This article is a summary of Alexander’s lecture?Sasha? Mendes spoke at Interactive Faithful Youth 2020
Before discussing what can be said about God’s fornication and forgiveness, it is important to define the terms that will guide our journey on this topic.
- Fornication is defined as immoral sexual activity.
- I.
- E.
- It occurs outside the context of marriage.
- The biblical concept is broad: in 1 Co 5.
- 1.
- Paul speaks of rumors of sexual immorality until incest among them.
- Mk 7.
- 21-22 demonstrates that all evils come from the human heart and are not mere behaviors; Gal 5 shows.
- Among the works of the flesh.
- Prostitution.
- Elevating the seriousness of the subject.
- 1 Ts 4.
- 3 shows that it is God’s will that we be far from fornication.
- Cl 3.
- 5-6 shows that God’s wrath comes upon those who practice fornication.
- The bottom line is that sexual problems come from spirituality problems.
- Worse.
- Fornication threatens the eternity of those who practice it.
And forgiveness? A good definition is that forgiveness is what happens when someone who has violated God’s will, cries out and receives God’s mercy. Forgiveness is a manifestation of God’s mercy. It begins with the acknowledgment of his guilt and ends when the sinner is restored to communion with God. his brothers and with God.
Now that fornication and forgiveness have been defined, it is clear that there are two types of people who face this problem one way or another: 1. Those who went through this before coming unto Christ; Those who lived after coming unto Christ: in each of these types it is possible to perceive peculiarities and similarities.
Let us examine three elements to understand the depth of God’s forgiveness in relation to this act, it is important not to skip any of them, because each is fundamental and depends on each other.
The first is the gravity of sin. Fornication should not be treated as a trivial matter of sexuality; As long as sin is not bitter, Christ will not be meek, so many are saddened only by the social consequences of the act, but not by his spiritual conscience. who were involved in fornication before they met Christ, it is important to remember what his condition was: someone who died in faults and sins, walking according to the course of the world (Ephesians 2-1-3). Only a miracle could give him a new direction. Energized by the devil in a world where you offer everything you could wish for in a state like this, you have forged; struck the holiness of a God who is holy, holy, holy, and sank a little more into the mud of sin.
But then the second element comes to the fore: the manifestation of God’s grace in salvation. God has caught up with you, exposing you to your sin, making you recognize your deplorable state, and you have seen that there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ, for God. He has manifested it to you, and you enjoy peace with God; However, at some point, you may have fallen, either for the first time or again, and expressed the behavior of an un regenerated person; If this happens, remember again the same forgiveness that saved you and changed your life. Saddened by the gravity of sin and its consequences, turn to Christ. Remember where you fell, repent and go back to it.
This second element leads to the third: the manifestation of God’s grace in sanctification. Now you are marked by the power of the resurrection that causes change. You are now created to demonstrate good deeds, including sexuality. Once you have understood what led you to sin, you can continue the Christian journey aware of God’s grace. This grace is the same one that will teach you to repel the old man and overcome those desires. Whatever your participation in fornication, there is God’s forgiveness. Don’t ever forget it.