I disagree with some of the posts here. First of all, the word fornication is actually translated form the Latin which is derived from a word meaning an arch or a door way. These arches or doorways are the place where prostitutes would be waiting for potential customers or they were in the doorways of certain temples. Prostitutes were there in an attempt to lure men in for the orgies that were part of the fertility worship.
In the original Webster dictionary and in other older Bible dictionaries, premarital sex is never mentioned in the definition of fornication. It seems that this is a newer development in the definition. In fact the original Webster's Dictionary defines it as lewd, lascivious and licentious behavior. It speaks to a lifestyle choice rather than a single act. Much like the word sinners is not a reference to someone that commits sins but someone whose life is consumed by sinful behavior. Fornicators are people that engage in a lifestyle of sexual misconduct such as orgies, wife swapping, pornography and the like.
I personally think that a person should remain a virgin until they are married and they have to be careful how they make choices about partners if they are divorced. I believe the example that we are given for adultery in the OT is one of a bride being unfaithful to her husband. That is in the sense that the nation of Israel was called adulterous because they worshiped other Gods or did not follow God's commandments. They were unfaithful and did not keep their vows to God. I believe the same applies to Marriage. Outside of marriage and between people who are not married the rules are different. I do not agree that the Bible is not clear on the matter. Fornication is obviously a sin and is a lifestyle of pursuing the gratification of the flesh in a perverse and unnatural way. I also believe that there is a difference between two adults in a committed relationship, married or not, having sex and a person who is living a promiscuous life style. So is premarital sex a sin? I think it it depends on whether or not a person is having a variety of partners and engaging in a promiscuous lifestyle. And remember that by definition, a married couple or person can be engaged in fornication as well as adultery if they choose the lifestyle.
God uses fornication and adultery to have two different terms of usage, but when God speak about fornication as it pretains to sexual immorality He means sexual immorality which means SEXUAL INTERCOURSE OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE, nothng more and nothing less according to scriptures, whether the definiton is in the Greek, Hebrew, German, Spanish, or Frech, and in English, fornication means fornication having sex without being married. This definition is not new, its thorughout God's word in the Old and New Testaments.
If a couple is NOT MARRIED, sex outside of a MARRAIGE UNION IS CALL FORNICATION, AND THIS IS A SIN PERIOD.
Other meanings as to how God uses fornication and adultery is speaking of idol worshipping, and against God... but the scriptures passages I presented are speaking about two people who ARE NOT MARRIED, doesn't matter if they are engaged for 20 years, or not, sex outside of that marriage union is SIN. This is why Paul says, LET THEM MARRY TO PREVENT FORNICATION lusts of the flesh and passions, and doesn't depend on nothing but what God says that it is. Doesn't matter if you agree or not, but you disagree with what God speaks to be His truth.
Yes, we all use to partake in fornication (having sex outside of marriage) BEFORE we became born again, but we should no longer do these things now that we are SUPPOSE to be enlightened in God's word of truth and SAVED, if we are not MARRIED.
Fornication is sexual intercourse between two people who are NOT married and this is forbidden by God, scripture and the definition of FORNICATION plainly points this out, and this includes ADULTERY, which the world would like to call it having an affair, but God calls it sin.
God also uses adultery as a term in a born again Christian's relationship with Him as idolatry, but He makes it plain in scripture when He speaks about a married person having sex outside of their marriage, as being an adulterous person, this cheating on their spouse. There are no excuses or a way around what God is speaking about, and the definition of what fornication and adultery is all about.
Thunder Shared ~ He disagrees with some of the comments here...
*** OK you certainly can do that...people Disagree with Gods Word all the time...
Also Shared ~ Outside of marriage and between people who are not married the rules are different.
*** Hummm...I disagree because People Want to Make the Rules Differant per Thier own Choice to Fit and Validate Thier Choice...People Want to Read into the Word about Fornication & Adultery Instead of Accepting God's Word and Dirrection about the Matter...We are NOT Hebrews nor Jews...We are Gentiles...Pagans...Of course it is Natural ( Flesh & Mind ) that Argues Against God's Word...It is the ( In-Dwelling Spirit of Christ ) that Will Settle the Matter for the Individual...xo
My question for Thunder is, why is the SIN of FORNICATION different for two adult people in a committed relationship, than for the two adults who are not or may think they are in a committed relationship, or for those who sleep around with every partner they date thinking their relationship is committed?
So, I guess what you're saying is that God over looks fornication as sin if the couple say, or think or believe they are in a committed relationship. I always thought sin was sin, no matter who committed it, whether old or young...
What's the difference between the sin of fornication in a committed relationship, and a non-committed relationship, and those who think they are in a committed relationship?
Or perhaps people would rather add their own take to the actual meaning of the Bible. Adultery and fornication are two different things. In fact, fornication does not have to be limited to sexual misconduct since it applies to any lewd or lascivious behavior. This could include public drunkenness, public nudity, dressing in a lurid manner, homosexuality, lesbianism, etc as long as it is a lifestyle of a person. It is not and never was a single act. It is a lifestyle just like someone who is always drunk or a homosexual or a lesbian. Unfortunately,Christianity, that is the Church, has the desire to push an amazing amount of guilt onto people who are not fornicators but have relationships that are marriages but they are not made legal by a government. Therefore those people who choose a life partner but don't get a license are considered fornicators. It's a lot of semantical garbage and has nothing to do with the meaning of the Bible.
I think it would be better to find out what the Bible really says and live by that rather than continuing to propionate a lie that was created for the purpose of controlling people and their actions.
Just what is the usage of the word fornication that God uses in those passages I posted on page 1? Tell me what definition of fornication is being used here in Paul's writings?
Your opinion is your opinion which does not lessen what God says about sex outside of marriage is sexual immorality being fornication. As I pointed out God uses fornication in terms of commiting idolarty against Him, and the passgages of the use of this as idolarty are clear. Just as the passages for the use of the word fornication when used to mean sexual immorality are very clear and used properly in scrioture.
Your denial of what God says in His word to justify your opinion and belief, belong to you and has nothing to do with the truth of God's word.
FORNICATION IS SEXUAL IMMORALITY, AND THIS IS HAVING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT MARRIED SATISFYING THE LUST AND PASSION OF THE FLESH, AND THIS IS SIN, AND THOSE WHO PRACTICE SUCH, UNLESS THERE IS REPENTANCE THEY WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD! Now GOD said this, and He means what He says, and says what He means whether you obey or disagreee or heed to His word or not.!
BTW, maybe you should proved the scriptures that use the word fornication as you see it to mean... I have never seen fornication to mean drunkardness, because the scriptures call drunkardness what it is, just as God calls having sex outside of marriage just what it is, fornication as sexual immorality.
So post some of those scripture wherein you speak of fornication to mean what your definition says it to mean. Maybe this will help me to udnerstand your word of what you call truth, and put aside God's word of truth, ebcause you may know better than God is what He means when defining fornication.
