WWJD By Dr. Richard Youngblood
Question: Why are Christians so strongly opposed to
sexual relationships outside of marriage?
Christians believe that God ordained the sexual
relationship for husbands and wives in a loving and committed relationship, not
only for procreation but also as a beautiful, pleasurable expression of love
toward one another (Proverbs 5:18-19; The Song of Solomon; 1 Corinthians 7:3-5;
Hebrews 13:4). However, they also know
that the Bible teaches them to “flee sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians
6:18). The biblical word that is
translated “sexual immorality” or “fornication” refers to sexual relations
between two people who are not married to one another.
Thus, Christians understand that their bodies do not
belong to themselves to do as they please.
They belong to Jesus Christ. The
Christians in ancient Corinth had formerly been part of a pagan society that
encouraged them to indulge every desire.
But as Christians they were taught not only that the body of a believer
is the temple of the Holy Spirit from God but also that they had been bought
with the price of the blood of Christ and should honor
God with their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
This is why the apostle Paul said, “The body is not meant for sexual
immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1 Corinthians 6:13).
In addition, the apostle pointed out that when God
created the first husband and wife he said, “The two will become one flesh”
(Genesis 2:24). Since two bodies joined
in the sexual relationship become one, he reasoned that a person who joins his
or her body to another in an immoral relationship becomes one with that immoral
person. This means that a person who is
one with Christ though faith and engages in immorality is not only joining his/her
body to an immoral person but is also joining Christ to immorality. For a Christian, nothing could have been more
abhorrent than to suggest that he/she had been guilty of joining the body of
Christ to that of an immoral man or woman (1 Corinthians 6:15-17).
To proclaim that our bodies belong to God for his
use instead of for immorality may sound absurd to those who do not believe in
Jesus as the Son of God. In fact Cicero,
a leading Roman politician and philosopher of the first century B.C. wrote: “If
there is anyone who thinks that young men ought not to visit prostitutes, he is
certainly narrow-minded (no doubt about it), and completely out of step with
our present liberal thinking. In fact, he has nothing in common with the customs and behavior of
previous generations who were quite broadminded on the subject” (Cicero, Pro Caelio 48). Some people in today’s world have this same
attitude toward the Christian view of sexual relationships between unmarried
persons. However, Christians believe this
is a dangerous path to follow as individuals and as a nation.
However,
Christians also believe that even if a person has been sexually immoral he can
be forgiven and find a new and holy life through repentance and faith in Jesus
Christ. To the Corinthian believers, the apostle said: “Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes
nor homosexual offenders . . . will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you
were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Jesus provides the same hope for all of us.
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