Works of the Flesh.
This could also be entitled, Holiness. The works of the flesh is the very opposite to holiness. We as Christians are called to holiness and the works of the flesh is supposed to be done away with as we live a new creature in Christ Jesus.
Adultery
From the Greek word moicheia meaning unlawful sexual relations between a man or woman whether single or married.
Galatians 5:19
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Adultery is one of the works of the flesh mentioned in the book of Galatians. Adultery is also fornication but fornication may not necessarily be adultery.
Matthew 5: 27
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
We see here that adultery can be committed by the thoughts and desires of our hearts and not necessarily be done in actuality.
Matthew 15:
19
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:Adultery comes from within the heart according to Matthew 15: 19 and they defile the person.
Matthew 19
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit
adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The Ten Commandments given to Moses by God forbid adultery. It is part of the New Testament rule that Jesus gave, which is to love thy neighbor as thyself. Notice that if you truly love others you will not want to defraud them by stealing their wives or husbands. You would treat others, as you would want to be treated.
Mark 10
11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another,
committeth adultery against her.
12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth
adultery.
Jesus Christ makes it plain that remarrying after divorce is adultery. God is really against divorce. This is a sin just like anything else that can be forgiven but no matter how we try to lay this aside and make exceptions this is what Jesus Christ himself taught and we can't try to explain it away. If we find ourselves divorced and remarried we must repent of this and seek God for forgiveness.
Matt 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
In Matthew Jesus also says that divorce and remarriage causes the sin of adultery to be committed but we see an exception here. If the offending partner has committed the sin of fornication then divorce is permitted. The definition for fornication is below.
Luke 16
18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery:
and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Luke 18:20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not
kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
This commandment is repeated in the book of Luke.
Romans 2: 22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Paul mentions in the book of Romans about adultery. He is teaching that if you preach against adultery you should also not commit adultery yourself. To live what you teach.
John 8:
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when
they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped
down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that
is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by
one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman
standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her,
Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and
sin no more.
Adultery can be forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ. Notice though that Jesus instructs the woman to go and sin no more. Jesus is not excusing the sin of adultery but rather forgiving it and instructing the woman not to go and repeat the sin. This is a comfort to those who may have already divorced and remarried. There is hope. All past sin can be forgiven and forsaken. How great this is that when we have committed adultery we can be saved. At one time those committing adultery were stoned to death. Through the mercy of God, He made a way that we can be forgiven of adultery and start again. He still hates adultery but the blood of Jesus cleanses adultery along with every sin mankind has committed. Our job is to ask forgiveness and then not go and do it again. Go and sin no more Jesus said to the woman taken in adultery.
Romans 13
9 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.
Paul brings out the fact that if you love your neighbor as yourself it is certain that you will not commit adultery by stealing your neighbor's spouse. Perfect God given love will keep us from sin.
Fornication
From the Greek word porneia. That is where we get the word pornography.
This has the same meaning as adultery plus all other relations that are unlawful such as incest, beastiality, homosexuality, lesbianism etc.
Matt 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Ephesians 5
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Colossians 3
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Matthew 15:
19
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:Fornication was the only excuse for divorce in the four gospels. Jesus stated that a man was not to divorce his wife unless she committed fornication. He shows here that even marrying a divorced woman was considered adultery. Seems as if the divorce itself is not adultery but the remarrying is. It is also a sin which proceeds from the heart as other sins do also. It comes from within. The heart and soul of mankind is the part that needs cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. This is done at the point of receiving Jesus Christ as savior. All past is then forgiven. We are to go and sin no more.
Uncleanness
From the Greek word, akatharsia. This includes whatsoever is not pure. This would include sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, pederasty, bestiality and many other sexual perversions
Romans 1
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own
hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more
than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their
lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in
themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over
to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable,
unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of
death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
In the first chapter of Romans we see what happens when men and women forsake God. God gives them up. There wouldn't have to be a literal hell in my mind to be in hell. Hell to me would be to not have God in my life. I want to be in the will of God. You see a picture of many societies today in this first chapter. The reason what was once wrong to them doesn't seem wrong anymore is that their minds have been given over to evil. Their conscience has been seared. They become so mixed up in their thinking that what was once right is now wrong and what was once wrong is now right. Look at the United States today. It is now become wrong to speak out against abortion and homosexuality and it has become right to support and sanction those same actions. Everything is the opposite that what it is supposed to be.
Attitudes toward God and the bible have changed drastically. It used to be that even those out of fellowship with the Lord still respected God and gave reverence to the bible. Now you see many deny God's right to interfere in their daily lives. Many more just do not believe that he even exists preferring the misleading teaching of evolution to explain our existence. Many more have dared to try to change the meaning of the bible for their own desires. Even more have set aside the bible as just another piece of literature written by man. When I read the first chapter of Romans, I see my own country and the sad state described here given over to deception and lust without restraint.
Romans 6
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye
have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity;
even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
Once we come to Christ and profess his salvation, we are not to yield to the old nature anymore. After coming to Christ, we are now a new creature in Christ and we are to yield to righteousness and holiness. We still have the power to choose but we also have His Holy Spirit to help us to make the right choices. No sexual immorality belongs in the heart of a child of God.
2 Corinthians 12 21 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.
If we are guilty of any sexual sins after becoming a Christian we are not automatically covered by grace, we must repent of those things and get those things out of our lives. We are not to continue in sin. Remember that the Lord said to the woman taken in adultery. "Go and sin not more." Repent means to be sorry for sin and to make a change. It is more than just being sorry that you are caught but to desire to change and be different. True repentance will bring cleansing, refreshing and make us right with the Lord.
. Ephesians 4
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Uncleanness is mentioned several times in the scripture as referring to some serious sexual sin and immorality. We see that it is much more than being physically unclean but refers to an inner uncleanness within the soul. This is why Christ came. He came to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We are not to indulge in these things after coming to Christ for salvation.
Matthew 23
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited
sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's
bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of
hypocrisy and iniquity.
It is possible to look holy and clean on the outside but be full of sin and iniquity within the inner part of our souls. A hypocrite is described here as being beautiful on the outside but full of uncleanness and evil.
Ephesians 5
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Let is not be once named among you. We are not to partake in any sexual sins and perversion of any kind after becoming a Christian. We are forgiven of any past sin but we are to go and sin no more. Any sin committed after coming to Christ must be repented of and forsaken.
Colossians 3
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
To mortify means to put to death. Put to death, destroy anything within our souls that is causing us to sin. Put to death uncleanness, fornication, inordinate affection and evil. These sins are classified as idolatry here.
Works of the Flesh Lasciviousness
