What other Scriptures reinforce the teachings found in Leviticus 18:23? Leviticus 18:23 — The Immediate Standard “‘You must not have sexual relations with any animal and defile yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it. That is a perversion.’” (Leviticus 18:23) Direct Cross-References in the Law God’s own law repeats and enlarges the same prohibition: • Exodus 22:19 — “Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.” • Leviticus 20:15-16 — “If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you are also to kill the animal… If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it… they must be put to death; their blood is on them.” • Deuteronomy 27:21 — “‘Cursed is he who has sexual relations with any animal.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’” Creation Foundations That Mark the Human-Animal Distinction • Genesis 1:26-28 — Humanity is made “in Our image,” tasked with ruling over the animals, not uniting with them sexually. • Genesis 2:20-25 — “No suitable helper was found” among the animals; God provides the woman, establishing marriage between one man and one woman. Broader Old-Testament Warnings Against Sexual Perversion • Leviticus 18:24-30 — All the listed sexual sins, including bestiality, “defile” the land so that “the land vomits out its inhabitants.” • Leviticus 20:13 — Unnatural sexual acts bring the same serious penalties, underscoring God’s intolerance for any distortion of His design. New-Testament Reinforcement of Sexual Purity While bestiality is not singled out by name, the New Testament condemns every form of sexual practice outside God’s created order: • Romans 1:24-27 — God gives up those who exchange “natural relations for unnatural ones.” • 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 — “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral… nor adulterers… will inherit the kingdom of God.” • Galatians 5:19-21 — “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery…” • Ephesians 5:3-5 — “Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality.” • Hebrews 13:4 — “Marriage must be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled.” • Jude 7 — Sodom and Gomorrah serve as an example of those who “indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh.” Why These Boundaries Matter • They protect the holiness of God’s covenant people (1 Peter 1:15-16). • They preserve the unique dignity of humans as image-bearers (Psalm 8:4-8). • They guard marriage as a picture of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32). • They prevent the spiritual and physical corruption that accompanies sexual sin (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Practical Implications for Believers Today • Affirm God’s created order in personal conduct, teaching, and discipleship. • Refuse entertainment or media that normalizes any form of sexual perversion. • Offer compassionate, truth-filled counsel to those ensnared in sexual sin, pointing them to the cleansing power of Christ (1 John 1:9). • Walk in the Spirit, producing purity and self-control that keep the body as “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). |
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