Guest Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 (edited) Fornication? In this modern age, lots of people live together without marriage but in a fully committed relationship built on love and respect. It could be their circumstances that mean finances or other practical considerations mean they have delayed getting married. It could be they think it is sensible to spend a year or two getting to know each other before making the biggest most serious legally binding contract two people can ever make. Romance and love are good and natural. But marriage is not to be entered into hastily. How does a christian proceed for the best? Is it possible to truly love Jesus Christ but live with the partner you love without marriage? Assuming complete faithfulness to each other. Edited July 28, 2019 by Melinda12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BibleStudent100 Posted July 28, 2019 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 11 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 411 Content Per Day: 0.20 Reputation: 353 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/01/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted July 28, 2019 What is fornication? Illicit sex relations outside of Scriptural marriage. The Greek word translated “fornication” is por·neiʹa. Regarding the meanings of por·neiʹa, B. F. Westcott in his book Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians (1906, p. 76) says: “This is a general term for all unlawful intercourse, (I) adultery: Hos. ii. 2, 4 (LXX.); Matt. v. 32; xix. 9; (2) unlawful marriage, I Cor. v. I; (3) fornication, the common sense as here [Eph 5:3].” Bauer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (revised by F. W. Gingrich and F. Danker, 1979, p. 693) defines por·neiʹa as “prostitution, unchastity, fornication, of every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse.” Porneia is understood to involve the grossly immoral use of the genital organ(s) of at least one human; also there must have been two or more parties (including another consenting human), whether of the same sex or the opposite sex. (Jude 7) I understand that we live in times where fornication is totally acceptable by most people, but the Bible condemns it. One could attempt to rationalize it away by say that the two people love each other, or that they are checking out compatibility or that there are financial considerations that make not getting married more economically sensible. But these "reasons" (actually excuses) do NOT obviate the need to obey God and keep sex out of the equation until marriage. If you are in such an arrangement wherein you are living with someone without marriage, then today you need to move out and just date the person to see if he or she is a good spiritual match for yourself and then get married and resume your sexual life. Galations 6: 7,8 comes to mind: :Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a person is sowing, this he will also reap; because the one sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh, but the one sowing with a view to the spirit will reap everlasting life from the spirit." 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Deborah_ Posted July 28, 2019 Group: Senior Member Followers: 6 Topic Count: 13 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 790 Content Per Day: 0.25 Reputation: 878 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/07/2015 Status: Offline Popular Post Share Posted July 28, 2019 Sex is also something not to be entered into hastily. Why are people so casual about sharing their body with someone they hardly know when they're not prepared to commit the rest of their lives (finances, future, etc) to that person? What happens if the contraception fails and the woman gets pregnant? What happens if one dies? - in most countries the other partner is not automatically entitled to inherit the house etc. According to the Bible, if you have sex with someone you are becoming 'one flesh', whether married to them or not (I Corinthians 6:16). If you choose to live together without getting married, you are therefore in a state of tension - either deceiving each other about your level of commitment or deceiving the rest of the world about your intentions. Lack of finance is a feeble excuse, really. There is no law that says a wedding has to be expensive. 5 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 It is not a simple matter. Divorce rates are high. A couple marrying quickly can be very foolish. Yet waiting for marriage before having a sexual relationship means a monumental unrealistic amount of self discipline. This in the case of a completely faithful committed love. I heard of a young couple who dated 6 months then married. 12 months later divorce. Because she discovered too late he was an alcoholic and took drugs. Only living together after marriage revealed his hiding places for bottles and pills. Now she faces losing half her money to him plus the big loan they took out for the wedding. If she had but lived with him a while this was preventable. Love is a very strong emotion. Marriage is a legal binding contract. She is a christian who wanted to do the right thing. Now her life is in pieces. So i don't know if strict adherence is possible? What about practicality? In this day and age things are different. A woman does not need a man to keep her. Marriage is not necessary. Faithfulness and loyalty yes. Commitment between couples vital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlelambseativy Posted July 28, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 6 Topic Count: 230 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 4,941 Content Per Day: 0.95 Reputation: 2,003 Days Won: 14 Joined: 02/08/2010 Status: Offline Share Posted July 28, 2019 And yet in Canada, living together for 6mos., is I believe common-law- marriage equal to a real marriage and if there is a break up the property is divided as in a divorce. So, why not do it God’s way and if it is not good after six mos. it was never good but for the privilege of intimacy and financial gain. