Questions About Sex Answered by the Bible

 

Many ask if different sexual acts are sin, such as masturbation, living together or homosexual sex. The Bible’s teaching about the creation of sex helps us see the answers.

We receive many questions about sex:

• Is engaging in sex without being married a sin?
• Is having a homosexual relationship a sin?
• Is a same-sex marriage a sin?
• Is living together without being married a sin?
• Is self-stimulation (masturbation) a sin?
• Is “sexting” a sin?
• Is “Internet sex” a sin?
• Is sex with a sex doll or robot a sin?

Not political

These aren’t political questions in want of legislation. They aren’t social issues waiting upon the direction of the vacillating winds of public opinion. They aren’t arbitrary points of law needing judicial review. They aren’t vague religious notions, subject to the interpretation of the clergy. Only one authority has the right to establish the boundaries of moral behavior: the Creator God.

The Bible does define many sexual sins (such as adultery, fornication and homosexual sex), but it doesn’t specifically mention all of the above-listed or related questions. The simplicity of the truth is that it doesn’t have to spell out every detail. Those who want to know the boundaries God instituted have only to read the first two chapters of the Bible. That’s not to say the Bible is silent afterwards, but what the Bible says thereafter is based upon what is recorded in in Genesis 1 and 2.

Let’s begin at the beginning: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).

Humankind different from animal kind

After creating all other kinds of life, God made another kind—humankind. He could have made man in any number of ways, but God chose to make two beings of opposite sexes. The first made was the male, whom God sculpted from dirt or clay, naming him simply “Adam,” a play on the Hebrew word for dirt or clay.

But why did God create mankind “male and female”? This is a key question.

One obvious answer is so that, as male and female, they would reproduce. Their descendants would make up the human race. If that was God’s sole purpose, He could have stopped at that point. The human species would propagate. Like animals, the male and female would have been drawn together in the course of nature to produce offspring.

But the second creation account reveals that God had a purpose for sexuality that was deeper than simply reproduction.

Read both creation accounts

Few realize that there are two records of creation. Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 is the first account. The second begins with Genesis 2:4 and concludes with verse 25, telling the story again from the beginning and filling in details not mentioned in the first account.

Both accounts provide unique details, which, when taken together, give us a better understanding of many things. For the focus of this article, they give us a better understanding of the purpose for sexuality. In fact, the second account centers on the creation of the second sex. It even includes a touch of romance.

This version of creation simply speaks of God giving “the man” responsibilities, without noting his creation: “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Critical and profoundly significant instructions follow about unique trees in the Garden. (That is a different but closely related story, told in “Adam and Eve and the Two Trees” and “The Tree of Life.”)

God designed a human female counterpart to the man

On the matter of sexuality, God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18). “Helper comparable” doesn’t convey the force of the Hebrew. This “helper” was the mirror opposite of the man, his perfect complement, a mate who could make the man complete. “It has a special sense to indicate Eve’s likeness to [and yet, difference from] Adam” (Spiros Zodhiates, Complete Word Study Dictionaries, 2003, notes on neged).

In order to emphasize the uniqueness of the woman He would create—how special she was, how much Adam needed her—God assigned Adam the formidable task of naming every animal that God had created. So every species paraded by Adam for his designation, all on the sixth day of creation. We aren’t told what Adam called them. The emphasis is this: “But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:20). God obviously knew that, so the exercise was to accentuate this fact for Adam’s sake.

God used this dramatic method to show Adam that he, too, needed a mate, but that he would not find his mate among animals! Having made that abundantly clear, God could then have made Eve instantly appear and presented her to Adam! Or God could have formed her from clay or dirt, as He had shaped Adam.

Instead, further embellishing the event, God anesthetized Adam, removed a rib from him and then miraculously created the “female,” mentioned in Genesis 1:27, from one of Adam’s bones!

Woman = “from man”

Matthew Henry captured the depth of meaning by this oft-quoted statement: “The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved” (Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1706, notes on Genesis 2:21-25).

