BLOG: Spiritual Growth: Killing Sexual Sin, Part 3



WRITTEN BY MELISSA H. STRAUTMAN, LMT

Spiritual Growth: Killing Sexual Sin, Part 3
Companion blog to “Killing Sexual Sin, Part 3″ from the study Spiritual Growth

Last week in part two of “Killing Sexual Sin“, we learned the first three steps to avoiding sexual sin according to Paul.

  1. Seek understanding about what God says
  2. Avoid temptations
  3. Control our own body and passions

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
3 For this is the will of God (1), your sanctification: that you abstain (2) from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body (3) in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother (4) in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger (5) in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness (6). 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit (7) to you.

Paul’s first directive alone, if earnestly sought, will see God in action helping us to succeed in the battle against sexual sin.  I feel like Paul went further with four more points so as to leave no doubt as to what success and failure really look like in the arena of sexual immorality.  Pastor Wilson’s next lesson, “Killing Sexual Sins, Part 3” focuses on the last four points in the text for us to consider.

  1. Don’t take advantage of others because…
  2. God will avenge
  3. There is something better for us
  4. We have the Holy Spirit

When it comes to taking advantage of others it is not just men seeking to dominate, it’s also women inciting men; both acting consistent with the curse and seeking power over the other.  This is the history of mankind.  We see this when a man or a woman seeks to fulfill their lusts from another person.  This is robbery, sinful, and defined by God as a transgression.

Matthew 18:3-6
3[Jesus] said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones [Christians] who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!

We Christians have to evolve into a state of being teachable and humble in order for us to move through our sanctification process.  We are spiritually vulnerable here and God warns the would-be predator (Christian) of great sorrow and distress for themselves if they lead other Christians (Christ’s body) into sin.  God will avenge and seek to bring balance back to His body by making the situation right and just in His own eyes.  This should be a very fearful situation to be in.

Hebrews 12:3-4 points to the discipline that God will use to avenge and bring balance.  Discipline is a good right-now thing, not eternal judgement.  It gets us back on track.  It might be really painful at times, but it could never be as painful as what Christ went through.  The Lord disciplines the one He loves.  Do you have room in your Christianity for a loving Father’s correction and discipline?  If He didn’t do this you would be an illegitimate child.

Why should we battle sexual sin and obey God’s commands on sex?

  1. So that we can be molded into the image of Christ (i.e., sanctification).
  2. So that we can share in His holiness.  He knows what that takes.
  3. He is an avenger and will discipline us.
  4. It yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

After the Sexual Sin Has Happened

What does discipline and judgement from God look like after sexual sin has occurred?  He can use anything He chooses to reclaim you for holiness like diseases, divorce, abusive relationships, death.  Some say God isn’t involved in that stuff, but He is.  This is a means of correcting you.  The absence of blessing, the presence of trials, all of it could be God correcting you.  The Bible mentions all of these types of discipline for believers.  Judgement begins in His house [church] first and the world later.

“When you do this [sexual sin] you disregard God’s holiness.  You ignore His will.  You spurn His instruction.  You violate His commands.  You reject His love.  You flaunt His grace.  You abuse His mercy.  It is selfish.  It is ungrateful, and God will avenge!   The continual pattern of sexual sin inevitably would bar a person from heaven and consign them to eternal torment in hell.  They wouldn’t be believers.  Understand Christian, the occasional sinful act in the life of a believer will bring about God’s action.  It’ll be swift and if you are sensitive to the work of God, it’ll be clear.”  – Pastor Steve Wilson

There is all manner of debase, wickedness in this world.  The secular world readily admits that it participates in abhorrent behavior and in doing so is also admitting that there is a better way.  God called you to pursue holiness and righteousness.  That is God’s best for you.  Romans 8:8 tells us that those in the flesh can’t please God.  Christians don’t live in the flesh, so they CAN please God. There is peaceful fruit to be had out of obeying God in this matter.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 tells us that if we disregard God’s commands on sex, we disregard God and the Holy Spirit that He deposited in our bodies.  This Holy Spirit is so powerful that it raised Christ Jesus from the dead.  You have that spirit of life in your dead (sinful) body so you can conquer sin.  God is able to take that fallen dead mind and give it life.  You are in the process of being made holy to produce obedience.  Don’t despise the power and gift that is the Holy Spirit within you by ignoring the instruction that He gave you to stop sexual immorality.  This is blasphemy against God (His Holy Spirit within you) if you are a believer.

1 Corinthians 6:13 tells us that our bodies are created for the Lord.  When we commit sexual immorality Jesus is there.  When we become one with a prostitute (or any other person), we join Christ with her…which is a level of blasphemy.   Consequences are huge.  We are told to flee sexual immorality for Jesus’ sake.  Every other sin is outside the body.  Sexual immorality is sin against the body.  You are not your own.  You were bought with a price.


I hope you will subscribe to this blog and keep learning all God has to teach through these lessons taught by Pastor Steve Wilson of Grace Community Church of Bowling Green, KY.   You can listen ahead to the Q&A Sessions taught on January 14th and 21st here.

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