Does God Forgive Sexually Immoral.Discover whether God forgives sexually immoral individuals and learn how seeking forgiveness can bring about healing and restoration in one’s life.. We have already seen these in God Hates Idolatry . Today I want to show that God hates sexual immorality (or “fornication,” from the Greek porneia, as it is translated in the Bible).
Does God Forgive Sexually Immoral.Can God forgive those who have committed sexual immorality?
The answer to this question is a resounding yes! God is known for His unconditional love and forgiveness towards His children, regardless of the sins they have committed. In the Bible, it is stated that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). This verse emphasizes that God is always ready and willing to forgive those who come to Him with repentant hearts.
Why God Hates Sexual Immorality
Humans are sexual beings. We are much more than that, of course, but we are nothing less. Our sexuality is a part of who and what we are, a good gift from God given to unite a husband and wife together and to expand the human race. Like everything else we have, our sexuality is a gift given to us as a trustee. We are to guard it faithfully, using it in the ways God directs and refusing to use it in the ways he forbids. God directs that sex exist only within marriage between a man and a woman and further directs that it must exist in that context (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). To the extent that having sex outside of marriage is sinful, not having sex within marriage is also sinful.
God is pleased when humans use the gift of sexuality in the ways he has designed, but he will inevitably hate it when humans use it in other ways. In particular, he hates acts of homosexuality and bestiality (Leviticus 18:22-23) as much as cross-dressing (Deuteronomy 22:5). He hates offerings where the proceeds are derived from prostitution—as in the case of the ritual of sacred prostitution (Deuteronomy 23:18). We might apply this to a modern context by noting that money spent or earned in illicit ways dishonors God, even when donated to a noble cause.
God also hates divorce, the breaking of the marriage bond (Malachi 2:14-16). Malachi 2 is a complicated passage whose translation is controversial, but we can be sure of this: what may have been unclear in the Old Testament, when divorce was permitted, becomes crystal clear in the New Testament where divorce is prohibited except in the case of adultery (see Mark 10:1-12). God especially hates divorce when the cause is exploitation of another person, as in Deuteronomy 24:4 where it seems to be evidenced that a husband marries his wife to receive her dowry, divorces her, and later marries her again just to get a second dowry.
In summary, God hates sexual sin, hates any desecration of the gift of sexuality, and detests any act of dishonor against marriage, the only proper context for sexuality.
God’s Judgment on Sexual Immorality
God is absolutely clear about His judgment on sexual immorality. Much of the first chapter of Romans is devoted to proving that God’s judgment looms over those who commit sexual sin and those who sink deeper into it over time. “They know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve death, yet they not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).
In fact, Paul goes so far as to show that the increase in sexual sin is God’s form of judgment, whereby God lets men be overcome by their sin. 1 Corinthians 6:9 insists that neither fornicators nor homosexuals will go to heaven, and this is echoed in Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:5, and Revelation 22:15. The author of the letter to the Hebrews commands: “Let marriage be honored among all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (Hebrews 13:4) Those involved in sexual immorality will suffer God’s just and eternal judgment.