So let's address this right out of the gate: the terms “soul tie” and “open door” are not phrases found in Scripture. They are teaching terms to help us understand conceptually what is being taught in Scripture. So we should be careful not to turn these specific terms into doctrines that the Bible doesn't explicitly teach. But Scripture is very clear about this: Sex is never “just physical.” From the beginning, God designed sexual intimacy to be connected to covenant:
“Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.” -Genesis 2:24
The Hebrew word for “join” is dabaq), meaning to cling, hold fast, or stick closely together. God's design was covenant first, intimacy within that covenant, and one flesh as the result.
Genesis also gives us a sobering example outside of that design. After Shechem slept with Dinah, Scripture says:
“His soul was joined to Dinah.” -Genesis 34:3
The word “joined” is again dabaq. Scripture isn't giving us a doctrine called “soul ties,” but it is showing us something important: sexual intimacy can create a deep attachment between people. Paul makes this even clearer in 1 Corinthians 6:
“He who is joined to a prostitute is one body… ‘The two,’ he says, ‘will become one flesh.’” -1 Corinthians 6:16
Paul quotes Genesis 2:24, the passage about marriage, and applies its one-flesh language to sexual intimacy outside marriage.
That just seems pretty significant to me.
And clearly, sex doesn't simply become meaningless simply because there is no covenant. The physical act can still create a joining that God intended to exist within marriage. That's why Paul doesn't tell us just to casually try to manage sexual temptation. He says:
“Flee sexual immorality!” -1 Corinthians 6:18
The Greek word pheugō means to flee, or to run away. Not walk, not fight... run!
Interestingly, the bible also says "Resist the devil, and he will flee...". Notice here the message- resist the devil himself, but RUN from sexual immorality. Why? Because our bodies belong to God.
“Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” -1 Corinthians 6:19
So what about the phrase people keeping mentioning about “open doors”?
Scripture does teach that sin gives the enemy opportunity (Ephesians 4:27), but it doesn't give us a formula saying that every sexual sin automatically creates a specific demonic “door.” Any sin opens a door of opportunity for the enemy to attack or influence us.
We don't need to exaggerate Scripture to take this, or any type of sin, seriously.
Sin has consequences. Sexual sin has consequences. And God calls us to repentance, purity, and restoration.
Maybe you've already crossed that line. Maybe you carry attachments, memories, or wounds from previous relationships into your marriage. Don't let that become a sentence of condemnation. Let this be a notice that you can surrender all of these things are begin again, just as things were intended from the start.
Paul tells believers:
“Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified…” -1 Corinthians 6:11
Your past does not have to define you. Your mistakes do not define you. You are who God says you are, and THAT is worth stepping into!
Remember, not to judge the speck in others eyes while not dealing with the plank in your own. Any type of sexual relationship outside of the design and will of God is equally wrong, not one seemingly more than another, that we are told.
Sex is powerful because God made it powerful. But it was never intended to be casual. It was designed for covenant, intimacy, and one flesh. That's why God's command for sexual purity isn't about God trying to keep something good from us, it's about protecting what He created for us.
~Devin
Devin Osborne
The Early Church
