There are many Bible verses about sex. Sex is a subject that has seemingly taken on a life of its own. Doctors and academics continue to redefine sex. The church has remained eerily silent on the subject.
Well, on occasion a progressive pastor will defend sexual immorality as covered by grace. Rarely is the Biblical view of sex and sexuality presented accurately or its consequences.
I am going to share dozens of scriptures about sex, sexuality, and anything pertaining to the act of sex. We’re going to uncover, Biblically, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Batten down the hatches!
Sex is a gift from God. It’s not solely a manner in which to populate the earth. God designed sex. It was not a complicated thing. That gift, like many of His gifts, has been perverted and polluted by sin.
Sexual immorality is any sex act performed outside of marriage as defined in the Bible. This includes adultery, masturbation, bestiality (sex with animals), sex before marriage, rape, additional partners, and homosexuality.
What Does The Bible Say About Marriage
Sex is a vital part of the marriage covenant. The bible encourages vibrant sexual activity in the confines of Biblical marriage.
I Corinthians 7:1-2 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
I Corinthians 7:5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Proverbs 5:18-19 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
I Corinthians 7:3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.
Song of Solomon 7:10 I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.
Adultery in the Bible
What does the Bible say about sex before marriage?
As fallen sinful beings we have the propensity to do things contrary to the will of God. Adultery is one of those sins that trips up millions on a daily basis.
The fruit of the sin of adultery is painful and can at times be lethal.
Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery
Proverbs 6:32 He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.
Proverbs 6:33 He will find wounds and disgrace, And his shame will not be removed.
Leviticus 20:10 If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Matthew 5:27-28 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Jeremiah 5:7 How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores.
Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
Mark 10:11-12 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Consequences of Fornication In The Bible
What is fornication?
Fornication is an awesome word from antiquity. It just sounds lethal. The negative consequences of fornication are severe and often permanent as you will see below.
What does it mean, though?
Fornication was translated into English from the Greek word porneia. That’s where the English word pornography originated. It is defined as, Every kind of extramarital, unlawful, or unnatural sexual intercourse or any kind of sex outside of marriage.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
I Corinthians 10:8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell.
Jude 1:7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
We Still Pay For Sin
Colossians 3:5-7 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Ephesians 5:3-4 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Fornicators Do Not Inherit the Kingdom
Ephesians 5:5-7 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.
I Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
Bible Verses About Temptation
We all face temptation in various degrees each and every day. Sexual temptation is one of the sins that harm innocent bystanders. Children often lose a parent in a divorce because of this pernicious sin.
I Corinthians 6:18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
I Thessalonians 4:3-4 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.
I Peter 2:11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
Does God Forgive All Sins
I’m only aware of one unforgivable sin and that one is not a sexual sin. I am going to list a few verses below and I also encourage you to read Psalm 51.
Psalm 51 is about a person who committed adultery and then murdered someone to cover his sin. Pretty serious stuff!
God doesn’t forgive our sins because of how sorry we are or because we deserve His mercy and grace.
Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. He was sinless and spotless and willingly paid the price that none of us could pay.
Perhaps you’ve committed sexual sins in your past and are wondering is there forgiveness available. The short answer is “YES!” there is eternal forgiveness available.
Sexual sin typically involves more than one person. As such, there could be other legal, marital, or communal consequences.
I encourage you to ask for forgiveness from God and others.
Bible Verses About Forgiveness and Healing
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
II Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Romans 10:17 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Here’s an article dedicated solely to forgiveness.
To God Be the Glory
Jude 24-25 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.