It is an understatement to say that we live in a culture that is obsessed with immorality! Adultery and fornication are considered normal to most people, whether practiced in their own lives or enjoyed in their entertainment.  Porn use abounds and is increasingly vile. The world around us doesn’t seem to care much, but we as Christians certainly should.  We should refuse to become comfortable with adultery-glorifying movies and TV shows.  We should never allow porn of any kind into our hearts, lives, and homes.  We should determine that immorality will never be a part of our story! Proverbs 5 lists at least 6 reasons why:

1. Immorality makes a person bitter. There is no love in it.

 Verse 4 says that the “end” of the “strange woman” is “bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.”  Immorality bypasses genuine, Christ-like love.  We find in God’s word that the highest expression of love is never sex.  It is sacrifice.  Jesus taught that “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  

2. Immorality makes a person ignorant. There is no “learning” in it. 

Verse 6: “Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are movable, that thou canst not know them.” An immoral person is unpredictable and you can never understand them or depend on them.  True love, on the other hand, seeks to learn about and understand each other. True love learns how to grow old together!

3. Immorality makes a person poor. There is no loyalty in it.

Verse 10 teaches that we should refuse immorality because it causes one to give away their wealth and leaves them in debt.  Adulterers and fornicators are never loyal. They are selfish and will rob you of your most valuable possessions – self-respect, a clean conscience, genuine love, and purity.  A man who commits adultery and fornication often loses his marriage and his family.  That is poverty indeed!

4. Immorality makes a person sick. There is no life in it.

Verse 11 teaches us that we should refuse immorality because it causes us to “mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed.”  In other words, it makes us sick. It robs us of life physically, emotionally, and relationally.  On the physical side, it can lead to sexually transmitted diseases.  Emotionally, it can prevent one from thinking clearly and from enjoying the true satisfaction that God offers in his gift of intimacy in marriage.  “To the pure, all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled” (Titus 1:15).  Relationally, it can rob one of their marriage partner, hinder their relationship with their children, and cause them to lose friends and ministry opportunities.  There is no life in immorality!

5. Immorality causes a person to lose. There is no life-long commitment in it.

Verse 19 is an awesome verse that teaches us that God’s gift of sex is intended to be enjoyed with one partner for an entire lifetime.  “Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished with her love.” Immorality causes us to lose that.  It is fleeting.  It brings a brief moment of physical satisfaction but bypasses the joy of a life-long marriage commitment. Sex is that beautiful and sacred and important! It is based on a life-long commitment with one’s marriage partner and it gets better and better with each passing year! Immorality cannot give that.

6. Immorality leaves a person bound. There is no liberty (freedom) in it. 

Finally, I draw your attention to verse 22. Solomon tells his son that “his own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.”  How is it possible for a man who is a prominent leader (say a pastor) to destroy his life and family and ministry through adultery? The answer is really rather simple.  There is no freedom in immorality!  It binds a person and leaves them imprisoned to their own lusts and addictions.  They cannot stop. They cannot find a way out. They cannot overcome their sin.  What a terrible way to live!

By God’s grace and help, let’s refuse to allow immorality to become a part of our lives.

Thanks for reading.

Your sincere friend,

Dave Young