Perversion
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Perversion, in a biblical context, refers to the distortion or corruption of what is considered morally right and true according to God's standards. It involves turning away from the intended purpose or design established by God, often leading to sinful behavior and moral decay. The Bible addresses various forms of perversion, emphasizing the importance of adhering to God's commandments and the consequences of deviating from His path.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, perversion is often associated with the corruption of justice and the distortion of truth. Proverbs 17:23 states, "A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice." This highlights the moral decay that occurs when individuals prioritize personal gain over righteousness. Similarly, Isaiah 5:20 warns, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter." This verse underscores the danger of moral relativism and the perversion of ethical standards.

The concept of perversion is also linked to idolatry and the worship of false gods. In Deuteronomy 32:5, the Israelites are described as having "acted corruptly toward Him; to their shame they are no longer His children, but a warped and crooked generation." This passage illustrates how turning away from the worship of the one true God leads to a perversion of their identity and purpose.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, perversion is addressed in the context of false teachings and moral corruption. The Apostle Paul warns against those who distort the gospel message. In Galatians 1:7, he writes, "which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ." Here, perversion is seen as a serious threat to the integrity of the Christian faith.

Sexual immorality is another form of perversion addressed in the New Testament. Romans 1:26-27 speaks of God giving people over to "dishonorable passions," resulting in unnatural relations. This passage highlights the consequences of rejecting God's design for human sexuality and the resulting moral degradation.

Moral and Spiritual Implications

Perversion, as depicted in the Bible, is not merely a deviation from societal norms but a fundamental departure from God's divine order. It is often characterized by a willful rejection of God's truth and a pursuit of self-serving desires. The Bible consistently calls believers to uphold righteousness and resist the temptation to pervert justice, truth, and morality.

The spiritual implications of perversion are profound, as it leads to separation from God and the breakdown of community and personal integrity. The call to repentance and restoration is a recurring theme, as seen in passages like 2 Chronicles 7:14, which urges God's people to "humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways."

Conclusion

While the Bible acknowledges the reality of perversion in a fallen world, it also offers hope for redemption and transformation through faith in Jesus Christ. Believers are encouraged to live in accordance with God's truth, resisting the perversion of His commandments and striving to reflect His holiness in their lives.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(n.) A turning from truth or right; a diverting from the true intent or purpose; a change to something worse; a turning or applying to a wrong end or use.
Strong's Hebrew
4297. mutteh -- that which is perverted, perverted justice
... 4296, 4297. mutteh. 4298 . that which is perverted, perverted justice.
Transliteration: mutteh Phonetic Spelling: (moot-teh') Short Definition: perversion. ...
/hebrew/4297.htm - 6k

5558. seleph -- crookedness, crooked dealing
... crookedness. Word Origin from salaph Definition crookedness, crooked dealing
NASB Word Usage crookedness (1), perversion (1). perverseness. ...
/hebrew/5558.htm - 6k

7078. qenets -- a snare, net
... hunt* (1). end. From an unused root probably meaning to wrench; perversion --
end. 7077, 7078. qenets. 7079 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/7078.htm - 5k

8397. tebel -- confusion
... Definition: incest. Word Origin appar. from balal Definition confusion NASB
Word Usage incest (1), perversion (1). Tabor. Apparently ...
/hebrew/8397.htm - 6k

Library

Evil Arises not from a Substance, but from the Perversion of the ...
... Book VII. Chapter XVI."Evil Arises Not from a Substance, But from the
Perversion of the Will. 22. And I discerned and found it ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter xvi evil arises not from.htm

The Gods of the Different Nations Varro's Gentile Class. Their ...
... Class. Their Inferiority. A Good Deal of This Perverse Theology Taken from
Scripture. Serapis a Perversion of Joseph. There remains ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/ad nationes/chapter viii the gods of the.htm

Truth First, Falsehood Afterwards, as Its Perversion Christ's ...
... Chapter XXXI."Truth First, Falsehood Afterwards, as Its Perversion Christ's Parable
Puts the Sowing of the Good Seed Before the Useless Tares. ...
/.../chapter xxxi truth first falsehood afterwards.htm

The Theory of the Church, and the History of Its Perversion.
... SECTION III. THE WORSHIP AND CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH. CHAPTER XIII. THE THEORY
OF THE CHURCH, AND THE HISTORY OF ITS PERVERSION. CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/chapter xiii the theory of.htm

What Corruption Affects and what it Is.
... In the case of a thing changing for the better, the change is not from continuance,
but from perversion to the worse, that is, from falling away from essence ...
/.../chapter 6 name corruption affects.htm

Perseverance of Saints.
... state really believe the doctrine, and therefore it is not the tendency of the doctrine
when believed that harms him, but a gross abuse and perversion of it. ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture l perseverance of saints.htm

