📖 Biblical Definition
Debauchery (aselgeia) in Scripture describes the open, shameless indulgence of the flesh — a life given over to sensual excess without restraint or remorse. Paul lists it among the works of the flesh: "sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality [aselgeia]" (Galatians 5:19). Peter warns against those who "follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed" (2 Peter 2:2). Debauchery is not mere weakness — it is the deliberate surrender of the soul to appetite, the willful exchange of self-control for self-indulgence.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Excess in eating or drinking; intemperance; habitual lewdness.
expand to see more
DEBAUCH'ERY, n. 1. Excess in eating or drinking; intemperance; habitual lewdness. 2. Corruption of fidelity; seduction from duty or allegiance. Webster understood debauchery as both sensual excess and moral corruption — a turning away from duty to God and neighbor.
📖 Key Scripture
• Galatians 5:19-21 — "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality..."
• Romans 13:13 — "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality."
• 1 Peter 4:3 — "The time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness."
• Ephesians 5:18 — "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Debauchery has been rebranded as personal freedom and self-expression.
expand to see more
Modern culture celebrates what Scripture condemns. Drunkenness is a rite of passage. Sexual excess is "exploring your sexuality." Gluttony is "body positivity." The entire entertainment industry is an engine of debauchery, normalizing licentiousness through music, film, and social media. What Paul calls "works of the flesh" the modern world calls "living your best life." The inversion is complete: self-control is mocked as repression, and debauchery is celebrated as liberation. But the wages of sin remain unchanged.
Usage
• "Paul's list of the works of the flesh is a catalogue of what modern culture calls freedom — debauchery rebranded as authenticity."
• "Ephesians 5:18 draws the sharpest contrast: you are either filled with the Spirit or filled with debauchery. There is no neutral ground."