APPENDIX

Sexual Acts That God Prohibits

This material is taken from Linda and Lorraine’s book Intimate Issues[1] and is used with permission.

GOD’S TEN SEX PROHIBITIONS:

1. Fornication: Fornication is immoral sex. It comes from the Greek word porneia, which means “unclean.” This broad term includes sexual intercourse outside of marriage (see 1 Corinthians 7:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3), sleeping with your stepmother (see 1 Corinthians 5:1), and sex with a prostitute (see 1 Corinthians 6:15).

2. Adultery: Adultery, or sex with someone who is not your spouse, is a sin and was punishable in the Old Testament by death (see Leviticus 20:10). In the New Testament, Jesus expanded adultery to mean not just physical acts but also emotional acts in the mind and heart (see Matthew 5:28).

3. Homosexuality: The Bible is very clear that for a man to have sex with a man or for a woman to have sex with a woman is detestable to God (see Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:27; 1 Corinthians 6:9).

4. Impurity: There are several Greek words that are translated as “impurity.” To become “impure” (in Greek, molyno) can mean to lose one’s virginity,[2] or to become defiled due to living out a secular and essentially pagan lifestyle (see 1 Corinthians 6:9; 2 Corinthians 7:1). The Greek word rupos often refers to moral uncleanness in general (see Revelation 22:11).

5. Orgies: For a married couple to become involved in sex orgies with other couples is an obvious violation of (1), (2), and (4) and therefore doesn’t need to be discussed.

6. Prostitution: Prostitution, which means paying for sex, is morally wrong and condemned throughout Scripture (see Leviticus 19:29; Deuteronomy 23:17; Proverbs 7:4-27).

7. Lustful passions: First, let us tell you what this does not mean. Lustful passion does not refer to the powerful, God-given sexual desire a husband and wife have for each other. Instead, it refers to an unrestrained, indiscriminate sexual desire for men or women other than the person’s marriage partner (see Mark 7:22; Ephesians 4:19).

8. Sodomy: In the Old Testament, sodomy refers to men lying with men.[3] The English word means “unnatural sexual intercourse, especially of one man with another or of a human being with an animal.”[4] Unfortunately, some Christian teachers have erroneously equated sodomy with oral sex. This is not the way the term is used in the Bible. In the Bible, sodomites refers to male homosexuals[5] or temple prostitutes (both male and female).[6] In contemporary usage, the term sodomy is sometimes used of anal intercourse between a man and a woman. This is not the meaning of the biblical word.

9. Obscenity and coarse jokes: In Ephesians 4:29, Paul says, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth.” The Greek word is very descriptive and literally means “rotten” or “decaying.” In Ephesians 5:4, the Bible warns us to avoid “silly talk” or “coarse jesting.” We have all been around people who can see a sexual connotation in some innocent phrase and then begin to snicker or laugh. This is wrong. However, this does not rule out appropriate sexual humor in the privacy of marriage but rather inappropriate sexual comments in a public setting.

10. Incest: Incest, which means sex with family members or relatives, is specifically forbidden in Scripture (see Leviticus 18:7-18; 20:11-21).