IS FORNICATION A SIN?

PS: Every explanation here is based on the study of the bible, using the direct translation of the original Hebrew and Greek bible translations and This is not to encourage Pre-marital Sex. 

Growing up and getting to know more about God, I’ve heard the teachings of fornication, hence, pre-marital sex and we’ve been taught not to engage in pre-marital sex because it is commanded by God. The bible says “Do not fornicate”. 

We were taught that “Adultery is sexual intercourse between married people outside their marital homes, while Fornication is sexual intercourse between unmarried people. This is why it is called “Pre-marital Sex”. 

Before I move on, I’d like to establish that a lot of things which are moralistic have been translated into biblical laws. Hence, you see every Christian backing them up with “The bible says..”. Fornication is one of those things.  

Now, before you put on your defense apparel and your argumentation armour, fully ready to fight my submissions, try to put on your receptive cloak and gear yourself with patience and let’s learn together. 

Few weeks ago, a video of a pastor beating two members of his church (male and female) before his congregation, went viral. He beat them because the lady got pregnant and they realized she got involved in fornication and as a way of punishing them, the pastor beat and humiliated them in church. This got me infuriated and propelled me to dig deep on this topic. 

So, What is Fornication? 

 

According to Encarta Dictionary, Fornication is a sexual intercourse between two consenting adults, who are not married to each other. 

Homage duly paid to all the English scholars who know this definition by heart. Now, let’s go Biblical shall we?

Fornication in Hebrew is ‘Zanah’ and it means 

 -to be a harlot, to act as a harlot, to force into prostitution, to commit adultery, to be unfaithful to God (figuratively) and the word ‘fornication’ was first used for the first time in the bible in 2Chronicles 21:11 “Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication and compelled Judah thereto” (KJV) 

‘New World Translation’ a version of the bible that carefully translated Hebrew and Greek bible to English without addition or subtraction translates 2Chronicles 21:11 as “He had also made high places on the mountains of Judah to cause the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit Spiritual Prostitution, and he led Judah astray. 

In this context, fornication means serving another god..being unfaithful to God. 

Ezekiel 16:26a says “Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh” (KJV) 

New World Translation says “You prostituted yourself to the sons of Egypt” 

Fornication here means prostitution i.e. offering your body to multiple men for the sake of gain. 

 Now, let’s move to the new testament; Fornication in Greek is the word “porneia” and it means -illicit sexual intercourse i.e. adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals, sexual intercourse with relatives, sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman, rape, the worship of idols. 

 First mention from the new testament is Matthew 5:32 “But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife saving for the cause of fornication causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery”(KJV) 

 NWT says “However, I say to you that everyone divorcing his wife, except on account of sexual immorality, makes her a subject for adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” 

 Oops! I thought y’all said Fornication was for unmarried people, so what’s going on in this verse of the bible?

Well, none of these verses depicts fornication to mean “Pre-marital sex”, which means fornication has nothing to do with pre-marital sex, it is in fact same thing as Adultery. 

 So, Is fornication a sin? Absolutely, Yes. 1cor. 6:8 says “Flee fornication “porneia” (sexual immorality i.e. adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals, sexual intercourse with relatives, sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman, rape, the worship of idols) 

 But, Is Pre-marital sex a sin? Apparently, no part of the bible reveals fornication to mean pre-marital sex.

So Funke, are you saying Christians can engage in premarital-sex? Are you saying it’s okay to do this? How dare you blaspheme the law of God!...Aunty, uncle, calm down and gbe body sile, we’re not done yet. 

 I see some people quoting 1cor. 7:1-2 already “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman"  

1Co 7:2  "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband”

“Yeeeaaah! You see? Do not touch a woman or else go get freaking married!!!” I can almost hear you screaming those words out loud. 

Note that Paul was replying to a letter here. So, what did they write to him for him to have said they shouldn’t touch a woman (which in this case is an advice, not a law). 

 1cor . 5:1 “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife”  

Eeeewww! I’m so irritated right now, what an incest! A son having sex with his father’s wife? 

So yeah, that’s the kind of fornication Paul was responding to in chapter 7. Would you rather not touch a woman than touch your father’s wife? and if you can’t seem to zip up, why not get yourself a wife and have her to yourself, than coveting another man’s wife, not to even talk of your father’s wife? 

 So yet again, no talks of two unmarried people in an intercourse. 

Now, I’m thinking; what if God’s definition of marriage is different from ours? Hmmmm 

 Gen. 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave (stay close) unto his wife: and they shall become one flesh.  

How do they became one flesh? 

 Verse 25 “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” I know the major proclamation at marriage ceremonies is a man leaving his parents and being with his wife and two of them becoming one. 

Now, based on man’s creation, the act of becoming one according to Gen. 2:24-25 is getting naked with your woman, without being ashamed. 

Wow! So, this means that in God’s eye, you are spiritually joined with whoever you lay with. 

The moment you have sex without being ashamed, you are signing sort of agreement with the person, you are getting joined to the person. This in itself is marriage. 

 Marriage in Hebrew is the word ‘onah’ which means ‘sexual cohabitation’ while in Greek it is ‘gamos’ which means ‘a wedding festival or feast’ 

 So, marriage is a sexual cohabitation before it becomes a feast. 

 If you are still in doubt, let’s check out 1cor. 6:16 “What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh” This explains that you are one body with whoever you lay with because two shall become one flesh in the course of sex, so why choose to become one with a harlot? 

 Message version of that same verse reads “Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scriptures “The two become one”. 

 So, Is pre-marital sex a sin? Let me be a typical Nigerian lady and answer that question with further questions..lol. Would you rather let yourself be joined in sexual covenant, hence holy matrimony with someone you are not sure would take care of you and bring the best out of you? Would you rather become one flesh with that guy who is obviously not faithful to you alone but has sexual relations with other women? (Now, that’s sexual immorality on its own, even though he is not married) 

 Are you going to let your guard loose to someone who may never be there when you are in trouble, someone who cannot lift you up when your soul cries, someone who will eventually never walk down the aisle with you to say ‘I do’? 

 If you want to venture into a business and you need a partner, you don’t just pick any random human being. No, you pick someone you can trust your money with, someone you can trust your idea with, someone you are ready to share every business secret with and then, to make it official, so you both can know you mean business, you sign an agreement together and the business deal commences and you have all access to every benefit.

Same applies here. You can’t let your vulnerability out to someone you can’t trust with your life, your vision, your purpose and in fact, your destiny, he or she would just take their share, dupe you and leave you hanging. Don’t get yourself involved with someone you may eventually not sign an agreement with, it would eventually hurt you so bad. 

 Sometimes, abstaining could help you to make right decisions in a relationship. You get to discern genuineness and avoid getting yourself emotionally clouded from the fact that the person is good in bed, forgetting that he or she has no brain. And also as a result of the two becoming one through sex, you most likely will not see the flaws in that person, after all you are already one flesh with him and now all you see is what you want to see in the person. 

Abstain and get to know the person out rightly. 

So, back to our big question: Is fornication a sin? Yes, my brother, fornication is a sin, but fornication is not pre-martial sex. So, quit quoting bible vaguely. Study!!!!!! 

Quit judging the unmarried. Don’t translate moral values into Biblical teaching. Again, Study the word!

Thanks for reading.