After a sinner is saved and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to Him, and Christ's divine nature is imparted to his soul, he then begins to hunger and thirst after righteousness within his heart, soul, and mind. The new birth, regeneration, is the beginning of sanctification. He longs to have a righteous nature. There is a fountain of sin within his heart, and sin continually flows from it. He wants his nature to be changed and renewed within. He was once a lover of sin, but he is now made a new creature that loves that which is good and right and truth before the LORD. He fears the LORD and longs to be renewed in the spirit of his mind. The things he used to love, he now hates; and the things he used to hate, he now loves. He pines to be righteous in his character privately and publicly.
He desires truth in his inward parts, he wants his whole nature to be kept pure by the Holy Ghost. He doesn't want any sin to have dominion over him. He asks the Lord to subdue his pride, correct his judgment, purify his thought life, keep his will in check, make him pure in his innermost being, and keep his conduct (speech and actions) towards his fellow-man truthful and just. He wants his daily practical life to be transparent, sincere and fruitful. He pines to be kept right by the Holy Spirit. He wants his bad habit to be put down. He thirsts for more grace and wisdom. He perceives his propensity to evil, he senses tendency to sin, he mourns and repents over this. He hungers to be more like Jesus within and without. He wants to be made right and kept right by the grace of God. Iron is not gold, and morality is not holiness.
If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door; Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her. For this is an *heinous crime*; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges (Job 31:9-11). A wound and *dishonour* shall he get; and his *reproach* shall not be wiped away. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it *destroyeth his own soul* (Proverbs 6:32-33). Because they have committed *villany* in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD (Jeremiah 29:23). 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 5:28). For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt *love thy neighbour* as thyself (Romans 13:9).
For this is *the will of God*, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor (I Thessalonians 3:3-4). Joseph resisted the temptation to commit adultery. Joseph said it was a great wickedness to commit adultery. But Joseph refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this *great wickedness*, and sin against God? And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her (Genesis 39:8-10).
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted (Galatians 6:1). And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen (Matthew 6:13). For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter (II Corinthians 7:10-11).
This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil (I Timothy 3:1-7). Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear (I Timothy 5:19-20).
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (I Corinthians 5:1-8).
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body (I Corinthians 6:18). But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood (Acts 15:20). That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well (Acts 15:29). As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication (Acts 21:25).
Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light (Romans 13:12). And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Ephesians 5:11). And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19). Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12). I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness (John 12:46). And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Ephesians 5:11). If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth (I John 1:6).
Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body (I Corinthians 6:13). Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband (I Corinthians 7:2). For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed (II Corinthians 12:20-21). Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock (I Peter 5:2-3).
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (Galatians 5:19). But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints (Ephesians 5:3). And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not (Revelation 2:21). Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts (Revelation 9:21). As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly (Proverbs 26:11).
The adulterer loves his sin and wants the whole church to compromise, do wrong, and ignore their sin, so they don't have to repent. They would rather destroy the cause of Christ and a good church to try to cover up their sorry sin. Adulterers don't get better, if you let them stay in the church; the church only dissolves and gets worse and worse. Repentance is hating sin enough to forsake it. Is God pleased and is Christ glorified? That's what's important. Cancer hurts your body, fornicators hurt your church, and sin hurts your soul. Mooching, leeching, freeloading, loafing, stinting, laziness, wanting something for nothing is a sin.
