God-given Institution

Remaining Blessing
(God's Common Grace)

Man's Sinful Corruption

1. Worship
(Genesis 1:27a; 2:3; 2:16-17; 3:8)

Desire to worship; to be devoted to someone or something

Distorted to self-centered worship; to honor, serve, and please self

2. Work
(Genesis 2:15,19)

Desire to accomplish things

Distorted to self-centered accomplishments; to serve self rather than God and others

3. Sexuality and marriage (Genesis 1:27b; 2:18, 21-25)

Marital and sexual desires

Distorted to self-centered motives to please self; to use others for one's own pleasure; to remove sexuality from the loving and stable bonds of marriage in which God placed it

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

- Matthew 5:27-28

As with all God's gifts, fallen man also misuses and corrupts God's precious blessing of human sexuality and marriage.

The sinful distortions which God forbids in the seventh commandment include all forms of non-marital sex (premarital, extramarital, or homosexual) and all that promotes sinful, sexual lusting in thought, word, or action. Present-day examples include vulgar talking or joking; provocative stories or pictures; pornography; immodest dress; and modern television, theater, music, and dancing. Due to their promotion and prevalence in our society, it is necessary to briefly examine each of these sinful abuses in turn (the last four are dealt with in the following chapter).

God condemns all forms of non-marital sex very clearly and strongly in His Word. The chart on the following page provides several examples of this truth.