Short answer: Yes. Sexual abuse of a child is a grave sin and a crime, and the Bible condemns it without any ambiguity. The modern word "pedophilia" is not in Scripture, but the Bible forbids all sexual immorality, commands us to love our neighbor without harming them, and speaks with Jesus' own severity about anyone who causes a child to stumble. There is no biblical argument that excuses it.
In This Article
- What Does The Bible Say About Pedophilia?
- Why Does Jesus Speak So Strongly About Harming Children?
- Is Pedophilia Sexual Immorality According To Scripture?
- What Should The Church Do When A Child Is Harmed?
- Is There Hope For Survivors And For Those Who Repent?
- Key Bible Verses About Protecting Children And Sexual Purity
This is not a topic to treat lightly, and I will not. Some readers are asking because of a news story or a conversation at church. Some are asking because they are survivors. A few may be asking because they are afraid of something in themselves. I want to speak to all of you with honesty and care, and without graphic detail.
Let me be direct about where this article will end up, since I have never had any doubt about it. Pedophilia is sin, with no discussion. The rest is Scripture, and what it tells the church to do.
What Does The Bible Say About Pedophilia?
The word itself is modern, so you will not find it in a concordance. That is true of many things the Bible clearly addresses without naming them. What Scripture gives us is a set of principles that leave no gap for this act to slip through.
First, the Bible condemns sexual immorality in every form. The Greek word porneia, which I explain in defining porneia in the Bible, covers every sexual act outside God's design for marriage between one man and one woman. Paul tells the Ephesians how seriously to take it.
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
Ephesians 5:3 (NIV)
Second, the Bible commands love that does no harm. Abusing a child is the opposite of that love: it takes power over someone who cannot protect themselves and uses them for oneself.
Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:10 (NIV)
Third, Scripture lists the heart sins from which these acts come. Jesus names sexual immorality among the evils that come out of a person's heart (Mark 7:21-23), and Paul lists it among the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-21). For the wider teaching, see what sexual immorality is according to the Bible.
Why Does Jesus Speak So Strongly About Harming Children?
Because children matter to him. When people tried to keep them away, Jesus was angry, and he welcomed them (Matthew 19:14). And when he speaks of those who would harm them, he uses the strongest language in the Gospels.
it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Matthew 18:6 (NIV)
That sentence is about anyone who causes one of "these little ones" to stumble, and it is not a figure of speech I would soften. In the same chapter, Jesus says the Father does not want even one of the little ones to be lost (Matthew 18:1-14). Children are held up as examples of the trust we need to enter the kingdom, which makes harming them even more terrible. For more on how the Bible treats children, read what the Bible says about children.
Is Pedophilia Sexual Immorality According To Scripture?
Yes, and it adds something more. Sexual immorality is any sexual act God has not blessed. Abuse adds violence, deceit and betrayal of trust, which are further sins stacked on the first. Paul also warns believers not to wrong or take advantage of others in sexual matters, because the Lord is an avenger in such cases (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8).
Paul also warns that the sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of God unless they repent (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). In the lists of how people turn away from God, Romans 1 and 2 Timothy 3 describe people without natural affection, those who are unloving (Romans 1:31, 2 Timothy 3:2-3). I would not claim those verses are written about this specific act, and I would not use them as a label for any person. But they show where a heart goes when it has lost the love God commands.
Another point matters here. The Bible calls us to take sin seriously at the level of desire, before it becomes an act. Jesus said lust is already a sin of the heart (see is lust a sin in the Bible). If someone is troubled by sexual thoughts about children, the Bible's answer is the same as for any sin: do not feed it, flee from it, and bring it into the light with a pastor and a qualified counselor now. Do not wait until someone is hurt. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says to flee from sexual immorality, and fleeing means getting help and putting real boundaries in place.
What Should The Church Do When A Child Is Harmed?
Protect the child first. Not the reputation of the church, the family or the offender. Paul says that governing authorities are God's servants to punish wrongdoing (Romans 13:1-4), and so when a child has been harmed, the right step is to report it to the police or child protection authorities. A church should never handle abuse "internally" as if it were only a sin matter. It is also a crime.
A few practical principles follow from Scripture:
- Believe and protect the child. Jesus' words about the millstone are addressed to those who harm them, not to those who report it.
- Do not rush to forgive on the offender's behalf. Forgiveness before God is real, but it does not cancel consequences, and it never means returning someone to a position where children are at risk.
- Keep people in leadership accountable. A person who abuses a child is permanently unfit for any role with access to children, and anyone who covers it up shares in the failure. For leaders who fall, see what the Bible says about pastors who sin.
- Walk with survivors for the long haul. Healing takes time, professional help and patient friends.
Is There Hope For Survivors And For Those Who Repent?
For survivors: what happened was not your fault, and God sees it. The Lord hears the cry of the oppressed, and he is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Shame belongs to the person who did it, not to you. I would encourage you to speak with a trusted counselor, and a pastor you trust, as part of healing.
For anyone who has done this: the Bible does not minimize your sin, and neither should you. The gospel does offer forgiveness to a person who truly repents (1 John 1:9), but real repentance includes facing the consequences, including the law. See how to repent for what the Bible teaches.
Key Bible Verses About Protecting Children And Sexual Purity
- Matthew 18:6: Jesus' severe warning to anyone who causes a little one to stumble.
- Matthew 19:14: Jesus welcomes the children.
- Romans 13:10: love does no harm to a neighbor.
- Ephesians 5:3: not even a hint of sexual immorality.
- 1 Corinthians 6:18: flee from sexual immorality.
- Psalm 34:18: the Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pedophilia a sin?
Yes. Sexually abusing a child is a grave sin and a crime. The Bible condemns all sexual immorality and commands love that does no harm to a neighbor (Romans 13:10).
Does the Bible mention pedophilia directly?
The modern word is not in Scripture, but the principles are clear. Jesus said it would be better for anyone who causes a little one to stumble to have a millstone hung around their neck (Matthew 18:6).
What should I do if a child is being abused?
Protect the child and report it to the police or child protection authorities right away. A church should never handle abuse only as an internal matter, because it is also a crime (Romans 13:1-4).
Can someone who has abused a child be forgiven?
Forgiveness before God is offered to anyone who truly repents, but it never removes legal consequences and never means restoring access to children. See how to repent.
Where can a survivor find hope in the Bible?
Psalm 34:18 says the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. What happened was not the survivor's fault, and healing is best sought with a trusted counselor and pastor.
