The Costs and Cure of Immorality

I grew up in a very conservative church, and I never heard one sermon that referenced sex—either positively or negatively. I can’t even remember a youth group that addressed it. I was growing up in a sex-saturated culture and attending a sex-crazed public school, and the church was afraid to even mention the subject.

God’s word shows no such fear or embarrassment, as Proverbs 5 demonstrates. Why? Because sex is a common destroyer of wisdom. That’s why Solomon answers a question that many struggle with: How can I stay pure in an impure world? That can sometimes feel like an impossible goal. But Proverbs gives us hope.

Immorality Is Common (5:1–2)

In Proverbs 5:1–2, a father takes his son aside and says, “We need to talk about a really common problem. You’re going to have multiple sexual temptations, and I need to prepare you for this.”

Today, sexual sin is:

• Advertised: It’s everywhere we look.
• Attractive: It’s made out to be beautiful, lovely, enjoyable, and rewarding.
• Available: It’s in our pockets, just a tap or click away.
• Anonymous: We can succumb, and no one will ever find out.
• Acceptable: People talk openly about it and even boast about it.
• Addictive: It’s hard to stop once it’s started.

We need to get ahead of the world in the area of sex and immorality. It’s far better for our kids to learn about God’s gift of sex in a pure and beautiful God-centered framework than from the perverse world.

Sinful sex is common in our culture because biblical sex is not taught in our homes.

But I’m not harming anyone. Why should I resist this temptation?

Immorality Is Costly (5:3–14)

God doesn’t just say, “Stop immorality!” He also gives us reasons and motives to obey. Although the world portrays immorality as 100 percent pleasure and profit, God wants us to see how painful and costly it is. Proverbs 5:3–14 shows us everything we will lose: lost pleasure (5:3–4), lost heaven (5:5), lost direction (5:6), lost youth (5:7–9), lost money (5:10), lost health (5:11), lost lessons (5:12–14).

Immorality will ruin you physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, and spiritually. It will put a hole in your wallet, in your soul, and in your humanity. Add up the profit and loss columns, and ask yourself if this is a good investment.

Proverbs 5 images delete pornographic images.

I know sexual immorality is costly, but how can I stop?

Immorality Is Resistible 5:15–23

Marital joy helps us resist immorality (5:15–20). A godly marriage between one man and one woman is a faithful relationship (5:15–17). An exclusive commitment to one another is like fresh water on a hot thirsty day. The opposite is like drinking from the village sewer.

It is also a fulfilling relationship (5:18–20). Enjoy emotional and physical pleasures with one another (5:19). God created marital pleasure and left it with us after the fall. God’s wall around sex in marriage does not decrease pleasure; it increases it.

The Lord’s eyes also help us resist immorality (5:21–23). Use God’s happy eyes to encourage you in your marriage and his warning eyes to keep you until marriage and in marriage.

God looks at sex outside marriage with anger, but he looks at sex in marriage with delight.

Changing Our Story with God’s Story

God’s primary purpose in designing marriage as a holistic, loving, faithful union of one man and one woman was to illustrate the kind of relationship between Christ and the church (Eph. 5:22–33). What greater help and hope toward purity can we find?

Summary: How can I stay pure in an impure world? Use the promised losses, the promises of marriage, and the promises of the gospel to prevent and resist immorality.

Question: In what way did verses 15–20 change your view of physical intimacy within marriage and of God’s view of it?

Prayer: Giver of Every Good and Perfect Gift, thank you for the gift of sex within marriage. Help me to use it only as you intended so that I can enjoy it and your blessing.