FORNICATION


  1. Fornication: in PRINCIPLE
    1. Defined:
      1. Appears 39 times in 35 verses
        1. only 5 Old Testament uses - 3 in Ezekiel 16
        2. 34 appearances in the New Testament
      2. from the Greek porneia
        1. used metaphorically 6 times in Revelation 14-19 to describe the defilement of idolatry (cf Hosea 1:2)
        2. primary meaning - "any illicit sexual intercourse," including:
          1. sexual intercourse b/w two unmarried people -- 1 Cor 7:1-2
          2. adultery = sexual unfaithfulness in marriage -- Matt 19:9
          3. homosexuality -- Jude 7 (cf Genesis 19)
          4. prostitution -- Matthew 21:31
    2. Society's view -- accepted & applauded (33 gay TV characters)
    3. God's View -- criticized & condemned (see Sodom & Gomorrah)


  2. Fornication: a PROBLEM
    1. for Lot -- Genesis 19:30-38
    2. for Israel:
      1. Exodus 32
      2. Numbers 25:1-9 -- God plagues Israel, Phinehas kills Zimri & Cozbi, the plague is stopped but 24,000 die (cf Rev 2:14)
    3. David -- 2 Samuel 11-12
      1. 12:10 - "the sword shall never depart from thy house"
      2. 12:11 - "I will raise up evil against thee from thine house"
    4. for Solomon (1 Kings 11) -- 7 times in Proverbs, Solomon warns of the dangers of "strange" women = prostitutes / harlots
    5. for the Corinthians:
      1. 1 Corinthians 5
      2. 2 Corinthians 12:21
    6. the Thessalonians -- 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4
    7. for the general populace - look at the texts in the New Testament where a number of sins are listed (Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 1:29-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Colossians 3:5-7), where does fornication appear in these lists?
      1. Perhaps it appears at the beginning because of its insidious nature. Insidious: "treacherous, seductive, having a gradual and cumulative effect, developing so gradually as to be well-established before becoming apparent" - Webster's 9th Collegiate Dictionary.
      2. How many good kids - kids who faithfully attend worship, are active in the youth group and other works of the church, don't curse, smoke, drink, use other drugs, etc . . . how many do we know who got caught up in formication?
      3. How many preachers, elders, deacons, and other Christians have been caught up in fornication?
      4. Most Christians who commit fornication, or some form thereof, don't set out with a purpose to commit the sin. This is why it is so dangerous!
    8. The fruit of fornication in America
      1. Virginity -- the present virginity rate among teens stands at 50%, with 16% of those reporting 4 or more sexual partners.*
      2. Sexually Transmitted Diseases**
        1. There are some 25 different diseases transmitted primarily by sexual contact. These are commonly referred to as Sexually Transmitted Diseases, or STD's.
        2. 65 million (approx. 1 in 4) Americans have an incurable STD. Of these, 80% have genital herpes.
        3. An additional 15 million Americans contract an STD each year, with ½ contracting a lifelong infection. Approximately 25% of all new infections occur in teenagers.
        4. Though not often fatal in adults (HIV excluded), STD's can be fatal, especially to unborn and newborn children. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) accounts for 80% of all cervical cancer.
      3. Pregnancy***
        1. Annually, there are 100 pregnancies per 1000 US teenage girls
        2. of these, more than 30 end in induced abortions
        3. among sexually active Black & Hispanic girls, the prgnancy rate is 1 in 3
        4. among sexually active white girls, the pregnancy rate is 1 in 6
        5. among unmarried women in the US (all ages) there are 39 induced abortions for every 45 live births. Contrasted with married women, with only 9 abortions for every 84 live births.


  3. Fornication: How to PREVENT it
    1. Proverbs 4:23 "keep thy HEART with all diligence"
    2. Matthew 15:18-20 "out of the heart proceed . . . fornications"
    3. Proverbs 6:20-29
    4. Deut 6:24-25 "God's commands are for our good always"
    5. Sexual intercourse is neither dirty nor disgusting when kept in its proper place - Hebrews 13:4 (Glenn Colley's turf illustration).
    6. One's virginity / sexual purity is the greatest treasure and gift to be given to the one to whom you pledge your life.
    7. Fornication is wrong:
      1. Even if you love the other person involved;
      2. Even if you intend to marry later;
      3. Even if you call it by another name (living together, an affair, an alternative lifestyle, the world's oldest profession)
      4. Even if precautions are taken to prevent the negative impacts of the sin.


*Statistics from the Center for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov), Data and Statistics, Surveillance, Youth Risk Behavior, Trends 1991-1999.

**Statistics from the Center for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov), Data and Statistics, Surveillance, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, "Tracking the Hidden Epidemics: Trends in STD's in the United States, 2000."

*** Statistics taken from the Center for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov), Data and Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics (www.cdc.gov/nchs/), "Trends in Pregnacy and Pregnancy Rates by Outcome: Estimates for the United States 1976-1996."