Highway to Hell

In At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry, the author--Steve Gallagher--points out four motives of illicit sex that Solomon mentioned in the Bible.

1. The Forbidden

Proverbs 9:13-18
"A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.
For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
To call passengers who go right on their ways:
Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell."

Too often, we do things simply because we're not supposed to. If you have kids or have been around them for any length of time, you've seen this principle put into action.

If you tell a child, "Don't touch the stove, you'll get burned," 9 out of 10 times, the child will go ahead and touch the stove.

This has been the case since Genesis, with Eve and the Forbidden Fruit.

Our culture today is obessessed with being open-minded about everything. Ironically, the more they break down the "forbidden" barriers, the more drastic and depraved the acts become until they, too, are accepted. it is a spiral that gets steeper and steeper exponentially.

We often see this in criminal behavior as well. The rapist or the murderer perform one tiny forbidden act after another, until the thrill wears off and they have to "up the dosage", ultimately leading to something they would have thought that they would never do.

Casting Crowns says it perfectly in their song, Slow Fade.

 "It's a slow fade when you give yourself away

It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

It's a slow fade."


2. Ego Fulfillment

Proverbs 6: 24-28
"To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
Lust not after he beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
Can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be burned?"

People like to be noticed. To be paid attention to. To be desired and needed.

Guys look at pornography or hire prostitutes simply to feel needed or to reinforce their feelings of masculinity.

Females look at pornography or become prostitues/pornographic models to feel desired. They like the feeling of being desired and being the center of attention. However, they don't actually like sex, at least not engaging in the sexual activity they are being paid for.

That is why both pornography and prostitution is so appealing, to both sexes. The females on the screen or on the street corner, however, are simply ACTING.

For a former porn actress' testimony, click here.


3. Rewarding Oneself

Ecclesiastes 2:1, 8-11
"I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
...
I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit and there was no profit under the sun."

It is a prevalent view in our society that on the weekends, we ought to "cut loose" because "we deserve it."

Although I do agree with the fact that the weekends are a time to relax and have fun, I strongly disagree with the fact that  we ought to do so by engaging in sinful acts.

Sin is never a reward.

Sin always takes you further than you want to go and costs you more than you want to pay.


4. Variety

Proverbs 5: 1-5, 20
"My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
...
And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?"

"Variety is the spice of life", right? WRONG!

Variety keeps us dissatisfied. After engaging in one illicit act, or even perhaps in the middle of the act itself, we are already wondering about what the next girl will be like, or what the next movie will be like.

Variety is the source of dissatisfaction.


These are just four of the main reasons that people engage in Illicit sexual behavior.

Whatever the reason, each and everyone will lead to destruction.

Each and every one is a Highway to Hell.