Then God presented Eve to Adam! In the first biblical poetry, we have Adam’s response upon seeing God’s gift:

And Adam said:

“This is now bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23).

Perhaps the words from man would better reflect the contrasting Hebrew words for man and woman. First, God made a man; then God made man’s female counterpart, a from man. The wording illustrates that Adam saw how perfectly suited they were for each other. We learn later (Genesis 3:20) that Adam named his wife Eve, which literally means “life” or “living.”

If this sounds like a love story, that’s because it is! God made two sexual beings—one male, one female—both in His image.

God shows marriage is necessary

Even at this point, God could have left the man and woman to do what their sexuality would have drawn them to do: reproduce. And, as you will hear argued by people who choose to live together unmarried, “You don’t need a piece of paper [a legal document] to prove that you are committed to each other!” They haven’t read, haven’t understood, haven’t believed or have simply ignored what the Bible says next.

The second creation account ends with: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife” (Genesis 2:24). The biblical account of the events of the sixth day of creation ends with the female called the wife of the male, not just his mate. Therefore, the capstone event of the creation of humankind was the establishment of marriage.

Historians and anthropologists who do not regard the Bible as authoritative are stymied as to the explanation of the appearance of marriage in the human family. Male and female could have mated for life, just as some species of animals do. But, instead, the Bible shows that the first male and the first female were joined in marriage. (See our article “What Is Marriage?”)

Unbreakable moral boundaries

Why does the Bible say “a man shall leave his father and mother,” when Adam had no father and mother to leave? The obvious reason was to reveal the moral parameters that the Creator set for humankind. Male and female descendants of Adam and Eve should leave their birth families in order to be joined in marriage to begin new families.

God intended sexual intimacy to be the supreme expression of love between a husband and wife, as these New Testament scriptures amplify: 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 and Hebrews 13:4.That’s not all! This verse concludes, “And they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), a transparent reference to sexual intimacy, which occurred after the male and female married, not before. God intended sexual intimacy to be the supreme expression of love between a husband and wife, as these New Testament scriptures amplify: 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 and Hebrews 13:4.

The two purposes for human sexuality

So the two purposes for creating sexuality were to express love and to produce offspring. Both purposes for sex are fulfilled only in the context of marriage.

(Nothing is said or implied that sexual intimacy within marriage is “a necessary evil only for procreation,” as some religious authorities have attempted to read into the Bible.)

Sexual references throughout the entire Bible are consistent with these purposes revealed in the creation accounts. This includes the 10 Commandments (which were in effect from the beginning); the civil laws God gave Israel in the statutes of Numbers and Deuteronomy; all references to sexual sin; and the doctrines and the practices of the New Testament Church of God.

The answers

Understanding God’s purpose for sex ends all debate over what might at first have seemed to be hot-button questions at the beginning of this article:

• Is engaging in sex without being married a sin?
• Is having a homosexual relationship a sin?
• Is a same-sex marriage a sin?
• Is living together without being married a sin?
• Is self-stimulation (masturbation) a sin?
• Is “sexting” a sin?
• Is “Internet sex” a sin?

The answers to all of them (as well as to other unstated, but related actions) is the same: Yes, every one of them is a sin, because each involves sex outside of marriage, rather than between a husband and his wife.

This is clearly backed up in the New Testament. Paul wrote of “sexual immorality” as an example of sin. Sexual immorality means the misuse of sexuality—using it immorally, instead of morally.

The first four examples of human nature that each of us has to control (listed in Galatians 5:19-21) deal with sexual immorality: “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness.” The last two words show that the misuse of the mind is also a factor in immoral behavior, which means that a righteous person must avoid pornography and sexually suggestive entertainment.

The underlying principle is that it is sin to engage in sexual intimacy for any purpose other than for those reasons God created sexuality. That’s why sex before marriage, sex outside of marriage, homosexual sex, masturbation and pornography are sins.

You can break the cycle of sexual sin

If you are caught in the habit of a sexual sin, you can break free! But you will need God’s help.If you are caught in the habit of a sexual sin, you can break free! But you will need God’s help.

