Prostitution violates God’s design for sex within the covenant of marriage, but no one is beyond His forgiveness. Through faith in Christ, even those who have lived in sin can be redeemed, forgiven, and used for God’s purposes.
Scripture condemns prostitution as a sin. The Genesis account of God’s creation of Adam and Eve shows that sex was to be within the covenant of marriage (Genesis 2:24-25). Old Testament Mosaic Law made it clear that God considers prostitution a sin (Deuteronomy 23:17-18). God often used the metaphor of Israel as a prostitute because they had turned to other gods, committing idolatry (Hosea 4:12). But the Bible also shows that God is willing to and has forgiven those involved in prostitution. The most famous account in the Bible is a prostitute named Rahab, who lived in Jericho, and protected Israeli spies. Through her actions, she showed she believed in the God of Israel. The result was that God protected Rahab and her family when Israel defeated Jericho and then used Rahab in the family line of King David and Jesus. In fact, the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day criticized Jesus for associating with prostitutes and other sinners, but Jesus was showing Himself as the Great Healer, One who could save sinners (Luke 7:36-50; Mark 2:17). Prostitutes and other sinners can accept Christ as Savior, confess and repent of their sins, and become new creations in Christ. (1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
God forbids prostitutions and involvement with prostitutes because it damages men and woman and is not in keeping with the holiness He expects from those who are His image-bearers (Genesis 1:26). Prostitution not only destroys marriages, families, and lives, but it destroys the spirit and soul in a way that leads to physical and spiritual death. God’s desire is that we stay pure and use our bodies as tools for His use and glory.
Although prostitution is sinful, prostitutes are not beyond God’s scope of forgiveness. Those who have engaged with prostitutes are also not beyond forgiveness upon repentance. Like anyone else, prostitutes have the opportunity to receive salvation and eternal life from God, to be redeemed of all their unrighteousness and be given a brand-new life in Christ. All they must do is turn away from their sinful lifestyle and turn to the living God, whose grace and mercy are endless.