When You Have Sinned

  In a Nutshell....

Awake to righteousness, and sin not... (1 Corinthians 15:34)

In other words: 'wake up to what is right and stop sinning...'

Ignore:

Sexual Impurity
(The basic concept is from Ron Hutchcraft with elaboration by me.)

Sexual sin (of all kinds, including pictures) promises love outside of marriage and ultimately delivers loneliness and often a feeling of being used. It promises a sense of feeling like you're worth more, and instead, it leaves you with a feeling of being dirty and feeling worth less. It promises you great pleasure, and it ends up robbing you of the ultimate sexual pleasure that comes from saving your sexual love to give uniquely to your lifetime partner. No moments of sexual pleasure can possibly be worth all that loss, plus the shame, plus the loss of the blessing of God.

Sexual sin:
* Promises love brings loneliness
* Promises joy brings sorrow
* Promises happiness brings guilt
* Promises gain brings loss
* Promises peace brings fear
* Promises help brings hurt
* Promises healing brings pain
* Promises pleasure brings robbery of real pleasure from mate
* Promises worth brings feeling of worthlessness
* Promises feeling of being wanted brings estrangement
* Promises closeness brings separation
* Promises warmth brings coldness
* Promises 'living large' brings death
* Promises fulfillment brings emptiness and harm
* Promises momentary excitement brings woeful lasting
                   consequences

There are several levels of this sin that all are destructive and an offence to God but one in particular crosses the line socially and brings the greatest human harm and the worst consequences from God and man, and that is the overt act of fornication or adultery. But don't kid yourself, all forms of this sin are against the holiness, will, and ways of God.

The first form of sexual sin is mental impurity and this means exactly what it says, thinking about sexually impure things. This is a guaranteed first step over the edge of a volcano of sin. Sadly, most men think that this is "okay" kind of like just "window shopping," but God says in Matthew 5:28 that it is adultery in the 'personal condemnation before God' sense. It of course is not as initially bad or socially destructive as the actual act and therefore not as large a sin socially but it is destructive and wrong before God.

The second form of this sin is viewing nudity in any form, whether pictures, videos or what ever else is possible. This is one of the logical next steps from mental impurity, and though not necessarily the worst next step, it is a very harmful and poisoning next step. In other words it is not that a man cannot be delivered from this but he is letting himself become "attached" to something very poisonous and deadly. It is only going to lead to more ungodliness and a harder time of forsaking sin and regaining purity. It also can adversely affect a man's view of women in a degrading manner or worse.

Finally, is the actual overt sin, that of fornication or adultery and this is the final point in the chain of destruction. Again, it is not that a man (or woman) cannot be delivered from and forgiven this sin, it is that now numerous social and God-ward consequences are sure to fall. Under the Law of Moses this sin was punished by stoning to death! Though we do not do that now this is exactly how God thinks about this sin!

Do you think that God does not care or will not do something?
1 Thessalonians 4:6 says of this sin that,

"...God is the avenger of all such."

Also in Hebrews 13:4:

"Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."
 

Do you think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence? The sinful weeds in your thinking and life will be in that grass as well!

I believe that all men face a battle for sexual purity that the Lord will help us win if we do not "trifle" with this grave sin.

If you are committing any form of this sin acknowledge it to God, repent and read on. If you discover your mate is or has done these things go to him/her and lovingly tell them that you know the situation and then seek their repentance and restoration. It is not this writer's belief that God allows or wants divorce in this Dispensation of Grace but He wants a forsaking of sin and complete purity and restoration. Lovingly stand beside your mate as you seek to help them. I do not say tolerate sin (you may have to separate temporarily if they are living in adultery and will not stop), but if it is at all possible faithfully stand with and beside them as you work through this together.

How to proceed? "let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." is still the only way to think in this area. To help make the battle easier there are several things that one can to:

None of this is really anything that a godly man would not do anyway as it is a temptation for any man to see these things and it is a snare to any man to think impure thoughts. Our goal is not to condemn each other like Pharisees beating up on others, but our desire is for genuine personal purity for one another before the Lord so that we may be vessels fit for the Master's use so as to reach precious souls for Him in these perilous times. May it be so.