Fornication (December 14, 2003)
by Ronald Barlow, Huntsville, Texas
Ronald writes:
Dear Brethren in Christ Jesus,
I was blessed recently by a brother who shared your newsletter (November/December 2003 -- No. 18) with me. I am a prisoner in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice --Institutional Division, in Huntsville, Texas. We are not allowed to receive videos or audio tapes, but I would very much like to receive your newsletter and positional papers.
Laura writes:
I have added you to our newsletter mailing list. We do not have positional papers. If you want to know our position on something, you would have to specifically ask.
Ronald writes:
I am a gentile believer in Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
Laura writes:
To gather knowledge and to believe in God is not enough. We must also be doers of the law.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. James 2:18-24
(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Romans 2:13
Ronald writes:
and only recently, learnt that there are a great number of Messianic Jewish assemblies in the United States who share their perspectives relating to first century Christian Church, its practices, customs and Hebrew roots. In reading your newsletter, I was thrilled to read the article by Bryan Huie, "Who were the Pharisees and the Sadducees?". In learning about my Jewish heritage I have been greatly enriched and many of the Scriptures have taken on a new brilliance and hue for a greater understanding of my Lord Jesus Christ; how blessed I've been.
Laura writes:
We are not a Messianic Jewish group. Our perspective focuses on the Bible, and not on the perspective of Judaism.
Ronald writes:
I enjoyed your article, "What is Fornication?". However, I perceive fornication from a different position. God creates by defining all facts. And by definition, He knows all consequences of His creation. All of God's creation is good within the boundaries He defines. (I hope I am not being too abstract.) Sin is the violation of God's boundaries which He has defined: Fire is good if it is used lawfully; sex is good if it is used lawfully.
Laura writes:
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4
I agree. Many things can be used wrongly. All things should be done within the bounds of God’s law as defined by the Bible.
Ronald writes:
God did not create the woman for sex, but as a help mate who would cling to her husband and the two would become one (Gen. 2:24) for the purpose of bringing forth Godly seed (Mal. 2:14-15) in a marriage covenant. Clinging and oneness speaks of loyalty and commitment, one to the other and to God, sealed by Holy covenant vow sacred to God. Wherefore, God says, "I hate divorce" (Mal. 2:16). What God has put together, let no man put asunder (Matt. 19:6).
Laura writes:
I totally agree that God hates divorce. Please keep in mind though that God himself was involved in a divorce.
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of Divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. Jeremiah 3:8
We can be assured that God was not the one who broke this marriage covenant with Israel, but He was the one who filed for the divorce. So we must keep in mind that when man/woman breaks a marriage covenant the other mate is free to file for the divorce and God does not bind such marriages.
Ronald writes:
Adultery and Fornication are sins because they violate the purpose and intent of God to bring forth Godly children within the wedding covenant. Adultery can not be committed by those who have not violated a marriage covenant. Adultery is the noun form of the verb, adulterate, which is to dilute, to weaken or make this the wedding vow, which may include the extreme form, by fornication. Not only is the one who has made a wedding vow guilty of adultery, but whosoever shares in the weakening of the vow, is guilty of adultery as well. However, adultery is not a cause for divorce:
Laura writes:
I do agree that the sins of Adultery and Fornication violate Gods purpose to bring forth Godly children, however it goes far deeper than that in that these sins deeply divide us from God and those we could otherwise have right relationships with.
If you say that adultery is not a cause for divorce, then you are saying that God had no reason to divorce Israel. Please keep in mind that God wrote the law and He would not expect things from us that He would not do himself. God would not violate His own law, a law which God understands far better than any of us do.
Ronald writes:
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, though shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you, that whosover looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matt. 5:27-28)
"It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement; 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 [by causing her to weaken her vow]. (Matt. 5:31-32)
In the case of Fornication, God has ordained of His creation, that each should be fruitful and multiply after its own kind. (Gen. 1:22-25) Fornication in Scripture (both Old and New Testaments), by definition is: harlotry (and idolatry) which as we know, is to give or sell oneself sexually for favor and/or consideration. Sexual idolatry is giving oneself over to worship and adoration of sexual immorality. This is a sin that deprives God of Godly seed and spawns children to the world, not after its kind, in the image of God. For this reason only, God will allow divorce, for the Godly spouse, that they be not unequally yoked together, that He may preserve His Godly children.
Laura writes:
Your definition of fornication seems only to include sexual sin, however if one studies it from Genesis to Revelation, it seems to be talking about people who are living a lifestyle of sin. By lifestyle I mean, alcoholism, homosexuality, adultery, wife beating, child molestation, murder and any number of other lifestyles which people choose to live even when they know these lifestyles hurt and affect other people around them who love them.
Many people use an even narrower definition of fornication than you do. Many say the definition of fornication is to have sex before marriage, however that doesn’t hold up under study of scripture. In Matthew 5:31-32, the people this is directed at are clearly married and Christ clearly says they can be divorced for the cause of fornication, so my conclusion would be that we are talking about something far different than sex before marriage.
The subject of marriage, divorce, remarriage and fornication is a rather large biblical subject and you came in on “Part #5” of “What is Fornication?”. There was much more printed on this subject. If you are interested, you should ask for the following: “Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage” by Laura Lee,Issue #3--- ”Who is, or is Not Free to Marry? by Rhoda Foust, Issue #11---Letter sent by Tommy West, Issue #12---Letter sent by Tommy West, Issue #13---Letter sent by Tommy West, Issue #14---”What is Fornication?”, Part #1, by Laura Lee, Issue #14--- ”What is Fornication?”, Part #2, by Laura Lee, Issue #15--- ”What is Fornication?”, Part #3, by Laura Lee, Issue #16--- ”What is Fornication?”, Part #4, by Laura Lee, Issue #17 and--- ”What is Fornication?”, Part #5, by Laura Lee,Issue #18.
Ronald writes:
Thank you for your invitation to respond to what you have written. I enjoyed what you had to say on the marriage covenant and I look forward to receiving your newsletter on a regular basis in the future, if you should so favor me with your thoughts about our Love and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May we all grow in knowledge and love in Him. Sincerely, your brother in Christ.