Follow His command to “flee sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18), which means we are to avoid putting ourselves in tempting situations. We also have to turn away from tempting TV programs, videos, movies, books, websites, games, etc.—too many of which make sexual sin appealing.

Examine your lifestyle to see what you need to change. If you are passive, the world around you will saturate your mind daily with images that violate God’s intended use of sexuality. Even simple ads for consumer goods often include sexually alluring images with the implication, “This product will please you.” The underlying message is an encouragement to please yourself.

What’s wrong with that? God obviously made sex to be pleasurable—but self-pleasure is not the primary purpose for which God designed sex for humankind. (Read our article “The Gift of Sex.”)

Sex not selfish

The entire context of 1 Corinthians 6:18, from verse 15 to 20, shows that sexuality was not created for selfish gratification—in or out of marriage. Everything about engaging in sexual intimacy should honor God by being an expression of love for your spouse.

The Bible leaves no doubt that it is sin to engage in a sexual act for any purpose other than those for which God designed human sexuality. That is why we said above that the biblical principles teach that masturbation and other acts of self-gratification are sin.

Battle of the mind

Winning or losing the battle takes place in the mind. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [that is, not actual physical weapons] but mighty in God [that is, the power of His Spirit in our minds] for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).

Another way of putting it is that we battle against sin in our minds, taking it “captive” or “arresting it,” to use the biblical analogy, before it develops into a fantasy or an action. God’s Spirit gives us the strength to do this. (If you are a believer but find that you do not have the spiritual power to do what you know you should, we recommend that you read “How Do You Know You Have the Holy Spirit?”)

Here is the way

We have several articles that can help you overcome sin and live a lifestyle that honors God. See our series of articles on breaking the cycle of sin. The lead article is “Deadly Sins: Are There Any?” Near the end of the article are links to four additional articles that explain the steps of the process: temptation, desire, wrong choice and effects of sin. They follow in logical progression how the mind is teased to sin, how to recognize and resist temptation, as well as how to break the bonds of a sin that has already captured you.

Other articles that may be helpful include:

• Seven Steps for Overcoming Sin.
• Freedom From Addiction series (including one specifically on pornography).
• Living Together Before Marriage (which shows the facts on whether this is good or bad for a lasting relationship).
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Are Good Morals Good Enough?

 

What kind of person does immoral things with impunity? Who decides what is immoral? Is there a way to know with certainty what is right and wrong in life?

There it was in my inbox for the second time in a week: “I am … an aging widow suffering from cancer. I have some funds I am willing to donate through you to non-profit charitable organization amounting £8.3 Million pounds. … 50% of the total sum should be transferred to any orphanage home. You can help your community with the remaining 50% and for your services to carry out this last wish for me.”

What kind of person does immoral things without guilt?

As I hit the delete button, I wondered what kind of person would fall for such a scam. The numbers must be small, but evidently there are a few who are fooled. The criminals behind the scams then steal their savings and leave some innocent and often elderly people destitute. 

And what kind of person is able to lie, cheat and steal with such impunity? How do such people live with themselves? Most people would be wracked with guilt if they committed a crime like this.

Our decisions about what is right and wrong in life

How do you make decisions about right and wrong in your life? Philosophers often proclaim that truth is relative and there are no moral absolutes, so how can we know if the choices we make are right or wrong? How do we know we’re any better than the criminals trying to dupe the unsuspecting and naïve with bogus schemes?

As we become adults and acquire the power to make bigger and more significant decisions, each of us is faced with the challenge of determining what standards will shape those decisions. Judgments must always be based upon some standard, so what standards will guide us as we make the decisions that affect our lives and our relationships?

For a lot of people today, those moral standards are founded upon human reason alone. If human reason is the highest source of knowledge available, then human concepts of morality should be supreme.

The weakness of moral reasoning

But experience shows us that humans don’t all reason in the same way. What one person values can be very different from what another person values. The supporters of the ISIS-led insurgency in the Middle East believed it is moral to torture and brutally murder those who oppose their goals, while the rest of the world was repulsed by their savagery. 

