The Bible teaches that people should be holy in their sexual relationships. God created humans as sexual beings. The first command God gave to Adam and Eve was to "Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). This means they should have children. After sin entered the world, the good things God created (including sex) became easily misused or corrupted.
Scripture contains many examples of sexual sin. God called his people to be holy. The Israelites received many commands that linked sexuality with holiness (see, for example, Leviticus 18:1–30). The sexual purity of God's people faced serious challenges in the land of Canaan, where many wrong sexual practices were common. Many times, the Israelites failed to follow God's standards for sexual purity.
The believers who received Paul's letters also lived in places where wrong sexual behavior was common. Unlike the sexual freedom of the Greco-Roman world, God's people were called to be faithful and pure in their sexual lives (1 Thessalonians 4:3–8). Sexual relationships should only happen within marriage (1 Corinthians 7:1–9, 36–37).
God has made Christians holy through the work of his Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Because of this, Christians are called to live as God's holy people (1 Corinthians 1:2). God has given them everything they need to live a holy life in this world (2 Peter 1:3–4). As a result, Christians should live differently from the unholy world around them. Every part of their life should show the changing work of the Holy Spiritm (Romans 12:2).
Sexual relations outside of marriage are not right for anyone who is united with Christ. This kind of behavior harms the Christian's body, which has become a holy place where God lives and therefore belongs to God (1 Corinthians 6:12–20).
Though homosexual activity was accepted in Greco-Roman culture, the church has traditionally understood the Bible to condemn it. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, homosexual activity is described as going against God's plan for men and women (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:25–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 1 Timothy 1:8–11).
Paul strongly warns that people who freely persist in wrong sexual relations, whether homosexual or heterosexual, will not inherit the kingdom of God but will face God's judgment (1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians 5:19–21; Colossians 3:5–6; see also 2 Peter 2:1–3:13). However, like all sins, forgiveness and cleansing are offered to anyone who turns to Christ with faith and repentance (Acts 2:38; Romans 3:21–26; see 1 Corinthians 6:11). Those who follow Jesus Christ are called to show love, kindness, and mercy to others (Matthew 7:1–2; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:12–14). God's people should live in holiness and godliness, in agreement with the desires of their Creator and Judge (2 Peter 3:11–13).
Passages for Further Study
Genesis 2:18–25; Leviticus 18:1–30; Leviticus 20:10–24; Romans 12:1–2; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 6:9–20; 1 Corinthians 7:1–9, 14; Galatians 5:16–24; Colossians 3:1–6; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8; 1 Peter 1:13–16; 2 Peter 1:3–4