Our sovereign God gives good gifts. He gave us the gift of sexuality, and he gave us guidelines to use that gift for his glory. The greatest gift he gave us was that of his Son’s blood to remedy all our shame, which comes not from sexuality itself but from sin. The culture around us says that following our sexual desires will make us happy. But only the Bible’s sexual ethic brings us to true, lasting joy.

We know that our culture’s sexual ethics are anything but biblical. Secular sources like Fox News, Human Rights Campaign, and USA Today report that 20–30 percent of Gen-Z Americans identify as LGBT+.

But what about Christian young people? Is sexual brokenness limited to the non-Christians of my generation? It isn’t. Baptist News Global reports that 76 percent of Christian young adults ages 18–24 actively search for porn.

Lamentably, I’m not shocked by this conclusion. The dismal statistic has been reflected in my life and in dozens of conversations I’ve had with young women surrounding this topic. Amid this darkness, believers need to be reminded of how the Bible’s sexual ethic draws us out of our shame and into the joy of the Lord.

Unsurprising and Tragic

As a young teen, I was introduced to sexually explicit content via “age-appropriate” internet platforms. I followed this exposure deep into sin. Friends have shared their disillusionment over the recently exposed secret sins of a trusted boyfriend, fiancé, or husband. Others have confessed personal sexual brokenness of various kinds.

Sexual intimacy is reserved for one man and one woman within the bounds of marriage. Period. The consequence of missing this mark is death—separation from a holy and just God. For those who have been sinned against, there will be justice. And for those who have sinned, there will be justice.

The apostle Paul writes, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality . . . will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9–10).

I’ve seen my generation make two main mistakes in response to passages like this.

Two Wrong Views

Several years ago, in a conversation with classmates at my public high school, our discussion turned to the topic of Christian morality. I still remember what one student said:

Yes, I do [commit a certain sin] sometimes. It’s not a big deal. It’s just that I don’t think that God would really send me to hell over that. That’s not the kind of God I believe in.

This friend had missed the realities of both God’s holiness and his abounding grace made manifest in Christ. This is the foundation of the gospel. I’ve heard the same misconception echoed numerous times among my peers.

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