How does Leviticus 20:11 connect with New Testament teachings on sexual sin? Leviticus 20:11 at a Glance • “If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them must surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.” (Leviticus 20:11) • The offense: sexual relations within the father’s marriage bond—an act of incest and adultery. • The penalty: death, underscoring how grievous the sin is in God’s sight. The Moral Principle Behind the Penalty • God defends the purity of marriage (Genesis 2:24). • Violating the one-flesh union destroys family order and defiles the covenant community (Leviticus 18:6-8). • Though the civil penalty applied to Israel’s theocracy, the moral principle—sexual purity and respect for marriage—remains timeless. Echoes in the New Testament • “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man has his father’s wife.” (v. 1) • Paul cites a case identical to Leviticus 20:11, confirming the sin is still condemned under the New Covenant. • Instead of capital punishment, the church administers discipline: “hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh” (v. 5)—removal from fellowship so he might repent. • “The works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery … those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” • Sexual sin, including incestuous adultery, bars unrepentant offenders from the kingdom, showing eternal stakes rather than civil penalties. • “Marriage must be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.” • Judgment remains certain, even if the form differs from Leviticus. • “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality … not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God.” • The call to holiness reaffirms Leviticus’s demand for purity. Christ’s Fulfillment and Continued Call to Purity • Christ bore the law’s condemnation (Romans 8:3-4), so the death penalty is not enforced by the church state. • Yet He raises the moral bar: lust itself violates the command (Matthew 5:27-28). • Grace empowers purity: “But you were washed … justified in the name of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Practical Takeaways for Believers Today • Treat every sexual relationship outside God-ordained marriage as spiritually deadly. • Honor family boundaries; incest is still abhorrent to God. • Pursue church accountability—discipline aims at restoration, not revenge. • Rely on the Holy Spirit to “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). • Celebrate Christ’s redemption that removes guilt yet calls us to walk in holiness. |
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