Here is a study on a very important issue, especially for those of us who are single/divorced/widowed and are looking for that right mate.
1Cor 6::9 � Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
Now Paul contrasts believers from unbelievers
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
Let me pause here for a moment and go over what the term "Harlot" means. It is anyone who engages in sex outside of marriage either for money.... OR... PLEASURE.
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." {Gen 2:24}
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 FLEE sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God�s.
Your body belongs to Christ and it no longer belongs to you, if indeed you are a Christian.
1Cor 5:11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner��not even to eat with such a person.
Above, Paul is making a very strong statement to not have any fellowship with someone claiming to be a believer and yet are in a state of UNREPENTANT fornication.
Let's take a closer look at what fornication is and what it means to "TOUCH" a woman.
1Cor 7:1 And concerning the things of which ye wrote to me: good it is for a man NOT to touch a woman, (YLT)
2 and because of the whoredom let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her proper husband; (YLT)
1Cor 7:2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let
every man have his own wife, and let every woman have
her own husband.(KJV)
Fornication:
4202 porneia porneia por-ni�-ah
from 4203; TDNT-6:579,918; n f
AV-fornication 26; 26
1) illicit sexual intercourse
1a) adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc.
1b) sexual intercourse with close relatives; #Le 18:6-23
1c) sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman; #Mr 10:11,12
2) metaph. the worship of idols
2a) of the defilement of idolatry, as incurred by eating the sacrifices offered to idols
4203 proneuw porneuo porn-yoo�-o
from 4204; TDNT-6:579,918; v
AV-commit fornication 7, commit 1; 8
1) to prostitute one�s body to the lust of another
2) to give one�s self to unlawful sexual intercourse
2a) to commit fornication
3) metaph. to be given to idolatry, to worship idols
3a) to permit one�s self to be drawn away by another into idolatry
Now Paul is not saying that you should go ahead and get married just to have sex so don't book any reservations and run off to Las Vegas. OK? Marriage must be built on deeper things and it is a life long commitment. Sex is the icing on the cake so to speak.
llet's address the word "TOUCH" in it's context of this passage.
G680 haptomai hap'-tom-ahee
Reflexive of G681; properly to attach oneself to, that is, to touch (in many implied relations): - touch.(Strongs)
Thayer Definition:
1) to fasten one�s self to, adhere to, cling to
1a) to touch 1b) of carnal intercourse with a women or cohabitation
1c) of levitical practice of having no fellowship with heathen practices. Things not to be touched appear to be both women and certain kinds of food, so celibacy and abstinence of certain kinds of food and drink are recommended.
1d) to touch, assail anyone
Part of Speech: verb
The proper application of this word in this context is 1B) "of carnal intercourse with a women or cohabitation." Obviously from this verse Paul is not intending for us to interpret it as any form of prostitution, but as "pre-marital" sexual relations, which of course could include a prostitute but the passage is not exclusive to it. So as he continues in verse 2, when he says "Fornication" or as Young's puts it, "Whoredom", it is not to be construed as anything other than Pre-marital sex. That would of course imply extra-marital sex.
Webster's definition.
WHOREDOM, n. Horedom.
1. Lewdness; fornication; practice of unlawful commerce with the other sex. It is applied to either sex, and to any kind of illicit commerce.2. In Scripture, idolatry; the desertion of the worship of the true God, for the worship of idols.
So even in Webster's the term Whoredom and fornication mean the same thing.
So to avoid "Fornication" you have to be married otherwise when you have sexual relations with someone you are not married to, then it is "Fornication" / "whoredom" and it is a SIN. And let me touch on an issue I did a study on. If you meet someone and they are "separated" in the process of a divorce, this means that they are still married in the eyes of God. You are not single and you are not free to date and especially not free to have sex. God allows for man's laws and until a judge finalizes the divorce decree, then you are still married and it does not matter the circumstances. Adultery does not automatically cause the marriage covenant to be broken though it is grounds for a divorce to be sought if necessary. If your spouse commited adultery and you are seeking a divorce and then you also while separated have sexual relations with someone, then you have commited adultery as well. You are in a serious predicament now because you may have nullified your right to divorce in God's eyes. How are you any less guilty?
If Pre-Marital or extra-marital sex were permitted there would be no reason for Paul to say that it is better for a man NOT to TOUCH a woman and to avoid "fornication" let each man have his own wife (singular) and each woman have her own husband, (singular).
Now I know some of you are saying, man have I messed up. Well the wonderful thing about Jesus is that His blood covers your sins providing you have placed your Faith in Him and have been baptized. But the key for forgiveness is "Repentance". Have you repented? It means that you have had a 180 degree complete turn around in your mind and do not plan on repeating it. Sometimes it takes time to get past our sins. Sometimes we are under bondage. But God's grace will give you the strength to break free. After all, Christ came to free us from our sins and it's bondage. You know the devils know your weaknesses and will exploit them and our sexual desires are one of the strongest physical desires that God gave us. So the key is to not place yourself in a place where your integrity will be compromised. In other words don't be alone with someone of the opposite sex if you know in your heart of hearts that there is any possibility of stumbling or causing them to stumble. Remember that God loves you and wants the best for you!
