The following are a few excerpts from Puritan pastor John Flavel regarding sexual sin and the scars it will leave and the judgment that will inevitably come. These are strong and sober words but ever true.

  Sexual sin often finds you out in this life

The shame and reproach attending [sexual sin] should be a preservative from it. Indeed the devil tempts to it by hopes of secrecy and concealment; but though many other sins lie hid, and possible shall never come to light until that day of manifestation of all hidden things, yet this is a sin that is most usually discovered.

Under the law, God appointed an extraordinary way for the discovery of it, Num. 5:13. And to this day the providence of God does often very strangely bring it to light, though it be a deed of darkness; the Lord has many times brought such persons, either by terror of conscience, frenzy, or some other means, to be the publishers and proclaimers of their own shame.

 If not in this life, it will find you out in the next

…If your wickedness should never be discovered here, yet there is a day coming when all will out, and that before angels and men. God will rip up your secret sins in the face of that great congregation at the day of judgment; then that which was done in secret shall be proclaimed as upon the house-top (Luke 12:3). The hidden things of darkness will be brought into the open light (Romans 2:16).

Sinner, there will be no [hiding] for you in the grave, no declining this bar; you refused, indeed, to come to the throne of grace, when God invited you, but there will be no refusing to appear before the bar of justice, when Christ shall summon you.

And as you cannot decline appearing, so neither can you then [diminish] and hide your wickedness any longer; for then shall the books be opened; the book of God’s omniscience, and the book of your own conscience, wherein all your secret villany is recorded: for though it ceased to speak to you, yet it ceased not to write and record your actions.

If your shameful sins should be divulged now, it would make you tear off your hair with indignation; but then all will be discovered: angels and men shall point at you, and say, Lo, this is the man, this is he that carried it so smoothly in this world.

 I will follow up tomorrow with a post that will instruct you how to deal with sexual sin, turn from it, and keep it from destroying your life. May you see the seriousness of this sin and turn from it to Christ and live!

 Jordan Tong