"You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14).
The seventh commandment forbids adultery, which is sex between a married person and someone who is not his or her spouse. The rest of the Bible makes it clear that fornication (sex between unmarried people) is also a sin. Jesus said that to look at a woman with lust is to commit adultery (Matthew 5:28). This does not mean that temptation is sin, but rather that nursing the temptation and attempting adultery, or fantasizing about it, is a form of adultery.
People of God are called to be scrupulous when it comes to sexual behavior. We should shun fornication, not even mentioning it (Ephesians 5:3). It is interesting that the Apologists of the second century A.D., in arguing for the power and truthfulness of the Christian religion, constantly pointed to the outstanding sexual morality of the Christian community of their day as bearing witness to the sanctifying power of God in their midst. Sadly, we cannot make that claim regarding the Church today.
The Bible makes it clear that God punishes sin. There can be no doubt that infectious diseases like syphilis, gonorrhea, and AIDS are often the sinful consequences of fornication. It is amazing to observe news commentators and liberal Christian spokespeople who deny this fact. These diseases would likely die out if people obeyed the Biblical command to keep pure before marriage, avoiding adultery and fornication.
It is true that some people contract these diseases without being guilty of sexual sin. However, they are suffering because they live in a profligate society in which these diseases are rampant. Christians should not apologize for this obvious truth but should call attention to it by calling society to repentance.
Men instinctively sense that these diseases are judgments from God and because they hate God they purposefully deny that His hand is involved. God, however, is confronting sin in our land today. We should join with Him in bearing witness against immorality and in calling attention to the fact that the Living God is a God of judgment.
The fact that God is judging sexual sin in our day should not make us smug, but neither should we be silent. Do you think the Christian community has done an adequate job of calling attention to the work of God in Judging sin? Is there something you should be doing along these lines?
