When the apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian church, he doesn’t tell them to simply avoid sexual immorality or resist it. He tells them to flee from it. The Greek word he uses—pheugete—means to run away as if your life depends on it. It’s the same urgent language used when Joseph literally ran from Potiphar’s wife, leaving his cloak behind.

But here’s the question that puzzles many readers: Why does Paul single out this particular sin? If all sins offend our holy God, why does sexual immorality get this special, urgent warning? And how do we reconcile this with the Reformed teaching that all sins are equally deserving of God’s judgement?

 

PAUL’S UNIQUE ARGUMENT: SINS AGAINST YOUR OWN BODY

Paul makes a startling claim in 1 Corinthians 6:18: “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” To understand this, we need to see what Paul has just explained about our bodies.

In verses 19-20, Paul reminds the Corinthians their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. They don’t belong to themselves—they were bought with the blood of Christ. When a Christian engages in sexual immorality, they’re not just breaking a rule. They’re taking what belongs to Christ and uniting it with someone outside the marriage covenant. Paul uses shocking language earlier in the passage: “Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute?” (v. 15).

Sexual intimacy, by God’s design, creates a profound “one flesh” union. This is beautiful and sacred within marriage, but deeply destructive when that bonding power is misused. Unlike sins that affect us externally or damage our relationships with others, sexual sin uniquely violates the temple itself. It’s self-destructive in a way that weaponises the very gift God designed for covenant love.

 

WHY THIS SIN GETS SPECIAL WARNING

Paul’s urgent command to flee isn’t arbitrary. Sexual sin carries particular dangers that make it worthy of special caution:

The power of sexual temptation is uniquely strong. Throughout church history, theologians from Augustine to Calvin have recognised sexual desire operates with unusual force in fallen human nature. It’s not that other temptations are weak, but sexual temptation combines physical drive with emotional longing and promises of intimacy in ways that can overwhelm reason and conscience. This is why Paul doesn’t say “stand and fight”—he says run.

The consequences ripple in multiple directions simultaneously. Sexual sin damages us spiritually by violating our union with Christ. It damages us psychologically because it creates bonds that were meant only for covenant marriage. It damages us relationally through betrayal and broken trust. And it can damage us physically through disease or pregnancies conceived outside of God’s protective design. Few sins touch so many dimensions of human existence at once.

Sexual sin is uniquely deceptive and enslaving. It presents itself as freedom, pleasure, and connection, but leads to bondage. Puritan John Owen wrote extensively about sin’s power to deceive, and sexual sin is perhaps the master deceiver. It promises satisfaction but creates insatiable appetite. It promises intimacy but produces shame and isolation. Calvin observed some sins have a greater capacity to entangle and enslave us than others—not because they’re worse in essence, but because of how they operate in our fallen nature.

Our culture constantly normalises and celebrates it. Paul wrote to Christians in Corinth, a city famous for its sexual immorality and temple prostitution. Sound familiar? Our context mirrors theirs. When the surrounding culture treats sexual sin as freedom and virtue, God’s people need clear, strong warnings to resist the current. Paul’s urgent tone reflects the strength of the opposing pressure.

 

EQUAL GUILT, UNEQUAL CONSEQUENCES

Here’s where we must think carefully. All sins are equal in one crucial sense: they all deserve God’s eternal judgement. Any sin, no matter how “small” it seems to us, is rebellion against an infinitely holy God. The Westminster Confession teaches us every transgression equally deserves God’s wrath. A “little” lie and murder both merit condemnation before God’s perfect justice.

But—and this is vital—Reformed theology has also always recognised sins differ in another sense:

Sins have different aggravations and circumstances. The Westminster Larger Catechism (Questions 150-151) explains that while all sins share the same guilt before God, they differ in “heinousness” based on factors like who commits them, who they’re committed against, and what damage they cause. A parent’s sin affects children differently than a stranger’s sin would. A leader’s sin damages more people than a private citizen’s. Context matters.

Sins produce different consequences in this life. All sin separates us from God and deserves punishment, but not all sins create the same earthly damage. Gossip harms differently than theft. Theft harms differently than murder. Sexual sin harms differently than pride. God’s moral law reflects reality—His commands protect us from harm that corresponds to the nature of each sin.

Sins vary in their enslaving power. Some sins more easily become addictive or compulsive. This doesn’t make them “worse” in terms of guilt, but it does make them more dangerous practically. Sexual sin’s capacity to create bondage is why Paul says to run from it rather than try to manage it. It’s like telling someone to flee a burning building rather than stay and fight the fire.

 

THE GOSPEL FRAMEWORK

Paul’s command to flee sexual immorality isn’t legalism—it’s mercy. He’s warning us away from something that will destroy what Christ died to redeem. The good news is that Christ’s blood covers sexual sin just as completely as any other sin. Paul reminds the Corinthians some of them were sexually immoral “and such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

The call to holiness flows from identity, not fear. We flee sexual sin not primarily to avoid punishment, but because of who we are: “You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (v. 19-20). We belong to Christ. Our bodies are His temple. Running from sexual sin is running toward the freedom and joy we were created for.

