What Does the Bible Say About Immorality?

In this episode, Arnie, Eric, Fred and Glenn begin a discussion about immorality as revealed in the Bible. Glenn begins by noting what morality is and its source. He notes that we will look specifically at sexual immorality. We note what Paul said to the Christians in Galatia and show that in the list of the works of the flesh he includes several sexual immoralities. There are a number of sexually immoral activities listed in the Old Testament and we look at them. Of course, this shows us that immorality has been forbidden by God since the earliest of times long before Moses received the Ten Commandments. We have the record of Lot living in Sodom when he had visitors who the men of the city wanted to have sexual relations with, showing us that same sex activities are forbidden by God. We close out this episode by noting what Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome that shows us that immoral and sexual perversion commonly lead to other ungodly behaviors. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

Transcript

Fred Gosnell: 0:02

This is a presentation of the Woodland church of Christ, meeting at 3370 Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina. We meet for worship on Sunday at ten thirty am and five thirty pm. We meet for bible study at nine thirty am on Sunday and seven pm on Wednesday. If you have questions or comments on this lesson, you may email them to Arnie Granke at a, g, r, a, n, k, e, 440718@twc.com or to Glenn Landrum at s, c, b,a,m,a, b, o,y2003@yahoo.com or to Eric McClam at e, r, i, c, m, c, c, l, a, m, 50@outlook.com or to Fred Gosnell at f, g, o, s, n, e, l, @ftc- i.net.

Arnie: 0:55

Good evening. This is Arnie Granke With Woodland church of Christ, and this is what does the Bible say? I've got Eric and Glenn and Fred are here with us. So we have a number of things that we want to share with you. And if you happen to be in the Sumter, South Carolina area, at some point, we would welcome you to come to worship with us at Woodland. We're we're at about two miles away from the main gate of Shaw Air Force Base on highway 76 378, and we would certainly, certainly welcome you to be with us on Sundays for worship and or Bible class, for Bible classes on Sunday morning and and Wednesday evening. That being said, Glenn and and several of us here have been, have been talking about the trouble, the problem of immorality. And Glenn, you had some thoughts you wanted to let us know.

Glenn: 2:10

Well, tonight, we're going to discuss immorality, and specifically, sexual immorality. First, we need to define the term morality in order to understand immorality. Morality is a system of thought that determines a code of conduct for a group or society of people. A descriptive definition is a code of conduct endorsed by society or a group such as religion as accepted by a person for his or her own behavior. This is the definition we will be concerned with, and the group of people we are concerned with is Christians. A normative definition is a looser definition, and involves what the code of conduct is relating to certain conditions and would be endorsed by basically all rational people. At first, we may think that the one assigned to all rational minded people, depending on the situation would be the best definition for us to use, because it gives us control over what is moral or immoral based on the situation. The problem is that God has not dealt with us and given us standards that are based on situations. God's standards are set and do not change because of one's emotional state. In God's word, right is right and wrong is wrong. I believe a good example would be since a husband is mean to a wife, she cannot say she is morally right to go out and have an extramarital sexual affair, she has to deal with the situation in a different way. The affair would be immoral sexual activity, the fact the affair is immoral and wrong. As Christians, we have to be concerned with what God's word says on any subject, including sexual immorality. So what sex or what sexual activity, activity is moral and authorized by God? Genesis, 1, 28 says, And God blessed them, that's Adam and Eve. And God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. By saying this to Adam and Eve, the first humans and the first husband and wife, God authorized sexual relations between man and woman. In fact, the words implied for them to be very active sexually when when he said, multiply and populate the earth. They were fruitful and they did multiply. This was the standard that God set forth as sexual morality, man and woman, husband and wife. We'll be examining this lesson what sexual activity is immoral, not moral, wrong, sin. As Christians, we need to know and understand this. Immoral sexual practices are very prevalent in our society, just as they have been in all societies, in all ages. We will see scripture written by Moses that the sexual practices we hear of today are once practiced 1000s of years ago. Why is this subject so important? We are inundated with information, entertainment, news, academic teaching that immoral sexual activity is not only good, but it is, should be the wholehearted, accepted and embraced by everyone, movies, books, internet, TV, all promote immoral sexual activity. In the US, our Government, and while we have allowed it, has enacted laws that protect those who promote and participate in immoral sexual activity. Some groups that advocate for the legalization of further immoral sexual activity acts are pressing to have even adult and child sexual activity legalized. This is a subject we as Christians need to understand. We need to protect ourselves by by standing against immorality. We need to know and understand what God has authorized as moral and immoral or right and wrong.

Fred Gosnell: 7:00

Yeah, and Paul wrote to the wrote to the Galatians. And he in Galatians 5, 19, through 21 and he says, Now the works of the flesh are manifest. Which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings and such like of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past that they would do such things shall not merit the kingdom of God. So Paul makes a list of the works of the flesh. And of course, included in there are adultery, fornication, lasciviousness, those kinds of things of a sexual nature. And he says, and such like so, this is not a complete list. This is a list of things that people do are sinful and wrong because it's against what God says. And he says, Those people who do such things will not inherit in God. Of course, there were restrictions of these kinds of things in the Old Testament as as well. And I think Arnie is probably ready to start there.

