Bible Question:
Will you go to hell if you have sex before you are married?
Bible Answer:
Will I go to hell if I have sex before marriage? That is a question that people who have a moral conscious have asked. Their conscience convicts them because they have had sex before being married. Some Christians ask the same question too! So if you have had sex before marriage, will you go to hell?
Will I go to hell if I have sex before marriage?
There is only one sin that God does not forgive. It is the sin of ultimately and finally rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord, and God. That is, the person has completely and permanantly rejected Jesus as their Savior, Lord, and God. The sin is called the unforgivable sin or the unpardonable sin. Complete and final rejection of Jesus Christ means the person will never believe in Jesus. Such individuals will go to hell and remain there for eternity.
But what does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? The answer is that someone who truly understands they are going to hell because they are sinners, and believes Jesus Christ can forgive their sins will seek His forgiveness. They will repent of their sins . John 3:16-18 gives us two promises.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18 (NASB)
Notice that we are told anyone who believes in Jesus Christ will not perish. God tells us in Acts 10:43 that,
Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. Acts 10:43 (NASB)
God want us to know that if we believe only Christ can forgive our sins and we sincerely want Him to forgive us, then He will. When a person believes in Christ, that is they believe what the Bible teaches about the person and work of Christ, all their sins are forgiven. Therefore, when a person repents of his or her sins and believes in Christ two things happen.
First, the promise says that anyone who believes in Christ will not perish. That is, the person will not go to hell. The second part of the promise is that when a person believes in Christ, they gain eternal life. They will never die and they will live with God forever.
Have you ever been in a boat with a huge hole in its side? A hole so big that you cannot stop the water from filling up the boat? A boat does not sink at the beginning. In fact, most people will not notice the boat sinking until there is to much water in the boat and it is too late. That is a picture of some people. Their “boat” is filling up with unbelief, and they do not know they are in trouble. They will not know they are sinking into hell until it is too late. If we come to Jesus depending on Him to forgive our sins, He will repair the hole in our boat. As life goes by, we will realize that He repaired the hole and be reminded of His wonderful love and forgiveness.
But sex before marriage is a sin that God will forgive when you become a Christian. If it is a sin that you are planning, however, God may create a horrible, violent storm to rock your boat and you may find yourself suffering. I am speaking figuratively. Why do I say this? Listen to this verse,
Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18 (NASB)
This is the only sin that God says is against the body. This implies trouble!
Conclusion:
If you are a Christian and you have committed extra marital sex in the past and have confessed it and repented, it has been forgiven . But you may be like many of us. After we have committed a “great sin” we usually have a very difficult time forgiving ourselves. May I suggest that you memorize a verse about God’s forgiveness and every time guilt or Satan tries to discourage you, trust God. Believe God! Trust His promises to you as you repeat one of these verses 1 John 1:9 or Ps. 103:12. Then believe and trust the following verses.
I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43:25 (NASB)
He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. Micah 7:18b (NASB)
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NASB)