So when Paul singles out sexual sin with urgent warnings, he’s not contradicting the gospel or creating a hierarchy of condemnation.

He’s exercising pastoral wisdom, warning us about a particular danger that our culture celebrates, our flesh craves, and our enemy exploits. The command to flee is both a warning of danger and a signpost toward life.

 

‘FLEE SEXUAL SIN’: RELATED FAQs

What do Reformed scholars and counsellors say about pornography specifically? Tim Keller and John Piper have emphasised pornography creates unique neurological pathways that mimic the bonding effects of actual sexual intimacy. David Powlison noted pornography trains users to relate to people as objects rather than image-bearers of God, fundamentally distorting how we see others. Research cited by scholars shows pornography consumption can alter brain chemistry similarly to substance addiction, which explains why Paul’s “flee” language is so appropriate. The digital accessibility of pornography makes it an even more urgent concern than Paul’s original audience faced, requiring proactive accountability and technological boundaries.

• How do we help people who feel trapped in patterns of sexual sin? Reformed counsellors emphasise shame isn’t the same as godly sorrow, and that Satan uses shame to keep people isolated and stuck in cycles of sin. They typically encourage immediate confession to a trusted believer or counsellor, recognising that sexual sin thrives in secrecy but loses power when brought into the light. The counselling approach focuses on identifying triggers and circumstances that lead to temptation, and then creating practical “flee” strategies before temptation arrives. Most importantly, counsellors help people reconnect their struggle to their identity in Christ—reminding them their sin isn’t their identity and that the gospel offers both forgiveness and transforming power.
• Did the Reformers themselves write about sexual temptation? Yes, extensively. Martin Luther wrote candidly about his own struggles with sexual temptation before his marriage to Katharina von Bora. He encouraged marriage as God’s good design for channelling sexual desire appropriately. John Calvin devoted significant portions of his biblical commentaries to addressing sexual sin, emphasising sexual purity was essential to Christian witness in a corrupt culture. The Puritans, often caricatured as sexually repressive, actually wrote quite positively about sexual intimacy within marriage while warning strongly against its misuse outside marriage. Their writings show they understood sexual temptation as powerful precisely because sexual desire itself is a good gift that has been distorted by the fall.

Why does Paul say to “flee” sexual sin but “resist” the devil? Different sins require different strategies. James 4:7 tells us to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” suggesting we stand firm against direct spiritual attack. But sexual temptation often involves our own desires and physical presence in compromising situations, making escape the wiser strategy than resistance. John Owen observed that with sexual temptation, the battle is often lost if we stay to negotiate—Joseph’s example of literally running away demonstrates the wisdom of physical flight. The difference isn’t that sexual sin is “stronger” than Satan, but that the nature of sexual temptation requires removing ourselves from the situation rather than trying to tough it out.

• How should churches respond to members struggling with sexual sin? Pastors like Kevin DeYoung and Sam Allberry emphasise churches must be both truthful and gracious—clear about God’s sexual ethic while providing safe spaces for confession and support. Reformed counsellors recommend churches create same-gender accountability groups where people can be honest about their struggles without fear of immediate discipline or gossip. The goal is restoration, not punishment, following Galatians 6:1’s instruction to “restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” Churches that only preach against sexual sin without providing practical support and community often drive struggling members into deeper secrecy, while churches that provide compassionate accountability see genuine transformation.
• Is there a difference between temptation and sin in Paul’s teaching? Reformed theology distinguishes between temptation and sin—Jesus was tempted but never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). Experiencing sexual attraction or temptation is not itself sinful; it’s what we do with that temptation that matters. However, Reformed scholars note Jesus’ admonition that we guard our hearts and minds (Matthew 5:28): it’s a warning against entertaining lustful thoughts even if we don’t act on them physically. The line between temptation and sin is crossed when we choose to dwell on, fantasise about, or pursue the temptation rather than immediately turning away. This is why the “flee” command includes fleeing not just physical situations but also mental and digital environments that fuel temptation.

Why don’t we see Paul giving the same “flee” command for other serious sins like say, greed? Paul actually does use strong language about other sins—he tells Timothy to “flee from youthful passions” (2 Timothy 2:22) and to “flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14). However, Reformed scholars observe sexual sin receives particularly urgent language because of its unique combination of factors: powerful physical drives, deep emotional bonding, cultural normalisation, and the self-destructive violation of one’s own body. Theologian Rosaria Butterfield, who came to Christ out of a lesbian lifestyle, notes sexual sin often becomes bound up with personal identity in ways that other sins don’t. It makes repentance feel like a death of self rather than just a change of behaviour. Paul’s urgent tone reflects both the danger and the difficulty of this particular struggle.

 

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