Arnie: 8:11

Well, the book of Leviticus in chapter 18, beginning at verse 22, the Lord, of course, gave the Old Testament through Moses and other other individuals and and this is an Old Testament precept here, Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind. It is abomination. Thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith. Neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto. It is confusion. What the United States government has done is trying to satisfy all people in the in all situations, they have allowed it really a violation of this precept. In fact, I would go so far as to say that they've almost been on the verge of promoting it and and it's certainly contrary what what God has said about this subject, contrary to the principles that that the Congress thought were were acceptable. And I would simply say this, that the Congress may have made it acceptable in America, but God may not allow us in heaven. If we participated in that, we would certainly be wise to follow what the Bible says, regardless of what laws happen to be made by people who probably really don't care that much about what the Bible says, and more involved in in what do I need to do to get re elected?

Eric: 10:06

Yeah, this, this is a good topic that we need to be talking about. Because, you know, a lot of people are really against this topic, because they think that doing these immoral things is, is, is, is a good thing, and it's really not. But as far as us being Christians, and we talking about this topic, you know, Romans 1, 16 For I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God. Which we shouldn't be ashamed of the gospel. And first, Peter 4,16 said, But if a man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed. So we should not be ashamed to preach the gospel, to preach God's words to these people when it comes to sexual immorality. And we shouldn't suffer as a Christian, doing that. And also in Timothy second, Timothy 3, 16, and 17, it says Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for corrections, for instructions, which is in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work. That word, man, in the Greek, means human being. It means human being. So as we are talking about this situation, and Arnie read in Leviticus 18. Verses 22 to 23 I'm going to read Leviticus chapter 20, verses 10 to 17. But first, before I read that I'm gonna start with verse one to four, which it says, And the Lord speak unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, I am the Lord your God. After the after the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelt, you shall not do. And after the doing of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall you not do, neither shall you not walk in their ordinance, you shall do my judgment and keep my ordinance to walk in them. I am the Lord your God. We are to keep God commandment and do what God says as he instructed them to do. And Leviticus, chapter 20 start with verse 10, it says, And a man that committeth adultery with another woman's wife, with another man's wife, excuse me, even he that committed adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and adulteress shall be put to death. And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness, both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood should be upon them. And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have brought they have wrought confusion. Their blood shall be upon them. And if any man lie with mankind, it's talking about another man, as with a woman kind, both of them shall both of them have committed abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. And if any man takes a wife and his mother, it is wickedness, they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they that there be no wickedness among you. And if any man lie with the beast, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall slay the beast. And if a woman approach unto any beast and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman and the beast, they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. And if any man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, and his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness, it is a shameful thing, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people, he have uncovered his sister's nakedness and he shall bear his iniquity.

Glenn: 14:11

Well, a couple of things I would like to say prior to moving on to to the next scripture. Arnie had talked about our government making making laws. And we need to understand that that are not my government, our Congress. They they enact laws that people of this country are basically asked them to to make. Now it's not always a a majority, but many people have asked that these, these changes be made, and so they asked for those and that's why Congress enacts laws or changes to laws that that involve these, these things. Another thing is, What ,what? we're reading here in the Old Testament that God is providing to to Moses to write down. We need to understand that these were given to the the Israelites and to live under the the Old Testament law. They're not law to us today, but these are good examples for us to to look at and understand exactly what is sexual immorality. These things that that are mentioned, they are still wrong. It's just that we don't serve the the old law. And the next passage we'll look at is Deuteronomy. 7, 23, 17 through 18, There shall be no prostitute of the daughters of Israel, neither shall be be a sodomite. A sodomite is homosexual of the sons of Israel. Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of Jehovah, thy God for any vow. For even both these are an abomination unto Jehovah. We see through these passages that we're reading how serious these these things were, the ones that you had that Eric read a moment ago, we see most of those involved, the participants being put to death. And so God considered these things extremely important

Fred Gosnell: 16:36

Well, and of course, the immorality was forbidden by God even before Moses 10, 10, commandments from the earliest of of times. Of course, when God spoke to Adam and Eve Genesis 2, 21, to 25 and in this case is Jehovah. God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof and the rib which Jehovah God had taken from the man made he a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh, and they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. So, so from the earliest time Adam and Eve were instructed to be husband and wife, and Jesus had taken the Pharisees back to this in Matthew 19, think it's verse three or four. He says he which made them in the beginning, made them male and female, and of course, the marriage bond was instituted then. It's not,immorality occurs when people leave that bond and satisfy their sexual desires in other ways. Of course, the passage that Eric read included a lot of those ways that people engage in. So God is the one that specifies what's moral and immoral, and those immoralities were specified against from the very earliest times.

