Eternal Fire For The Sin License
Tuesday, October 15
Jude 1:5-8 (NIV)
“Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.”
Devotion
These verses speak about ungodly people who have slipped in among the people of God. The context points out that they pervert the grace of God into a license for immorality and thereby deny Jesus as our only Sovereign and Lord. The warning is stern and unambiguous. Eternal fire awaits those who turn the grace of God into a license for sexual immorality and perversion, regardless of whether they regard themselves as “Christians.” Also note there is no distinction in punishment for what we might consider milder forms of sexual immorality (porn, pre-marital sex, sexting, adultery) and things we might consider perversions (homosexuality, incest, pedophilia, etc.)
There are two main forms of turning the grace of God into a license for immorality:
1) Reckoning that some “Christian” milestone such as the sinners' prayer or baptism makes the continuing, unrepentant indulgence in sexual immorality or perversion somehow not lead to the eternal punishment described above.
2) Giving tacit approval to “Christians” in ongoing, unrepentant immorality by maintaining Christian fellowship with them contrary to the clear instructions of 1 Corinthians 5:9-13. These instructions make no exceptions for friends or family or purportedly being led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will never lead you to disobey a clear instruction of Scripture.
As we hate even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh (Jude 1:23), let us destroy the licenses we have printed in our hearts and minds that have turned the grace of God into licenses for immorality. The purpose of these sternest warnings in Jude is not condemnation, but rather repentance. If you have an ongoing relationship with porn, fornication, sexting, or any other form of sexual immorality, it is time to burn those bridges and cry out to Jesus for the gifts of repentance and regeneration. Likewise, if your view of Christian grace is an ongoing tacit approval and pretense that those walking in unrepentant immorality are brothers in good standing with Jesus, it is time to burn those bridges also and not pretend those in unrepentant sexual immorality are in a good place with Jesus until you can see that their repentance has been complete, honest, and productive.
Today’s Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You that there is power in the blood of Jesus so that followers of Jesus can obey. We can flee from sexual immorality. We can obey Your will to be sanctified and to avoid sexual immorality. We thank You that the inability to resist sexual temptations is a clear indicator that we are still slaves to sin and still need to cry out for the gifts of repentance and regeneration. Oh, Lord God, forgive me for the times I have turned the grace of God into a license for immorality. Oh, Lord God, I have left so many messes. Help me to hate even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Help me to be among those who have washed their clothes and who are welcomed into the city of God. Help me not to be among the dogs outside who either never left their filth or who returned to their vomit. And once I am free in Jesus, help me to show those who doubt mercy mixed with fear, and, as needed, even to snatch some from the flames. In the Name of Jesus, I Pray. Amen.
Apply It Today
Have you repented of sexual immorality? What can you do to “hate even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh”? If God said it, and He did, there is spiritual benefit there, not just a religious rule. How can you separate yourself from temptation and also from reminders of shame and accusation from the evil one? Do you need to destroy your smartphone? Do you need to delete certain contacts, private messages, text messages, photos, videos, love letters, concert t-shirts, accounts on dating sites or sites with pornographic content, cable TV channels, video games, written content, movies? Be honest about what those things are for you, and be sincere in your repentance. Freedom is available through trust and surrender to Jesus. If you claim to be a follower of Jesus, a brief or pretend repentance for the sake of appearances only brings judgment on yourself – and that’s a promise.
Resources:
- Sexual sin will cost you. What are you willing to pay? Listen to this short excerpt, “The Four Consequences Of Sexual Sin”, and fall on your knees in repentance as you turn from sexual immorality.
- As you read Ephesians 5:3, meditate on what God’s Word says about NO sexual immorality among God’s people. Then do as Paul says he did in 1 Corinthians 15:31, and die to yourself daily as you turn from those sins.