Biblical Morality Studies
Lesson 1
Introduction:
A. I don't know about you, but the longer I live in this old world, the more
widespread and accepted sin becomes, and the more brazen sinners get. It
makes my heart sad, and my stomach sick.
1. Turn on a TV and just look at the shows that are being broadcast to almost
every household in America. Just about every sitcom now has overt connotations
or just plain explicit references to illicit sex, drugs, alcohol, and more. Most every
commercial uses the same sex, drugs, and alcohol to sell a product and make
someone a millionaire.
2. If we don't get a good biblical grip on the direction in which our country is
headed folks, we may not be able to recognize it by the time Satan gets done with
it. This country is going to the sewer, friends, and there's only one thing that will
keep that from happening. People need to see what God's word has to say about
sin, heed the warnings, turn away from their immorality, and submit to God before
it's too late.
B. In this series of studies, I'd like for us to look at what the Bible says about sin:
what it is, how it describes it, who commits it, and it's consequences.
1. Also, we shall look at sins which are listed specifically in the Bible, and at sins
which are alluded to by principle in the scriptures. Our goal is to see what we can
learn about them, and how to avoid both them and their temporal and eternal
consequences.
I. What Is 'Sin' ?
A. The word 'sin' comes from the Greek term 'hamartia' and means 'a missing of
the mark'. It is synonymous to 'lawlessness', 'iniquity', and 'unrighteousness'. All
of these words have a slightly different meaning, though many times they are used
to refer to the same thing.
1. The word 'sin' is used some 448 times throughout the King James Version of the
Bible. It is first mentioned in Gen. 4:7 as being the result of doing that which is not
acceptable to God. Notice with me Gen. 4:6-7 :
"So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance
fallen? 7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies
at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
2. What can we learn from this passage? -- that doing well is equated with being
accepted by God. Whereas, not doing well is equated with sin, which is not
acceptable to God. But, also notice the last phrase: "you should rule over it."
a. From the very beginning of the Bible, God states that men can rule over sin.
They can conquer it -- they can defeat it in their lives. Don't ever let anyone tell
you that they cannot help but sin. God says that we can, and He says it up front.
'What should you do? Rule over it!'
3. Later, in Lev. 5:17, the Israelites were told that when a person does that which is
forbidden by the commandments of the Lord, it is sin. Listen: "If a person sins, and
commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments
of the LORD, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his
iniquity."
a. Also, observe that in the same company with sin and breaking God's
commandments are the terms iniquity and guilt. -- Four things we don't want to
have.
4. Similarly, in 1 Jn. 3:4, we find that sin is referred to as transgression of law
(basically lawlessness). Listen to it: "Whoever commits sin also commits
lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."
5. John also states that "all unrighteousness is sin" (1 Jn. 5:17). Since
righteousness is the quality of being right in the eyes of God, we can see why Paul
commanded the Corinthians to "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin…" (1 Cor.
15:34).
a. So, just briefly we have learned that sin is not acceptable, one should rule over
it, it can come by doing things which God has forbidden, it results in breaking
God's commands, it is lawlessness, and is not right.
B. Next, the Bible teaches us that a might can sin both willfully and ignorantly.
1. Some sin willfully, or on purpose, knowing full well the consequences of their
actions. Heb. 10:26-27 warn us that "...if we sin willfully after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27but a certain
fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the
adversaries."
a. Conversely, some sin when they know to do good, but don't do it (Jas. 4:17).
b. Also, it can even be something thing done that violates our conscience, and is
referred to as being "not of faith" (Rom. 14:23).
2. Secondly, it is possible to sin ignorantly, or without knowing it.
a. Leviticus chapters 4-5 deal with this issue (as we already noticed in one
passage), and show that one can be guilty of sin, even though he is ignorant of it.
Thus, sin can come upon us unawares.
C. Another thing that we learn from the scriptures is what makes a person a
'sinner'. A sinner is one who commits and practices sin.
1. Contrary to what some denominations teach, we are not 'born in sin'. We
personally commit sin, and thus move from a state of sinlessness to one of
sinfulness.
a. Rom. 5:12 says "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and
death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--". So we
see that because men sinned, death passed upon all of them -- not because Adam
sinned, or because they inherited sin.
2. Eph. 2:1 speaks of sinners as being "dead in trespasses and sins". This 'death'
is a spiritual death. They are physically alive, but spiritually dead (Rom. 8).
a. Spiritual death results from committing sin, for Rom. 6:23 says "…the wages of
sin is death…". And, those who continue in sin will remain dead in their sins (Rom.
6:16).
b. Thus, people who are either still in sin -- who have not been saved from sin, and
those who continue to commit sin, are sinners.
3. Sin, we find, is a very widespread dilemma. It affects all mankind.
a. Rom. 3:23 states that "all have sinned…", and 1 Kgs. 8:46 says "there is no one
who does not sin". It is very evident, then, that we have a problem. As a general
rule, then, we all sin and therefore stand guilty before God.
