Sexual Sins

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 9 of my book, Beyond Shallow Faith (copyright 2018), entitled “Let’s Talk About Sex”:

I have long wondered why many Christians seem to consider sexual offenses so different from sins such as greed, envy, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, arrogance, boasting, disobedience to parents, and untrustworthiness;^[1] fornication, idolatry, theft, covetousness, drunkenness, reviling, and dishonesty;^[2] murder, kidnapping, lying, perjury, “and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.” (1 Timothy 1:9-10 and 9:10) Has there ever been a Christian other than Christ who successfully eliminated all of these faults from his life? Add to that the list in the Sermon on the Mount, as well sins of omission (such as neglecting the sick and the needy),^[3] and none of us has any cause to be self-righteous or judgmental.

The story of the woman caught in adultery^[4] illustrates the point that none of us is without sin. When the Jewish leaders brought the woman to Jesus and demanded that she be stoned in accordance with Jewish law, Jesus replied: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7) One by one, her accusers all left, recognizing that none of them was sinless.

Paul makes the same point repeatedly in his Letter to the Romans,^[5] and also gives this warning: “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” (Romans 2:1)

Indeed, sexual offenses might be the least egregious sins of all. In Heaven, Jesus tells us, marriage will be abolished.^[6] Presumably, therefore, no procreation or sexual relations will be possible anymore. Both the opportunity and the temptation to engage in sexual misconduct will be eliminated. Yet such sins as hatred, anger, arrogance, and lying could still cause problems. So shouldn’t God be more concerned about the latter than the former when he decides who gets into Heaven?

If you are a Christian who cannot conceive of a homosexual or a child molester getting into Heaven, consider Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector who go to the temple to pray.^[7] In many ways, the tax-collectors of Jesus’ day were treated like the sex offenders of today. People who considered themselves righteous—as well as many who did not— hated and shunned them.^[8] Yet in Jesus’ parable, the tax-collector who seeks God’s mercy receives it, while the self-righteous Pharisee does not. Note that Jesus did not say that the tax-collector stopped sinning, or even that he stopped being a tax-collector—only that he humbled himself before God and received mercy. Luke’s commentary on this parable is enlightening: “He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt.” (Luke 18:9)

Jesus seldom got angry, but when he did he directed his anger at the unmerciful and the self-righteous.^[9] When the Pharisees criticized him for associating with tax collectors and sinners, he rebuked them.^[10] Those of us who self-righteously condemn “sinners” would do well to imitate the humility of the tax collector in Jesus’ parable^[11] rather than the arrogance and conceit of the Pharisee.

Beyond Shallow Faith is available on Amazon.com in both print and e-book formats. You will find a description of the book and a list of the contents, including excerpts from each chapter, on this website under “Don’s Books.”

[1]. See Romans 1:28-31.

[2]. See 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

[3]. See Matthew 25:31-46, and especially verses 44-45.

[4]. John 8:3-11. This story is not contained in the oldest manuscripts of John’s gospel, but it is so consistent with Jesus’ character and teachings that I believe it must be based on an actual event.

[5]. See, for example, Romans 2:1-8, 3:9-12, and 3:23.

[6]. See Matthew 22:30 and Mark 12:25.

[7]. Luke 18:9-14

[8]. The tax-collectors in Palestine were actually Jews who collected Roman taxes. The Romans required the tax-collectors to pay a certain amount to Rome, and they could keep whatever money they collected in excess of that amount. Thus, the tax-collectors were viewed as collaborators with the hated and oppressive Romans. In addition, many of the tax-collectors were corrupt, and became wealthy by cheating their fellow Jews.

[9]. See, for example, Matthew 12:9-34, 23:1-33; Mark 3:1-5; Luke 13:10-16. Similarly, Jesus’ righteous anger when he cleansed the Temple of those who were cheating people in the name of religion (Luke 19:45-46; Mark 11:15-17; Matthew 21:12-13) appears to have been directed primarily at the Jewish leaders who permitted it, as we see from their reaction: “The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him.” (Mark 11:18; see also Luke 19:47)

[10]. See Matthew 9:12-13, Mark 2:15-17, and Luke 5:29-32.

[11]. Luke 18:9-14