Why is sex compared to fire, and what happens when it is used outside God's control?
Sex is compared to fire because, under God’s mandated controls, it is glorious and a blessing, like fire warming a home or fueling a steel mill. When released outside that control, it becomes a wildfire: tragedy, ruined lives, ruined families, ruined marriages, and destruction through misusing God’s gift.
Les explains that fire under control is one of the greatest things God has given mankind: it warms homes, makes a glowing fireplace or wood heater enjoyable on a cold day, and is necessary in a steel mill and everyday life. It is a blessing of God. But fire turned loose as a wildfire brings devastation, tragedy, destruction, and whatever else you name. Les teaches that this is what sex is for the human race: under the controls God mandated, it is just as glorious as fire in the fireplace. But when it is turned loose as the world has done today, it becomes a tragedy—ruined lives, ruined families, and ruined marriages—all because of misappropriating this gift from God called sex. The context also ties fornication to sinning against one’s own body.