Chinese Church Voices

Single Christians and Love

The Cost and Consequences of Adultery

Chinese Church Voices is an occasional column of the ChinaSource Blog providing translations of original writing by Christians in China. The views represented are entirely those of the original author; inclusion in Chinese Church Voices does not imply or equal an endorsement by ChinaSource.


Changes in Chinese society in recent years have brought changes in the notions of morality and sexual purity. These changes are also being felt within the Church as Christians (as they do elsewhere) struggle to reconcile their beliefs and values with the messages from pop culture. This article in the Christian Times addresses this issue.

Sin does not come without a price. As such, for a person in a dating relationship, maintaining purity and avoiding sin are paramount. In this article we will look at one pastor's recent remarks regarding the consequences of sexual sin.

From a spiritual perspective, committing sexual sin deprives our hearts of peace, destroys our relationship with God and takes away our desire to read the Scriptures, pray, go to church and fellowship with other believers. Furthermore, sexual impurity prevents us from fulfilling the purpose God has for us, one of which the apostle Paul tells us is to be instruments of righteousness. There is a cost for everything we do. Below, we will examine four additional consequences of sexual sin that merit more serious reflection.

1. Lack of trust

Sexual sin creates mutual distrust between couples. Each person will wonder, If he/she is willing to do this with me, how can I know whether or not he/she will have sex with someone else? In such a relationship, how can trust be re-established with the other person?

2. Loss of respect

When involved in sexual sin, it is very easy to lose respect for one another. Initially, sin brings excitement and pleasure, but before long it will undoubtedly lead to self-loathing when a person realizes their lack of self-control. This kind of self-loathing will produce feelings of disdain for the other person in the relationship. When guilt compounded by shame reaches a certain point it will feel it is the other person who should be blamed.

In 2 Samuel chapter 13, David's son Amnon had become obsessed with Tamar, and had used every means possible to get his hands on her. Shortly after he had his way with her, Amnon was filled with an intense hatred for Tamar. In fact, the hate in his heart was stronger than the love he originally had for her! Thus, because of sexual sin, two people in love will not only completely destroy their relationship, but also shift blame, saying that it was their partner that led him/her to a have a distorted view of morality.

3. Harm to a future marriage

Another frightening element of sexual sin is the damage it will inflict upon a future marriage. The mistrust, hurt, and bitterness, which sexual sin produces will lead to numerous marital problems. Furthermore, if your future marriage partner is not the same person with whom you were initially impure, the problems will be even greater. A survey conducted in the US discovered that people who have engaged in premarital sex experience a very high rate of infidelity after marriage.

4. God's Judgment

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 says, It is God's will that you should be sanctified, that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.

"The Lord will punish" — although it is a short phrase, it is frightening to read! Sexual sin will hurt you as well as the other person involved; but even more egregious is that it offends God. Galatians 6:7 says: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

We don't know exactly how God will judge our sin in the future, but we do know that God's word is uncompromising. He might use natural consequences to judge us, or just like he disciplined David, he might allow our children to suffer. The point is not the kind of judgment, but that Gods judgment is to be feared.Only the Holy Spirit can enable us to understand the seriousness of sexual sin. Sinning in this way could very likely destroy our lives as well as the lives of others. Very few people will want to marry someone who has already been sexually active. Wisdom clearly instructs us not to live in such a way.

Do not ever think that sexual sin can be concealed; what is hidden will be revealed. But thank God that after David sinned, his heart was not hardened. Instead, he awakened through the prophet Nathan's rebuke, which brought David before God in genuine repentance.

Many of the Psalms speak of David and how he repented before God. What should bring us the greatest comfort is that a person like David, who committed such a serious sin, still received the grace and compassion of the Lord. The Bible's final appraisal of David's life is that he was a man after God's own heart.

Other sins are outside of the body, but sexual sin is an offense against our body! We must flee from this kind of sin and beseech God to have compassion on us.If we are not careful and do fall into this kind of sin, may God help us remember: "The Lord is gracious and compassionate and slow to anger." This will enable us to return to him quickly and plead with him to cleanse us through the precious blood of Christ that we may be renewed.

Image source: by i a walsh, via Flickr

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ChinaSource Team

ChinaSource Team

Written, translated, or edited by members of the ChinaSource staff.          View Full Bio


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