separated from God by sin (Mark 7:21–23; Matthew 5:28).
Flee sexual immorality
When Sinners by their persistent rebellion against God grieve away the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), their lives reveal the lack of love and natural affection. God does not force His Spirit of love upon them. When they persist in their opposition to God’s will, He gives them over to their own unnatural and selfish inclinations (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).
The New Testament lists sexually immoral sins as the sins that keep people out of the kingdom of heaven “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with me nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
God has made it plain that there can be no compromise between sin and righteousness, and that whoever clings to sin will not be among the saved (Proverbs 14:9). Therefore, the Lord admonishes the church: “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18).
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In His service,
BibleAsk Team