Perishing or Being Saved
... in the sweeping away of all of these, whether the sin itself, or the fatal facility
with which we yield to it, or the desolation and perversion which it brings ...
/.../romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/perishing or being saved.htm

The Sacrament of Living
... Perversion, misuse and abuse of our human powers should give us cause enough to
be ashamed. ... Let us, however, assume that perversion and abuse are not present. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tozer/the pursuit of god/x the sacrament of living.htm

Religion and Amusement.
... particular amusement is, on this ground, shut up to the necessity of proving that
what he approves and practices is absolutely pure, and incapable of perversion ...
/.../vincent/amusement a force in christian training/religion and amusement.htm

Chapter xxxviii
... But in addition to these two faults there was palpably involved the sin of a complete
perversion of the purpose of marriage, that divine institution. ...
/.../leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxviii.htm

Thesaurus
Perversion (13 Occurrences)
... applying to a wrong end or use. Multi-Version Concordance Perversion (13
Occurrences). Romans 1:27 Likewise also the men, leaving ...
/p/perversion.htm - 11k

Beelzebub (7 Occurrences)
... It may have been an accident of popular pronunciation, or a conscious perversion
(Beelzebul in Syriac = "lord of dung"), or Old Testament zebhubh may have been ...
/b/beelzebub.htm - 10k

Baptist (16 Occurrences)
... 6. Baptismal Regeneration: (For the doctrine of baptismal regeneration see Justin
Martyr, First Apology, 61.) Out of this perversion of the symbolism of ...
/b/baptist.htm - 56k

Interpretation (45 Occurrences)
... 6. Baptismal Regeneration: (For the doctrine of baptismal regeneration see Justin
Martyr, First Apology, 61.) Out of this perversion of the symbolism of ...
/i/interpretation.htm - 57k

Perverseness (46 Occurrences)

/p/perverseness.htm - 18k

Wrest (8 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To tune with a wrest, or key. 4. (n.) The act of wresting; a wrench; a violent
twist; hence, distortion; perversion. 5. (n.) Active or moving power. ...
/w/wrest.htm - 10k

Intercourse (6 Occurrences)
... 18:23 "'You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it; neither shall
any woman give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion...
/i/intercourse.htm - 8k

Iniquity (299 Occurrences)
... awon is derived from the latter, and consequently expresses the idea of error,
deviation from the right path, rather than that of perversion (Driver, Notes on ...
/i/iniquity.htm - 43k

Incest (1 Occurrence)
... Leviticus 20:12 "'If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely
be put to death: they have committed a perversion; their blood shall be ...
/i/incest.htm - 7k

Fraud (15 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) An intentional perversion of truth for the purpose of obtaining some valuable
thing or promise from another. 3. (n.) A trap or snare. ...
/f/fraud.htm - 11k

Resources
What does the Bible mean when it refers to something as a perversion? | GotQuestions.org

Premarital sex ' What does the Bible say? | GotQuestions.org

What is the exception clause? | GotQuestions.org

Perversion: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Perversion (13 Occurrences)

Romans 1:27
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error.
(See NIV)

Jude 1:7
Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, having, in the same way as these, given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
(See NIV)

Leviticus 18:23
"'You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it; neither shall any woman give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion.
(WEB JPS NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 20:12
"'If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have committed a perversion; their blood shall be upon them.
(WEB NIV)

Deuteronomy 13:5
And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he hath spoken rebellion against Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage, to draw thee aside out of the way which Jehovah thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
(See JPS)

2 Chronicles 19:7
Now therefore let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it; for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes.'
(See RSV)

Psalms 5:9
For there is no certainty in their mouth; their inward part is perversion, their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
(DBY)

Proverbs 15:4
A soothing tongue is a tree of life; but perverseness therein is a wound to the spirit.
(See NAS)

Ecclesiastes 5:8
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perversion of judgment and justice in a province, wonder not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there are higher than they.
(WBS)

Isaiah 29:16
Your perversion! as clay is the potter esteemed? That the work saith of its maker, 'He hath not made me?' And the framed thing said of its framer, 'He did not understand?'
(YLT)

Jeremiah 28:16
Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will send thee away from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken rebellion against Jehovah.
(See JPS)

Jeremiah 29:32
therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed; he shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he behold the good that I will do unto my people, saith Jehovah, because he hath spoken rebellion against Jehovah.
(See JPS)

Ezekiel 9:9
Then said he to me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perversion: for they say, Yahweh has forsaken the land, and Yahweh doesn't see.
(WEB NAS)

Subtopics

Perversion

Related Terms

Perversion (13 Occurrences)

Perversity (23 Occurrences)

Winks (3 Occurrences)

Principality (3 Occurrences)

Compresses (1 Occurrence)

Plot (53 Occurrences)

Bent (107 Occurrences)

Perverseness
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