Arnie: 18:26

You know, it's kind of interesting that we run into passages like Genesis, chapter in chapter three and verse verse 16, Unto the woman, he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorry, sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow, shalt thou bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam, he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow, shalt thou eat of it all the days of of of thy life, thorns also and thistle shall it bring forth to thee. Thou shalt eat the herb of the field in the sweat of thy face, shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the ground, for thou for out of it was thou taken for dust, thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife, did the Lord God make coats of skins and and clothe them. So, so, so, here God is speaking after the serpent had had beguiled Eve and and she fell for it and ate the hidden, the forbidden fruit that that God had said not to to eat of. We we think of it as the apple. I'm not sure that it's an apple or what kind of fruit it fruit it was. But God had said, don't eat of that fruit, and she ate of it. The difference between God, of course, and and human law, has to do with with the fact that that God is the Creator. He's responsible for everything that that we hope to have after this life is is over. We want to go to heaven. We've got to play by God's rule. Probably most people you know doing something of an of an immoral nature today wouldn't just die as a result of it, at least unless it's a pretty violent thing that they're in, involved in. But, but that's because human law has come into come into play and forbidden certain things. And what you have happening in in the laws in America and the laws of name three or four countries that you just choose to name, and they're all going to probably be different. There'll be some similarities in them, but a number of of differences. But then again, governments are not seeking to help you find your way to heaven. They're seeking for they're looking for order and and to end violence and and to end crime in their in the areas that they govern. And so that's, that's the reason for the difference between the two kinds of laws. But, but understand, God's law is generally not illegal as far as the government is concerned. But God does not consider many of the government laws exactly what what man ought to be doing.

Glenn: 22:35

Well, our next passage that we're going to look at is going to be Genesis four, one and two. And we see in in this passage where Adam knew or had sexual relations with his wife and had had their first son and then their second son. And says, Adam knew Eve, his wife and she conceived and bare Cain and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bear his brother, Abel. And Abel was the keeper of sheep, but Cain was tiller of ground. Now, if we wanted to go a little bit further, we could, we could see where Cain went out and murdered Abel. So that was immorality in itself. But the purpose of looking at Genesis four, one and two, it it identifies the moral aspect of of sexual activities. And this was Adam and Eve. They were together, and they had relations.

Fred Gosnell: 23:42

Right, as as husband and wife, as Eve is identified as his wife. Well later on, we have a definition, an example of sexual immorality. And of course, this is in, this is in Sodom and the Lot had received several men, a couple of men that came to the city received them to his house. And of course, the people of the city there were homosexuals. They were involved in other things too, but, but we look at Genesis 19, four, four through 11 is where the record begins. And it says, Before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house around, both young and old, all the people from every quarter. And they called unto Lot and said unto him, Where are the men that came in to thee this night, bring them out unto us that we we may know them. Of course, that they wanted to know them in the same way that Adam knew Eve. This is not talking about becoming just finding out what their name is. This is talking about sexual relationship with them. So Lot went out to them, to the door, shut the door after him, and he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not do so wickedly. Behold, now I have two daughters that have not known man. Let me, I pray you, bring them out to you and do you to them as it is good in your eyes. Of course, some people say, well, that that wasn't very good. Well, of course, it wasn't. But evidently, Lot knew these people, and he knew that they weren't going to do anything to his daughters. So that's why he offered them. So, so he said, Let them do it unto them, as good in your eyes only, unto these men, do nothing for as much as they are come under the shadow of my roof. In verse nine, said, And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came into sojourn. He will need to be a judge. They're criticizing him for judging them. That's we hear that today too. I think. Now we will deal worse with thee than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, drew near to break the door, but the men put forth their hand and brought Lot into the house to them and shut the door, and they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door. Of course, these were men sent sent by God, and they had powers that the sodomites didn't know what was going to happen. So a good example of the problem that Sodom had and the problem with homosexuality. Of course, we'd already read that was wrong as far as God is concerned. And those who do such things don't go to heaven.

Arnie: 26:42

You know, in the in the book of Romans, Paul is he's writing to Roman people. Roman laws were pretty much like American laws in in many respects, not, not absolutely so, but in many respects, and of course, as far as those who made the laws in in that country, were trying to have keep order in in their cities and among their their populace and everything. So there were some things that had to change when people became Christians, because some of the behaviors that the Roman law allowed would not be acceptable as far as God is concerned. Of course, we, we recognize that when we, when we obey the gospel, we're we're saying essentially that we're willing to give up the things that we've held to be, to be part of our life, in order to be saved, in order to be pleasing unto God. And Of course, that wasn't the purpose of the Roman government. Some of the people became Christians and and certainly they abandoned the the immoral, immorality that many of their neighbors probably were, were engaged in. But Romans one and beginning in verse 24 speaks about God having gave them up in the lust of their hearts and unto uncleanness, that their body should be dishonored among themselves. For that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever Amen. And for this cause, God gave them up unto vile passions for their women changed the natural use unto that which is against nature, and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust, one toward another, men, with men working unseemliness and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due. And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up onto a reprobate mind to do those things which were not, which are not of not fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, whisperers back biters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful who, knowing the ordinance of God that they, that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them. That was quite a lengthy list of no, no's that God has has mentioned, and yet people still violated that. And of course, in doing that, they they condemned themselves. What a shame Don't be guilty of making that, that mistake, I see we're out of time, gentlemen. Let's pick up and talk about this a little bit more on next Lord's Day Afternoon and And to you who are our listeners, we thank You for listening and and wish you a good week.