If terrorists consider themselves morally upright while the rest of civilization considers them immoral in the extreme, isn’t it obvious that human assessments of morality are inherently inadequate? 

But, wait! I’m human too. Does that mean my assessments of morality may also be inadequate?

What’s missing in understanding what is immoral?

Everyone sees the importance of good morals, but there is a vital concept missing. Without it humans stumble about in spiritual darkness, bruised and battered by spiritual realities they cannot perceive.

The missing concept is embodied in one simple, three-letter word—sin. Some think sin is an antiquated concept with little relevance for the modern world.

Unlike moral relativism, sin is not determined by human reason or by the fluctuations of human society. Sin is determined by an eternal God whose standards transcend the barriers of time and place. What He defined as sin yesterday is still sin today and will be sin tomorrow, and no one will ever be exempt from His standards. 

And there is one more aspect of sin that sets it apart from morals. There is a death penalty for committing sin (Romans 6:23), and no one will ever be exempt from that either. 

The good news is that the God who defines sin also “desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4).

How can we know what is right and wrong in life?

“But,” some will say, “different people worship different gods, and those gods have different standards. How can we know which one is right?” Believe it or not, the true God thought that was a fair question, and He didn’t leave us in the dark with no answer.

God claims that He has the right to tell you and me how we should live our lives and what our moral standards should be. 

But I have a mind and the ability to reason. What right does He have to tell me what I should and should not do?

God gives His credentials

When giving a formal presentation, a speaker often begins by telling the audience why they should listen. 

Have you ever considered the beginning of the Bible from that perspective? Many look at Genesis 1 hoping to find scientific or historical evidence of the beginnings of our world. Some of that information is there, but there’s more.

Are we overlooking God’s enduring introduction of Himself and His credentials in this passage? Consider in summary what is actually shown.

When we are introduced to the scene, God commanded and stars and planets and light came into existence. Then in verse 3 He simply said, “Let there be light,” and this amazing form of energy that scientists still struggle to understand drove out the darkness that had enshrouded everything an instant before.

As the account moves forward, this great being took inert matter and gave it life and the ability to reproduce consistently according to unique patterns, and plant life grew. He next used more inert matter and created animals with brains and instinct and all of their wonderful and intricate behaviors. 

And then He brought into existence human beings and gifted them with the unique ability to think and reason and make moral choices. And He made it clear that these beings—both male and female—were made like Him—in His image and likeness as no other creatures were.

And as a final act in that creative week, He set apart and blessed a unique period of time in the weekly cycle so that it would be different from regular time.

God laid all of this evidence before His audience and proclaimed that everything He had created was “very good.” Anyone examining this evidence would properly be in awe of a being who is capable of these things. Man is clearly incapable of any of these feats. 

Human moral choices

After establishing His right to instruct them, God revealed good and evil, right and wrong to the first man and woman. Sadly, they chose to give more value to their own human reasoning (buying into Satan’s worldview) than to God’s revealed knowledge, and the results were tragic.

They undoubtedly felt justified in making the moral choices they made. But by God’s definition, they were sinful, and the history that followed showed that God was right and they were wrong.

Even so, biblical history shows that mankind still doubted God’s authority to determine right and wrong. Perhaps one of the more famous accounts occurred when God sent two elderly men—Moses and Aaron—to give His message to one of the most powerful men on earth—the Pharaoh of Egypt (Exodus 5:1). 

They had to understand that it is God, and not man, who establishes right and wrong—who determines what is sin and what is not.

Many Egyptians considered the pharaohs to be divine, and history tells us that the ancient Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods. But Israel’s God was not among their pantheon. The ancient world believed there were countless gods and goddesses who ruled over different places, peoples and powers. 

This ancient ruler probably considered Israel’s God to be weak and powerless since He was unable to deliver the Israelites from their Egyptian overlords.

Questioning God

In essence, Pharaoh’s prideful response to God’s message was, Who is this God of the Hebrew slaves that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I don’t even know who this God of yours is! (See Exodus 5:2.) 