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Would you condemn someone at your church if they were living with their partner without marriage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlelambseativy Posted July 28, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 6 Topic Count: 230 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 4,941 Content Per Day: 0.95 Reputation: 2,003 Days Won: 14 Joined: 02/08/2010 Status: Offline Share Posted July 28, 2019 They are already condemned by God. It is not His will that they live together without the ordinance of marriage.. it is not up to me to condemn them. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnthebaptist Posted July 28, 2019 Group: Non-Conformist Theology Followers: 6 Topic Count: 118 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 4,361 Content Per Day: 2.31 Reputation: 2,109 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/25/2019 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/03/1953 Share Posted July 28, 2019 2 hours ago, Melinda12 said: Fornication? In this modern age, lots of people live together without marriage but in a fully committed relationship built on love and respect. It could be their circumstances that mean finances or other practical considerations mean they have delayed getting married. It could be they think it is sensible to spend a year or two getting to know each other before making the biggest most serious legally binding contract two people can ever make. Romance and love are good and natural. But marriage is not to be entered into hastily. How does a christian proceed for the best? Is it possible to truly love Jesus Christ but live with the partner you love without marriage? Assuming complete faithfulness to each other. How serious is fornication? Well, let me ask you this: If you were in love with someone, would you want them to fornicate with someone else? You suggest someone can't afford to get married yet. Suppose you use that as an excuse to fornicate. Then, when at last you can afford to marry, you find you don't want to get married? What then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTCarroll Posted July 28, 2019 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 1 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 56 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 40 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/24/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted July 28, 2019 2 hours ago, BibleStudent100 said: What is fornication? Illicit sex relations outside of Scriptural marriage. The Greek word translated “fornication” is por·neiʹa. Regarding the meanings of por·neiʹa, B. F. Westcott in his book Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians (1906, p. 76) says: “This is a general term for all unlawful intercourse, (I) adultery: Hos. ii. 2, 4 (LXX.); Matt. v. 32; xix. 9; (2) unlawful marriage, I Cor. v. I; (3) fornication, the common sense as here [Eph 5:3].” Bauer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (revised by F. W. Gingrich and F. Danker, 1979, p. 693) defines por·neiʹa as “prostitution, unchastity, fornication, of every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse.” Porneia is understood to involve the grossly immoral use of the genital organ(s) of at least one human; also there must have been two or more parties (including another consenting human), whether of the same sex or the opposite sex. (Jude 7) I understand that we live in times where fornication is totally acceptable by most people, but the Bible condemns it. One could attempt to rationalize it away by say that the two people love each other, or that they are checking out compatibility or that there are financial considerations that make not getting married more economically sensible. But these "reasons" (actually excuses) do NOT obviate the need to obey God and keep sex out of the equation until marriage. If you are in such an arrangement wherein you are living with someone without marriage, then today you need to move out and just date the person to see if he or she is a good spiritual match for yourself and then get married and resume your sexual life. Galations 6: 7,8 comes to mind: :Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a person is sowing, this he will also reap; because the one sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh, but the one sowing with a view to the spirit will reap everlasting life from the spirit." What is a Scriptural marriage? Is a license from a government required for a Scriptural marriage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlelambseativy Posted July 28, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 6 Topic Count: 230 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 4,941 Content Per Day: 0.95 Reputation: 2,003 Days Won: 14 Joined: 02/08/2010 Status: Offline Share Posted July 28, 2019 It used to be a blood test was required so that the marrying couple would not produce children with issues ( an incompatible A, AB, AB- etc) an that they were of age and not closely related so offspring were healthy. So yes a marriage licence is a protection, not just a money grab. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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