Hebrews 12: 16 “See that no one is sexually immoral”

All acts of rebellious disobedience are equally sin. Not all sin is equally destructive. There are many lists of sins to guard against in the Bible. At or near the top of most is sexual immorality. The writer of Hebrews has it as the top of his list. He believes it is the responsibility of the congregation of Christian believers to encourage and support each other in the avoidance of this sin. Because he is writing to the church, I am convinced he is not addressing sins of sexual depravity. We all know the damage and destructiveness of sex trafficking, child sex abuse, rape, and incest. What he is warning against are not those acts that society recognizes as criminal. He is warning the church not to accept what the world defines as normal and acceptable sexual behavior. The world considers sex outside of marriage acceptable. The world considers unfaithfulness in marriage as a normal occurrence. The church must proclaim these behaviors are immoral and sinful. Sexual morality is one of the most destructive sins to the church and to society as a whole. The Bible teaches that sex is a gift from God that is reserved for those in a covenant relationship of marriage. The world’s view of sex undermines the institution of marriage. It changes sex from being an expression of love and unity between couples in a covenant relationship into merely another form of pleasure. Unfaithfulness shatters relationships and families. The destructiveness of broken homes passes down through generations. Sex for pleasure objectifies others, and weakens the ability to form and maintain relationships. Christians have a responsibility to each other and to their children to maintain a standard of sexual morality that is much higher than that of the world around them. When we fail to make God’s standards clear, we open our families and our churches up to destruction. See that no one is sexually immoral is not a suggestion; it is an imperative.