In a short time this ruler and his mighty nation crumbled into chaos, and all the gods they worshipped were shown to be powerless before this God of the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 12:12). No longer did anyone wonder who this God was and why He should be obeyed.

Though Pharaoh had given voice to the question, he wasn’t the only one who needed to know the answer. The Israelites themselves needed to know who this God was who had brought them out of slavery and was leading them to the land promised over four centuries earlier to their ancestor Abraham. 

Before these freed slaves could enter the Promised Land, they had to understand that it is God, and not man, who establishes right and wrong—who determines what is sin and what is not.

At the foot of Mount Sinai

As they stood, trembling in awe at the foot of the mountain, God began by telling them why they should obey His voice: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2). 

He then laid before them the 10 Commandments, 10 timeless principles defining good and evil—principles that for all time transcend any human ideas of morality. 

Just before they were ready to enter that Promised Land, He instructed Moses to remind them that these principles were not arbitrary regulations; they were given in love for the good of those who would treasure them as the most important values in life (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).

The problem of sin and its solution

Like those Israelites of old, many of us have overlooked, ignored and neglected these eternal principles. In doing so, we have brought suffering and heartache upon ourselves and our loved ones, as well as a death penalty upon ourselves.

But God doesn’t want to see His children die (Ezekiel 33:11), so He offers us a way for the penalty to be paid so we can set our lives on the right course. 

That course—a course that leads to forgiveness, joy and ultimately salvation—is revealed in an annual series of sacred observances, beginning with the same Passover that Jesus Himself observed. 

Asking why we should allow this God to establish the morals, ethics and values by which we live our lives today—and to give us the vital information about sin—is perfectly reasonable. Ignoring or setting aside His unmistakable answer is not. 

Still the most important decision

Deciding who will establish the standards by which we will shape our lives is still the most important decision we will ever make, and it’s not a decision we can delay or ignore. Being a moral person is a noble goal, but without the knowledge of God, it will never be enough. 

Though the arrogance of Pharaoh cost him dearly, it’s still important that each of us humbly ask the same question: Who is this God that I should obey Him?

When you know the answer, you’ll want to know more about what He wants you to do. These biblically based booklets can help:

• God’s 10 Commandments: Still Relevant Today.
• Change Your Life!

Are the Penalties for Sins Passed Down?

 

Jesus saw a man who was blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Are penalties passed down?

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (This story is found in John 9:1-3.) In this example neither the parents nor the son had sinned to bring on the blindness. But if a parent does sin, can sin itself be passed down?

Sin, which is the transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4), does not get passed to the next generation. In this case Christ said that the man wasn’t blind because of sin (his own or his parents’), but because it was a way for the works of God to be revealed in him. It was a way for a miracle to be performed to show where God was working.

But can the effects of sin be passed down?

Notice what God said when giving His law (specifically about idols): “You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity [sins] of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me” (Exodus 20:5).

Does this mean that the sins of parents can affect their descendants?

The answer is clearly yes. Explaining this point, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible defines “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children” in this way: “Sons and remote descendants inherit the consequences of their fathers’ sins, in disease, poverty, captivity, with all the influences of bad example and evil communications.”

Oftentimes because of upbringing, children will follow in the footsteps of their parents in bad habits and sins. In such cases the pattern of sin becomes repetitive, and the effects of sin continue.

Are there different penalties for sin?

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). There is one absolute penalty for sin—death! No one is exempt, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But sin often also carries physical penalties and consequences.

Let’s look at a modern-day example: If a parent struggles with controlling anger and violent tendencies, then it is not only he or she who suffers, but other individuals around him or her, including the children. Children often see and mimic this habit and can eventually become angry and abusive themselves or choose to marry someone who is abusive.

Chronic anger has been shown to have a connection to heart disease and a variety of other health problems; and abuse, of course, can cause severe physical injuries. A person may go to God in heartfelt repentance, and ask Him for forgiveness, but oftentimes the physical consequences of the sin will remain. The physical, mental and emotional effects that anger and abuse have on future generations may take a long time to heal as well.