Ephesians, Thank you for sharing that with us, I am sorry that I missed all the other posts. And I do agree that the spiritual bond is what keeps a couple together, it unlike our outward appearance does not grow old.
The words indicated in Bold are censored from the CDFF Forum:
Dave, Yes, being joined together as ONE in marriage is honorable and so is being joined togethr as ONE in sex, and both were created/established by God with purpose of staying within the bonds of marriage between a husband and his wife.
Sexual immorality has been man's downfall from the beginning of time, because some men refuse to take heed to God's word and practice self-control and discipline. When you consider the matter, you will find throughout the Bible that sexaul matters related to a man and a woman, God blesses for the husband and wife. Those who are unmarried He warns about the perils/dangers of adultery, fornication, and other sexual immoral sins. Listen to what God speaks to the husband about his wife, since it is the man who most often get into probelm in this area due to lack of self control and discipline: Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, and streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountains be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth.
Let her as the loving deer and a graceful doe. Let her br.... satisfy you at all times, and you always be enraptured/ravished with her love. For why should you, my son, be enraptured/ravished by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress? ( Proverbs chapter 5)
God encourage the man to look upon his own wife to meet his physical needs, and not another woman. Sex before marriage bring about problems, we've all been there, done that, before we became born again...we own the t-shirt, bedspread, and curtains... ain't going back!
The answer to sexual desires and immorality is to be faithful to trust in God's word, and not be indebted to your flesh, but be indebted to the Holy Spirit, as Paul writes in Romans chapter 8. Sexual desires must be perserved until marriage. Fidelity to Christ while dating, establishes your fedelity to your wife when you get married.
The dangers of not waiting until marraige only leads you from one women/man to another, bed hopping, loss of money, loss of health due to all kind of veneral disease, and in some cases, loss of life... If you read Proverbs chapters 1-10, you will find answers to all your questions regarding sexual immorality, if you're seriously seeking to be converted spirutally in relationships and in all things as a Christian... God bless... ET (ella)
A word was censored from the psot. So I guess I am to repost it... I don't know how to do this since we have no edit buttons, so I'm hoping this isn't a second post...
Unfortunately, many believe Christianity is not normal because of these over pious and prudish teachings. It is like heaping heavy burdens, God never intended us to bear, onto the back.
This is the reason many of our churches have a watered down version of the word being taught in them today. They are so worried about what the world thinks, that they try to make the Bible fit the world. This is where the theory that God has recreated the earth many times came from. People trying to explain the dinosaurs.
What we look like to the world should never even cross our minds. Jesus already told us that they would hate us because they hated Him. The only reason what the world thinks would matter to a Christian, would be if they are still trying to live in the world.
Think about what you have posted lately; that women are allowed to lead their husbands, and that premarital sex is okay. These are not Christian views, these are world views. The Bible tells us, to be friends with the world, is to be enemies with God. The doctrine you are teaching was developed by people who wanted to be able to claim to be Christian, without giving up their worldly ways.
In truth, if the Holy Spirit isn't convicting you of these things and changing you....you are not saved. I am not talking about you specifically, just anyone who refuses to come out of the world.
People that want to claim Christianity, yet still live in the world, give us all a bad name. Well, now we have entire churches doing it and coming up with their own doctrine to support it.
I suppose next you will tell us homosexuality is okay, too? We seem to have churches out there ordaining openly gay Pastors and Bishops. Don't you think they have their own twists on the scriptures, too?
Walter has given you the scriptures to prove this point, but like most that twist the word of God, you just ignore it. You have quoted the same scripture over and over. What about Paul saying that it is better to marry than to burn with desire? If unmarried sex is okay, why bother getting married? Just pick the one you want, and hop in bed. No! Paul was telling them to marry, to avoid sex outside of marriage.
The bottom line is that we will all answer to God for the things that we say and do. And it is easy for anybody to sat that they are a Christian, it's another thing entirely to demonstrate by our speech and actions that we really are. We are called by God to come out from among them, to separate ourselves. But many Are so selfish, they want the salvation and the promises, but refuse to be obedient. And Jesus died for such a selfish lot. It is heart breaking.
Big words are easy to twist. So are convoluted thoughts. So, let's take this down a level and just go for one of the topics mentioned.
Premarital sex between two folks who are hypothetically in love:
The couple are so much in love they need to anticipate the wedding date. Premarital sex, yes? Well, hmmm. Let's think about that. If a man truly loves a woman he would not want to hurt her. Would you agree with that?
Well, how much can happen in a few months? A woman can become pregnant and the man hurt/killed/etc., leaving their child illegitimate and with no father to help raise or provide for them. Goodness, that would definitely hurt her.
