But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Ephesians 5:3-5

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Line up one hundred Christians and ask them, “What’s the worst sin?” You’ll get a lot of answers. Maybe we should get Steve Harvey to take a poll for Family Feud and find out which ones rise to the top. I guarantee sins related to sex will be in the top five. Why is that? Because when people read into Scripture, instead of allowing God’s Word to exegete their heart, we accidentally replace commas with periods.

Take Ephesians 5:3, for example. It’s easy to focus on the first line and stop reading: “…there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality.” Paul starts this section with a big issue, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not the whole list. Letting sexual desires flow outside God’s design for holiness is just one of several equally concerning and damaging sins. It’s true, Paul does emphasize the uniquely pervasive nature of sexual immorality on the mind and body in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, but this doesn’t exclude the other sins from scrutiny. When we keep the comma in mind, the list of sins in Ephesians 5:3-5 are sexual immorality, any kind of impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking. Why does this matter? Because sin—all sin, regardless of the weighty array of consequences—results in idolatry, shattering our relationship with God.

And so, for anyone hung up on why God cares so much about sexual impropriety as if it outweighs other sins, there’s a bigger question at stake: If stepping out of bounds sexually isn’t a big deal for you, in what other areas are you entertaining misguided sensual desires that lead your heart away from the heart of God? How are you doing with bitterness, conceit, gluttony, shaming, hoarding, rage, and so on? It’s time for followers of Jesus to recognize that sins, both private and public, are insidious but grace, forgiveness, and healing are free for all.

The lists of sinful behaviors and attitudes in the Bible aren’t there to create spiritual compliance checklists. They highlight what happens to humans who ignore their Creator, live on their own terms, and go against how He created them to experience life in all its fullness. The next time you’re tempted to fixate on one sin that overshadows all others, remember, keep your eye out for the comma and invite God to address any impurity that resides within.

Next Steps

Why do you think Christians and churches escalate sexual sin above other disobedience against God? How has your understanding about this discrepancy changed over time? Who is someone you will have a heart-to-heart conversation with this weekend about what you’re learning and thinking about these days regarding sin, sexual or otherwise?