Sin carries consequences

Notice what happened to some of the descendants of ancient Israel because of the sins of the fathers: “We have given our hand to the Egyptians and the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread. Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities” (Lamentations 5:6-7, emphasis added throughout). The descendants went into captivity because of the nation’s continuing pattern of sin.

Here we have the children suffering for the sins of their forefathers that brought the nation into 70 years of captivity. Some children were small when taken captive and others were born in captivity. These children suffered along with their parents. God had warned Israel that they and their children would suffer if they turned away from Him (see Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28). But soon the captivity would end, and God inspired Ezekiel to prophesy of a time when the children would no longer suffer for the sins of their fathers (Ezekiel 18:1-4).

God is always merciful. “And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; also in their fathers’ iniquities, which are with them, they shall waste away. But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me … then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham” (Leviticus 26:39-40, 42).

What happens if a person chooses not to follow his or her parents’ paths?

Speaking of God, the book of Jeremiah states, “You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for Your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 32:19).

Since each of us will have to account for our choices, what kind of life will we choose to live?Every person will at some point give account for his or her personal sins. “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

Since each of us will have to account for our choices, what kind of life will we choose to live?

Change is a choice!

Notice God’s perspective again in Leviticus: “If their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt—then I will remember My covenant” (Leviticus 26:41-42).

God is merciful and can grant forgiveness when a person confesses his or her sins to Him and comes to Him in repentance (1 John 1:9; 2 Timothy 2:25). The wages of sin—eternal death—can be removed, and many times the consequences of sin can also be alleviated. God can begin to reward those who diligently seek and follow Him, just as He said He would remember the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Romans 3:23; Hebrews 11:6). See more about this in the articles under “Sin” in the “Change” category.

It is God’s desire that we repent of sin

We understand more about the process of God’s forgiveness and His desire for our change when we read 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

God is patient and can lead us to repentance. His desire is that we repent and change, not only for ourselves, but because the consequences of sin are often passed on to our children, our grandchildren and, in some cases, even to our great-grandchildren.

Each person has the choice to change the generational way of life

In Ezekiel 18 God shows that we receive punishment for our own sins—and we can change. A son who sees his father’s sins and “does not do likewise … shall not die for the iniquity of his father; he shall surely live!” (verses 14, 17).

“As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother by violence, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity.

“Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

“But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live” (verses 18-22).

Sin has a way of leading to more sin (Romans 6:19). The ultimate penalty of sin is death. There are also other consequences of sin that can continue on until sin has been acknowledged, stopped, repented of and replaced by righteous, godly conduct.

We are told that what a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7). If we are reaping the consequences of sin, we can change what we are doing and walk in a newness of life. That can happen through the process of repentance and baptism and by the help of God’s Holy Spirit (Romans 6:4; Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:24-25).

There is a way to break the yoke of sin!

Notice 1 John 2:1-3: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.”

Christ is the propitiation or “atoning” for our sins. He was willing to die to pay the penalty for our sins when we repent. But, along with repentance of sin, obedience to God’s law is also required.

When we overcome the “habit” of sin, it can change our lives and also have a positive effect on the lives of our children and grandchildren.

We also have the responsibility to teach our children God’s beneficial laws and the right way to live: “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Deuteronomy 4:9).

Each person must decide

Generations of obedience to God can begin with you! The Bible gives examples of those who followed the right paths, even though their parents were sinners.

One example is Josiah. His father, Amon, had disobeyed God. However, “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (2 Kings 22:1-2).

This article began with Exodus 20:5: “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.” Notice also that God continued speaking in verse 6: “But showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

The passing down of the effects of sin from generation to generation can stop with you. God has made a clear path for us to follow. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The determination to follow that path can lead you and your future generations out of sin.

Notice the encouragement King David wrote in Psalm 103:17-18: “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them.”

You can change your life—and benefit the lives of your children who will live after you! God leads us to a way of life that can provide blessings for us now, and for our children and future generations.

What kind of legacy will you leave for your children and grandchildren?

Read more about how to make these changes by downloading our booklet Change Your Life.