Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleFornication Unbecoming a Saint
Bible TextEphesians 5:3
Date13-Jan-2018
Article Type Article
Audio HI-FI Listen: Fornication Unbecoming to Saints (32 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
Audio CD Quality Listen: Fornication Unbecoming to Saints (128 kbps)  /  [go to notes]
 

FORNICATION UNBECOMING A SAINT

 

Ephesians 5:3: But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

 

Why did the Holy Spirit move the apostle to say fornication is unbecoming a saint? Obviously, these are sins.  But these are sexual sins which lead to the birth of illegitimate children of fornication. God calls Esau, who forfeited the right of the firstborn for the temporary gratification of his flesh, not a saint, but a fornicator (Heb 12: 16).

 

     These sexual sins are unbecoming a saint because a saint is a firstborn son, not of fornication, but by the lawful union between Christ our Husband and his faithful bride, the church.  Christ makes his bride faithful to preach his word in truth. By the gospel of Christ, the incorruptible seed, we are born again. (1 Pet 1: 23-24) We are made partakers of Christ’s nature having escaped the corruption and lusts of being children of fornication born of Adam (2 Pet 1: 4). So these sexual sins are unbecoming a saint, not simply because they are sinful, but because we are firstborn sons born and sanctified, not by fornication, but by a holy, lawful union of Husband and wife, Christ and his bride.

 

     Brethren, our motivation in everything is not law but Christ!  If we were merely told to abstain from fornication it would be the law of the ten commandments given at Mt. Sinai. But having faith to behold how Christ has made us firstborn sons conceived from a lawful marriage union through the preaching of the gospel this is a gracious command for the honor of Christ. It is for the honor of our Everlasting Father that it becomes us as saints to not once let these things be named upon us, either spiritually or physically.