Keep way from sexual immorality

“Keep away from sexual immorality.  All other sins that someone may commit are done outside the body; but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.  Do you not realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you and whom you received from God?  You are not your own property, then; you have been bought at a price.  So use your body for the glory of God.”  (1 Corinthians 6: 18-20)

We are urged in the above scripture to keep away from sexual sins.  This warning is repeated in many places in the New Testament.  Considering the prevalence of sexual immorality in the society today and everywhere, it may come as a surprise to many that the word of God makes so much of what the word of man regards as next to nothing.  Why this apparent and total disconnect between the will of God and action of man in this one commandment?  The answer may well be found in 1 Corinthians 6: 18-20, the scripture under consideration.  The devil, the arch enemy of mankind who is also the father of lies scores his highest point in this one area of the Decalogue.  While the word of God urges man to reserve sex for marriage, the devil urges in the strongest terms immediate gratification.  The evil one then goes on to contradict every word of God with its lies, for example:  “You own your body.  Therefore you can use it the way you like.  There is nothing at all wrong with sexual pleasure.  See, everybody is doing it.  Get on with it.”

We know the importance of a biblical truth by the many times it is repeated in the Bible.  “Keep away from sexual immorality” is a truth that is repeated many times in the Bible.  The wages of every sin is death.  But sexual sin exacts its peculiar price.