To Avoid Fornication

In his First Epistle to the Corinthians 7:2, the apostle Paul gives interesting advice: "But because of fornication, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband." Corinth at that time was a pagan city of the Roman Empire, where the attitude toward the sanctity of marriage was negligent, and many pagan rituals included various elements of sexual corruption. The consciousness of the inhabitants of this city was damaged from childhood, and they could not distinguish the holy from the carnal. And in such an environment the seed of the Gospel was sown, which under the influence of the Holy Spirit successfully sprouted and brought abundant fruit.

Paul understood the carnal attractions of human hearts, and in order to somehow protect the rapidly growing church from corruption within, he wrote a command that to avoid the sin of fornication it is better for everyone to have a lawful partner and within the framework of a marital union to be protected from universal corruption. The Lord took into account the pitiful spiritual state of the inhabitants of Corinth and showed them special grace by giving such a command. But it is worth understanding whether this advice brings true happiness to the family, and whether one should build a beautiful future on such a strange foundation.

What picture do we have today? The pagan world surrounds us from all sides. Corruption bursts into our lives in every possible way, trying from childhood to get into the mind of man and make him a slave to his own passions. Even if in some countries there is a struggle against such propaganda, cinema and the internet successfully carry out their destructive work. The spirit of fornication has struck the consciousness of most people, and the church has not escaped such influence.

Any holiday is an attractive and long-awaited event when it comes into your life occasionally. If the best celebration is made a daily event, then soon this will satiate all participants, and they will look with disgust at the event they thirsted for when it was a rarity.

When passionate attraction with a romantic coloring becomes the basis for creating a marital union, then in the marriage itself this spirit does not go anywhere but destroys family happiness from within and ruins many unions. There are many God-fearing people who understand that their marriage is holy and should not be dissolved without good reason, but at the same time they do not know how to restore the ruins of relationships that they have in their families. And, as a rule, the closest person becomes guilty of all troubles, who turns out to be so bad and stupid that living with him becomes simply impossible.

Sin is destructive, and it manifests itself not only in the spirit of fornication but also in many of its other qualities, but ignorance of the structure of human physiology leads many families to physical exhaustion at the very early stage of their formation, and as an inevitable consequence the spiritual side suffers, happiness perishes, and apathy comes.

When a family celebration becomes a daily or frequent norm of life, it loses its meaning, taste, and significance. Sooner or later a person becomes satiated, and only chemical stimulation or novelty of relationships outside marriage can bring something new and romantic.

Unfortunately, the spirit of fornication has become the main motive for creating marital unions in our church as well. No one engages in sexual education of the younger generation, and various media successfully carry out their destructive work, raising our youth in the spirit of debauchery. When I do not know the basics of my body's physiology and this connection with my spirit, then the enemy will definitely use my ignorance for his purposes. And then to correct something will be either impossible or too late.

If you ask newlyweds about what is the main reason for their marriage, they will all confidently say that they love each other, but if you inquire how enlightened they are in the structure of a happy family and whether they understand how hormones can control a person's will, then one can only be amazed at the scarcity or absence of knowledge in this area. Young people are confident that their intuition will definitely suggest the best path to them, and their feelings and hormonal experiences will become a reliable ally in building family happiness. And the basis of this confidence will be stories from those films or books that have already managed to get into their minds.

The spirit of fornication does not disappear anywhere when a person enters marriage but takes on lawful status. Young people no longer allow anyone to interfere in their family life, making it clear that they will somehow sort things out between themselves. And the secrets of family life, especially its intimate side, are not customary to discuss with third parties.

Not in all families does something like this happen; someone, in fact, intuitively listens to the voice of the Holy Spirit and comes to the conclusion that holidays of family life should be, but the rarer, the more desirable and interesting they will be.

Such a topic and side of family life is quite delicate, and many consciously avoid education in this area. However, the intimate life of the family is God's plan for human happiness, which must be carefully researched to understand what brings blessing and what represents danger. If I am ignorant in this matter, then God will definitely be dishonored, and what He conceived as beautiful will become a curse for me and my marriage. And I will look like an intelligent person who is disgusted to delve into such topics.

Sexual attraction is embedded in the physiology of every normal person. And this is a raging fire that is very destructive when it gets out of control of reason and will and begins to control them. But a dependent person tends to mask his true feelings and motives, and he can very skillfully give an innocent appearance to his behavior. And the one who can no longer restrain his passions and does not know what to do with this is called a pervert and people try to avoid him.

The Lord wants us to understand what weak people are dealing with and what forces they are fighting. The Lord has enough power and might for victory over any other spirit. But it is always easier to direct the growth of a young plant in the right direction than to try to give the right shape to a perennial tree. What we do not do for our youth, Satan will do. And then to correct something will be much more difficult, and sometimes impossible.

Love gives wisdom in the approach to creating a family, and even if people do not know their physiological laws, then the Lord can through the Holy Spirit guide loving people to conscious abstinence in many spheres of their life. And intimate life is no exception. Complete abstinence from what is harmful and moderate use of what is beneficial is one of the basic laws of health, and common sense under the influence from above teaches these basics of happiness.

The world convinces that a lot of sex is good. And common sense and laws of health teach that the more pleasures, the less of them. Satiety and idleness have never made anyone happy.

Many people have strong will, and they can control their passions and keep the spirit of fornication in check for personal benefit. But love can destroy this evil spirit and offer something better and pure.

1. Please read Eph. 5:3; 1 Cor. 6:12-20; 7:1-6; Gen. 6:2,5; 34:1-4; Lev. 19:29; Hos. 4:11; Rom. 8:4-14; Acts 15:19-20; Ezek. 16:49; Phil. 4:7-8; 1 Thess. 4:3-5; Heb. 13:4; Rev. 14:8; Prov. 23:7 in light of this topic.

2. What did you understand from this topic?

3. What other Biblical verses came to your mind?

4. Is the expression "spirit of fornication" clear to you? What is it?

5. Can family happiness be built on carnal pleasures?

6. Does human nature change after entering into a marital union?

7. Is it important to understand when creating a family what true motive drives you and your life companion?

8. It is better to create a family than to sin. Is this really better?

9. Can a person by his own strength free himself from the spirit of fornication?

10. Do you think that lessons about a happy family are needed only for those who wish to enter marriage, or do they reveal more important questions?

11. Is family lawful access to the partner's body, or does it have another purpose?

12. What marriage, in your opinion, is considered ideal and correct?

13. Why is it important to keep one's passions under control even during marriage?

14. Do you know from history the fact that all great civilizations fell because of sexual corruption?

15. Are there examples in the Bible of how the Lord punishes someone for the spirit of fornication?