Troublesome Topic: NEW COVENANT MOTIVATION TO ABSTAIN FROM SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

The Old Testament principles about sexual issues still apply; they are lines of authority, type of relationship and God’s design. However, the New Covenant is characterized by love instead of fear, therefore, the penalties, such as the death penalty, do not apply.

What is there to motivate today’s believers to refrain from sexual misconduct?

The indwelling holy spirit. Our “law”, our legal code, is no longer external; it is internal. The Holy Spirit will guide us in the application of all Biblical principles if we allow Him to. That applies even to the principles we are not aware of. God sees down the road, we cannot. Therefore, we need to trust the Holy Spirit because He sees things we cannot see from our limited perspective.

A personal relationship with the Creator of the universe and Savior of the world. Being a Christian should not be about following the Chrisitan religion; it should be about walking in a close relationship with God through the work of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit. In this relationship we should learn to love what God loves and hate what God hates, and to be a reflection of what God is like.

The Lordship of Christ. We don’t hear enough today about the issue of Lordship. Either Jesus is Lord of my life, or I am. Those are the only options. We need to get serious about asking ourselves, “What does it mean for Jesus to be Lord of my life? What should that look like in the areas of (to name a few) sexuality, entertainment, free time, money, how I treat others, ect. Etc.

If believers can learn to trust and follow God’s teaching about things that often have delayed consequences, such as sexuality, it will help them follow God in other ways as well. Everything in our spiritual life is connected to everything else.