4. On a good note -- the gospel contains the good news about Jesus the Christ,
who died so that we might have the forgiveness of our sins [Mt. 26:28; Rev. 1:5;
Acts 2:38]. But, we will concentrate more on this in another lesson.
D. For those who believe the Bible, the love of righteousness and the fear of God
keeps them from practicing those things which they know to be sin. Conversely,
those who do not fear God have nothing at all which restrains them from sinning
(Gen. 20:11). They neither believe in God, nor fear His reprisals for their
wickedness. But, Acts 17:30-31 warn us that the world will indeed be judged. So,
they will get their just reward.
1. God told Moses that whoever sins against Him will be blotted out of His book
which He has written (Ex. 32:33). This same idea is taught throughout the Bible.
a. Regarding the sinful, Ps. 69:28 says "Let them be blotted out of the book of the
living, And not be written with the righteous." Rev. 20:15 says "... anyone not
found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire". And Rev. 21:27
says that " only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." will be allowed to
enter into Heaven.
b. Sinners will be condemned to everlasting punishment in Hell (Mt. 25:46), while
the righteous (faithful) are rewarded with eternal life in Heaven.
II. The Sin Of Fornication:
A. In subsequent sections of this series I would like to elaborate on the sins which
are explicitly and implicitly referred to in the Bible. We shall investigate their
meanings, and try to make application as to what we should not do. The first sin
we shall look at is 'fornication'.
B. 'Fornication' is from the Greek word 'porneia' and literally means 'illicit sexual
intercourse' (according to Vine's). Strong's Greek Lexicon states that it includes
adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, incest, etc.
1. Sexual desire is a trait that God gave to man. Fulfillment of this desire is
pleasurable, but should not be abused. From the beginning, God established that
sexual desire be fulfilled only in the marriage relationship (Gen. 2:24) with one's
lawful spouse. Prostitution and whoredom have always been sinful.
2. In Lev. 18:6-30 God spoke to Israel regarding fornication, incest, homosexuality,
and bestiality. In vss. 24-30, God specifically stated that these sins are an
abomination to Him, for they defile a man.
3. In the New Testament also, fornication is condemned as something that defiles a
man (Mt. 15:19). Shortly after this, Jesus confirmed God's original law on marriage
and sexuality. In Mt. 19:4-6 Jesus "...answered and said to them, "Have you not
read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' 5
"and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined
to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6 "So then, they are no longer
two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
4. And as a general instruction to Christians, Paul said: " Now concerning the
things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality (that's fornication), let each man have
his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. " (1 Cor. 7:1-2).
C. Fornication is a sinful work of the flesh (Gal. 5:19), which results in God's wrath
[Col. 3:5].
1. Paul admonished the Corinthians that "The body is not for fornication, but for
the Lord" (1 Cor. 6:13). Tragically, some so-called Christians, even religious
leaders, are guilty of practicing it, but they too will be punished. Hear what the
apostle Paul declares in Eph. 5:5-7. "For this you know, that no fornicator,
unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for
because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7Therefore do not be partakers with them."
2. It is God's will that we all abstain from fornication (1 Thes. 4:3). Too bad most of
our public schools are led by liberal leaders who will not heed the instructions in
God's Book. They don't teach abstinence, but rather their so-called syllabus of
'safe-sex'.
a. Their idea is: "experiment, enjoy it, do it all you want, but don't get pregnant or
diseased".
b. But, God's idea of 'safe-sex' is only between husband and wife; all others will be
condemned to Hell. "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but
fornicators and adulterers God will judge." (Heb. 13:4).
c. The principal may give you a pass, but God will give you a fail on the real 'Final
Exam'.
3. Some folks just do not see the big deal in sharing their bodies in a sexual
relationship with whomever they want, whenever they want:
a. Well, just take a look sometime on the internet, or do some searching in the
local library at all of the terrible consequences that come from sexually transmitted
diseases. Look at the horrible deaths that result from AIDS and HIV. Look at the
badly scarred lives of those families whose loved ones have been tragically taken.
b. Not only that -- but what about all of the lives of our world's (innocent?) teens
and young adults who have become parents (most of them single) because they
could not keep their hormones from raging out of control, nor their hands, etc. to
themselves. Listen again to 1 Thes. 4:3-5 "For this is the will of God, your
sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4that each of you
should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5not in
passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God"
c. Once again, hear the apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 7:1-2 "Now concerning the things of
which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2Nevertheless,
because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman
have her own husband." We need to strongly impress upon our youth that the
place for the sexual relationship is only within the marriage relationship.
d. As if we haven't said enough, let us not forget the hundreds of thousands of
unborn babies who are thoughtlessly murdered by those who so casually and
carelessly fool around, and then have to face the temporal consequences of their
sin. Folks, fornication is a soul-damning, life-wrecking sin. It's serious stuff.
Lord willing, we shall continue our study next week.
