Q. Are there any explicit passages about sex before marriage, passages that are not open to interpretation? A. Sex before marriage is usually discussed along with other forms of adultery in the Bible. Jesus gave us the clearest spiritual as well as physical application of God's Commandment to not commit adultery. "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28, NKJV throughout) God promises blessing to his people when they obey Him and do not sin. When we do not commit adultery, we are protected from a variety of things in this world: sexual diseases, unhappy relationships, divorce, and a unwanted pregnancy to name just a few. "For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1John 2:16-17) We are placed in this world for the specific purpose of overcoming and developing a strong spiritual and Godly character within ourselves. God promises those that overcome will be called the Sons of God and we will live forever. We all fall short at some point and in our society it is difficult to live a Godly life. Christ, however, commands us to strive to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. While we are striving, God uses the natural laws or principles to bless us because of our obedience. Those same principles or laws are a curse to us if we do not obey God. One good example of this principle is Africa. The AIDS epidemic is rampant there. There is, however, only one place in that region where the disease hasn't reached epidemic proportions. It is a place where they teach and practice the principle of no extramarital sex. |
