Heb. 13:4 ... "Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge."
The sex urge is one of the most powerful drives in the human body and cannot therefore be ignored by the Christian who is devoted more to spiritual pursuits than to physical gratification. If it were otherwise, there would be a danger that people would not mate, produce children, and continue the human race into another generation. God's command in Gen. 1:28 to "be fruitful and multiply" infers His will that males should have sexual union with females to effect conception. Furthermore, He fashioned the woman to appeal to the man and arouse within him the desire to mate. This is implied in two special words in Gen. 2:18, "Then the Lord said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'" God's design has worked exceedingly well since it was implemented in the beginning, for there has been no lack of evidence that men are stirred to passion by women and seek sexual gratification in union with them. Indeed, it has been well said that "the only command of God that people have been universally happy to obey is "Be fruitful and multiply'."
But in implementing the plan of human sexuality, God also gave some instructions for it that must be respected and observed. First, males must seek sexual gratification only with females, and females only with males. Sexual activity between members of the same sex, or between humans and animals, is condemned by God as abomination. In the Mosaic Law it was decreed, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination," (Lev. 18:22). And in the Gospel of Christ it is clearly stated that "abusers of themselves with mankind ... shall [not] inherit the kingdom of God," (I Cor. 6:9-10)." The NASB translates the original arsenochoitai more plainly as "homosexuals." The current view that gender preference in sexual activity is irrelevant opposes God's instruction and cannot be accepted by Christians, even though it makes them look absurd to those who consider themselves liberated and progressive.
Second, all sexual activity is to be confined strictly within the bond of marriage. Husband and wife may in all innocence seek physical gratification to the extent of their mutual desire and capacity. Heb. 13:4 puts God's seal of approval upon it. Neither marriage partner is to deny the other's physical desire without good reason, and then only for a limited time, (I Cor. 7:3-5).
Third, any sexual activity outside the marriage bond is expressly condemned by Heb. 13:4. The range of sexual activity is covered by the words "fornicator" and "adulterer." The first of these words refers to one who engages in sexual union with someone not married. Adulterer refers to sexual union with someone who is married. Those who put themselves in either category subject themselves to the wrath and judgment of God. It is important to notice that sanction for sexual union is the marriage bond and not mutual consent between those of legal age, or "commitment in love," or a "caring relationship." These justifications for physical union outside of marriage are often used today. But God, who placed the sex drive within the human body, is the only one who can decree what is right and what is wrong, what is proper and what is not. And that He has already done, distinctly stating the difference in the Bible, which He inspired. We can be assured that God will respond with indignation and punishment to those who choose to pervert His instructions. Sexual union is a beautiful act of love and tenderness, if it is enacted within the bond of marriage by partners who are faithful to each other and who seek the other's fulflillment more than their own. But it becomes a raw, sordid, and ruinous act when it is done outside this honorable setting, because it oversteps God's restrictions noted above.
