The Christian Version of the “F” Word
By: Jakel Wayne
Tags: Premarital Sex, Religion, Christianity, Sex, Adultery

Fornication. There, I said it. Fornication seems to encompass any kind of sex that isn’t specifically forbidden elsewhere. “They fornicated.”

Photo by Romi Yusardi on Unsplash

To many people, modern Christianity seems to forbid almost everything sexual, which makes doing it all the more exciting and yet guilt-producing at the same time. Prohibition always incites desire and excitement leading to guilt. Tell me I can’t and I want to. Tell me I shouldn’t and I want to know what I’m missing.

But growing up in the church, I was taught that fornication is specifically having sex with a person you are not married to, while adultery is having sex with a married person. Biblically, however, adultery is only when a man has sex with a woman who is married to another man, so fornication must be something more defined.

The Greek word translated fornication is porneia. It is referred to as sexual immorality in some newer translations, which is probably more misleading than the older, more misunderstood word because it is so open to interpretation.

But the Strong’s Dictionary says porneia is, “harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry: — fornication.” It further clarifies that fornication is illicit sexual intercourse, and metaphorically, the worship of idols.

(I should note that Strong’s Dictionary goes on to detail what illicit sexual intercourse is, some of which is supported biblically and some wrongly assumed.)

Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. —1 Corinthians 10:8 (KJV)

Twenty-three thousand didn’t fall in one day because they were generally “sexually immoral,” but because of porneia—and there is a difference. If you look at the original story in Numbers 25, you will realize that that they either began to commit adultery (the literal meaning) or idolatry (the figurative meaning). That is the objective interpretation.

We don’t know for sure if there was adultery involved, but we do know they literally worshiped and bowed down to the gods of the Moabites (Numbers 25:2). It couldn’t have been incest since it was a different nation. As with Solomon’s downfall, their judgment wasn’t because of sex, it was because their worship shifted away from God because of the influence of ungodly relationships. Any other interpretation is predisposed to an unsubstantiated opinion.

Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. —Numbers 25:1–3 (NKJV)

Clearly, they were led to worship idols‚ and that was the porneia.

The truth is that porneia is harloty, or prostitution, both literally and figuratively, which is applied here in the spiritual sense. Prostitution doesn’t need a lot of interpretation. But let’s make it more clear. A harlot is a female prostitute. So harlotry is prostituting yourself out for gain, like a female. Does that part need to be explained?

The Israelites didn’t become female prostitutes with the women of Moab, they committed idolatry with them. The sin wasn’t the sex, but the idolatry it lead them into.

If you take the time to study the relevant scriptures verse by verse, you will find that most of the time the bible refers to porneia it is referring to it in the figurative sense. In other words, don’t act like a harlot rebelling against God as your husband. It isn’t really necessary to tell a Christian, “Don’t be a prostitute, literally.” That is understood.

So, fornication is not simply having sex with someone you are not married to. Fornication is prostituting yourself like a female, either literally (sexually), or figuratively (spiritually by bowing down to other gods). Fornication is adultery, incest, or idolatry.