But hey, a momentary pleasure is worth the gamble, right? Having just had the "joy" of supervising a high school sex ed. lecture (shudder) complete with graphic slides of STDs, I am rethinking shaking hands with nuns, priests, and 5 yr olds....forget anything else. (My brain is scarred for life).
God made rules to protect us. Just as willful children rail against the rules parents enact to protect them, we try to find ways around God's rules. The child with the face covered in chocolate frosting swearing she didn't eat any cake.....so are we before our Lord with our sins evident. We need to stop trying to figure out how to get around God's rules and realize He gave them to us to protect us because for some very odd reason, He actually loves us. Not that we deserve that love, but I am so glad He continues in spite of multitudinous faults and failings.
Klmartin62, Quote: Think about what you have posted lately; that women are allowed to lead their husbands, and that premarital sex is okay. These are not Christian views, these are world views. You may be going off a bit if that is what you hear. I did not say premarital sex is OK. The marriage bed is blessed and undefiled. Sex outside marriage is not blessed? It may be Pre-marital sex or Pre-marital fornication. But it does not fit the classic definition of fornication which includes such things as bestiality, incest, prostitution, adultery, homosexuality. Biblically, Fornication involves Idolatry and harlotry. Fornication should not be once named among you. Fornicators have no place in the Kingdom of God. Fornication is a big deal and we should flee from it. I know I have to often. But a young couple that slips up and goes too far before the wedding? I would not slap them with that kind of guilt. It is not the same thing as biblical fornication. The definition has changed to include any sex. And by definition pre-marital would mean they ARE getting married. Then you need to define what marriage is. Is it a commitment; a piece of paper; a covenant of companionship? There is no biblical ceremony recorded that defines what makes a marriage. Let alone what makes a marriage work. There seems to be plenty of married who don�t have a marriage. That leads into this idea of woman having authority over a man. I�m not talking about a woman leading the husband. Though it may be necessary is he is mentally handicapped. Or he might be spiritually and biblically immature. What I said is a woman has authority over the man. It says so right there in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 7:4b says, ��Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.� Yes, this verse is about sex, exactly what we are talking about here. The woman should not usurp authority over the man. The example of this would be the woman using sex to control or LEAD a man to get what she wants. Add a few bucks and you�re getting into the prostitution and idolatry, clearly fornication. This abuse and misuse goes both ways. But generally men are more tempted to lay down their lives and let the woman rule over them like a harlot taking him for everything he's worth. it's just wrong. the husband is the leader and the wife the follower? The husband is the strong one and she is the weaker (more fragile) vessel. That is a far cry from something like letting your wife help with the budget because she is an accountant and you are a Truck Driver. Still, We should not give the woman a free ride immunity when it comes to building the Kingdom. let us ban the great harlot (Rev 17) not woman doing the "work of the ministry" Eph 4:12. Woman are created in God�s image. Therefore render unto God the things that are God�s.
Klmartin62, Quote: Think about what you have posted lately; that women are allowed to lead their husbands, and that premarital sex is okay. These are not Christian views, these are world views.
****************
Dave says: You may be going off a bit if that is what you hear. I did not say premarital sex is OK. The marriage bed is blessed and undefiled. Sex outside marriage is not blessed? It may be Pre-marital sex or Pre-marital fornication. But it does not fit the classic definition of fornication which includes such things as bestiality, incest, prostitution, adultery, homosexuality. Biblically, Fornication involves Idolatry and harlotry. Fornication should not be once named among you. Fornicators have no place in the Kingdom of God. Fornication is a big deal and we should flee from it. I know I have to often. But a young couple that slips up and goes too far before the wedding? I would not slap them with that kind of guilt. It is not the same thing as biblical fornication. The definition has changed to include any sex. And by definition pre-marital would mean they ARE getting married. Then you need to define what marriage is. Is it a commitment; a piece of paper; a covenant of companionship? There is no biblical ceremony recorded that defines what makes a marriage. Let alone what makes a marriage work. There seems to be plenty of married who don�t have a marriage. That leads into this idea of woman having authority over a man. I�m not talking about a woman leading the husband. Though it may be necessary is he is mentally handicapped. Or he might be spiritually and biblically immature. What I said is a woman has authority over the man. It says so right there in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 7:4b says, ��Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.� Yes, this verse is about sex, exactly what we are talking about here. The woman should not usurp authority over the man. The example of this would be the woman using sex to control or LEAD a man to get what she wants. Add a few bucks and you�re getting into the prostitution and idolatry, clearly fornication. This abuse and misuse goes both ways. But generally men are more tempted to lay down their lives and let the woman rule over them like a harlot taking him for everything he's worth. it's just wrong. the husband is the leader and the wife the follower? The husband is the strong one and she is the weaker (more fragile) vessel. That is a far cry from something like letting your wife help with the budget because she is an accountant and you are a Truck Driver. Still, We should not give the woman a free ride immunity when it comes to building the Kingdom. let us ban the great harlot (Rev 17) on woman doing the "work of the ministry" Eph 4:12. Woman are created in God�s image. Therefore render unto God the things that are God�s.
