Is Sexual Sin worse than other sin?
Yes, I believe it is. For one thing, it is an undeniable fact that Scripture emphasizes the need for moral purity through its teachings, commandments and stories. For instance, when Paul listed out the deeds of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21, the first three had to do with sexual sin. When he did the same in I Corinthians 6:9-10, four out of the first five had to do with immorality.
A few verses later in that chapter Paul went on to say, “Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, ‘The two shall become one flesh.’…Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.” (I Corinthians 6:16, 18) When two people join themselves in the sexual act, in some inexplicable way a spiritual union takes place between them.
While it is certainly true that any sin separates us from God – Isaiah 59:2 –“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear”, and that even one sin makes us guilty of all sins – James 2:10 –“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all”, it is also true that there are some sins that are worse than others.
Modern society has tried to redefine sexuality as a personal right or choice to be exercised any way an individual wishes. At the same time, popular opinion has all but removed the word sin from our vocabulary. The only sexual activity considered “wrong” is what is determined to be distasteful to the individual. Thus, social acceptance of what is right or wrong regarding sexual behavior varies so greatly that even the vilest of acts would be considered justified by many.
Fortunately, we have not been given the option of defining sin. The One who created sexuality also has the right to set the boundaries for it, and the Bible is clear about the guidelines. When God created the first man, Adam, and brought to him the first woman, Eve, He joined them together in marriage and pronounced it “very good” (Genesis 1:31; 2:18, 24). At that time, God introduced sexuality and set the boundaries for its expression. God created a union between a husband and wife that He called “becoming one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:8; Ephesians 5:31). He then defined any sexual activity outside of the husband-wife relationship as a violation of His gift. Fornication, homosexuality, pornography, and lust are all violations of God’s intent when He created the sexual act (1 Corinthians 6:9,18; Galatians 5:19-20; Jude 1:7; Matthew 5:28; Hebrews 13:4).
In Genesis 2:24 we see God use the phrase “one flesh.” There is great unifying power within the sexual union. God designed it to involve not only bodies but hearts and lives. Sex was designed to consummate the lifetime union between a man and woman. Jesus said, “What God has joined together let no one separate” (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9). He designed male and female bodies differently so that they could come together in an act of physical intimacy that joins them together for life. They “are no longer two, but one flesh” (Mark 10:8). The act of becoming one creates a new entity: a family. This powerful force also brings forth new life (Genesis 4:25). The human race can only be generated by the coming together of a man and a woman. And, within marriage, God blesses it (Genesis 1:28; 9:27; Psalm 17:3). Sex is a gift to a husband and wife to make their relationship unique among all other relationships.
However, what God creates as good, Satan twists to perversion. Satan began his defilement in the Garden of Eden with the words “Has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). And that challenge to the authority of God has not changed in our society today. This defiance of men and women to disregard God’s authority regarding sex has produced a world staggering under the weight of disease, abortion, perversion, child molestation, addiction, and sexual exploitation. God created boundaries for our good so that we could enjoy His gift as it was designed to be enjoyed.