Immorality has been in the world for centuries. Noah was surrounded by immorality (Gen. 6:5). Jeremiah and other prophets lived in the midst of immorality. Christians are likewise surrounded by immorality today.
God will one day put an end to the world’s immorality, but until then, He has given Christians guidance as to how we should respond to it. For instance, we must…
Stand for the Truth: The Holy Spirit through Paul admonished the Ephesians to “be strong in the Lord” (Eph. 6:10), putting on the “whole armor of God” (verse 11) and “having girded your loins with truth” (verse 14). To withstand Satan and the immorality he produces, we must stand steadfastly with Christ. This includes calling sin what it is, as John the Baptizer did when Herod the tetrarch was committing adultery with his brother Phillip’s wife (Matt. 14:3). Verse 4: …John said unto [Herod], “It is not lawful for thee to have her.” John had the courage to stand against immorality, even though he knew there was a chance the truth would not be received well. We must have this same zeal for the truth.
Speak in Love: Like John, Jesus took a stand against immorality. But the stand He took was never out of bitterness. It was always out of love for the soul(s) of the person(s) who needed to repent.
As Jesus looked at the multitudes in Matthew 9:36, “He was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd.” Jesus hates immorality but loves those who are living in immorality, and wants them to come to salvation (Luke 19:10).
Jesus did not speak against immorality in an arrogant way, even though He Himself never engaged in any of the sin that He opposed. Instead, He spoke against immorality with love and compassion (cf. John 8:3-11).
We must, like Christ, speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).
Shine Bright: While Christians’ speech must reflect truth, so too must our actions. We must “practice what we preach” (cf. Matt. 5:14-16). The Bible speaks of God-fearing people who preached sermons through their actions. Consider the impact Ruth had on other women through her love for Naomi (Ruth 4:14-15), or the impact Tabitha had on others through the good works she did (cf. Acts 9:36-39).
We can have an enormous influence on others by being the people God desires. If we are full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control, people will notice. If we give up things that the world deems important in order to pursue what God says is important, people will notice.
But if we live like the world, people will notice. To help others escape immorality, we must ourselves be free of immorality.
Pray: The power of proper prayer cannot be overstated. Prayer can help Christians throughout the world oppose sin without being severely persecuted (1 Tim. 2:2). Prayer can help us endure hardships we face. Prayer can help doors be opened for opportunities to lead people out of sin (Col. 4:3-4). While immorality will not go away as long as the earth is here, neither will the truth. Let us not be overcome by the darkness of immorality, but overcome darkness with the light of Christ and His Word.
– Michael Hickox