“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.”
Galatians 5:19-21
What would you think if a visiting preacher stepped into your pulpit next Sunday and warned you that you are not going to inherit the kingdom of God if you continue to watch porn and masturbate? Would you label him a heretic? Phone your denominational headquarters and demand that the preacher be removed from the ministry? Or would you believe him?
This preacher visits your church and your home every week in the person of the Apostle Paul. When Paul wrote his letter to the churches of Galatia, he penned his words to men and women who professed to be born again, to converts who were called by God’s grace. He wrote to those who believed the gospel, who had put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who gave Himself for their sins that he might deliver them from that evil age. To those believers Paul warned that some of them would not inherit the kingdom of God if they practiced the works of the flesh.
What are the works of the flesh? Paul lists a few of them. And Paul starts his list, as he typically does, with sexual sins: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and lewdness. Adultery is voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse. Fornication is sexual immorality, that is, any act that defies God’s commands about sexual relations, such as premarital sex, watching pornography, and masturbation. Uncleanness is impurity, both physical and mental. And lewdness is promiscuous and unprincipled sexual behavior.
This isn’t Paul’s first warning, either, is it? He tells the Galatians that he has cautioned them about the works of the flesh before. This is yet another warning from Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, that those who practice sexual immorality will not inherit the kingdom of God. One exhortation was clearly not enough. It had to be repeated. That’s why this divinely inspired warning ended up in The Bible—because it applies to believers today. So don’t be shocked if you hear Paul’s voice and realize that he is speaking to you. If you hear the warning you can heed the warning.
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