I recently heard from a young woman who wanted to

know what the Bible had to say about sex before

marriage. She said that she wasn't talking about
having sex with several people before marriage, but
about two Christians who truly loved each other and
intended to marry. The fact is that I receive questions
like these on a regular basis, even though in most
cases, the people asking the questions don't really
want to hear my answers. They would much rather
hear me say something like, "God says it's okay, as
long as two people really love each other," than to
hear me say, "God has established very clear
boundaries for sexual relations in His Word." The
Scriptures are filled with warnings against God's
people having sex outside the bonds of marriage. And
why is this so? Because God loves us and wants to
protect us from the awful consequences that this kind
of immorality can have. Some of these consequences
are unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted

diseases, and mental illness. A former president of the

American Psychiatric Association has said,
"Premarital [physical] relationships resulting from the
so-called new morality have greatly increased the
number of young people in mental hospitals." Much
of the mail I receive on a daily basis is from people
who are suffering mentally and emotionally, because
of their involvement in relationships that were not
God's will for them.
"Fornication" is sex between two people who are not
married to each other. It's a word that is rarely used
these days, except in some translations of the Bible,
such as the King James Version. Most translations
use the term, "sexual immorality," but the meaning is
the same. Scripture says, "Flee from sexual
immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside
his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his
own body. Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you

have received from God? You are not your own; you
were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with
your body." (1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NIV) When we
accepted Christ's sacrifice on the Cross as payment
for our sins, we gave up the right to mistreat, abuse,
or neglect our bodies, or to use them in unholy ways.
One of the reasons why God has given us His Holy
Spirit is so that we can live the holy and pure lives
that He's called us to. The Bible says: "But now you
must be holy in everything you do, just as God--who
chose you to be His children--is holy. For He Himself
has said, 'You must be holy because I am holy.'" (1
Peter 1:15-16 NLT) Anytime we begin to doubt how
seriously our holy God takes sexual immorality, we
need only look at verses like Hebrews 12:14 (NLT),
which says: "Seek to live a clean and holy life, for
those who are not holy will not see the Lord." The
apostle Paul issues a stern warning when he tells us:
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not

inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived;

neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers...will
inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10
NASB) The Bible makes it clear that sexual sins will
keep multitudes of people out of the kingdom of God,
unless they turn to the Lord in sincere repentance.
Don't let people tell you that the Bible is outdated,
and that its principles don't apply to us any longer.
God clearly tells us in His Word, "I am the Lord, and
I do not change." (Malachi 3:6 NLT) And elsewhere,
the Scriptures say, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday
and today and forever. " (Hebrews 13:8 NIV) God is
not going to change His mind about His righteous
laws, and it's up to us to decide if we are going to
break them, or obey them. Those of us who love God,
ourselves, and the people we are in relationship with
will choose the path of obedience. Years ago, I heard
a godly man say that whatever we compromise God's
Word to gain, we will eventually lose. Sexual

immorality never saves relationships--it destroys

them. And consider this--if you involve yourself in
relationships that are not of God, you will delay, or
even forfeit, the perfect mate He has ordained for
you. If you are a parent, or hope to be one someday,
be aware that the Bible says that how you live your
life will affect future generations. (Numbers 14:18)
Sexual immorality, like other sins, can open a door
for the devil to come into our lives and families to
"steal, kill, and destroy." (John 10:10) Don't let Satan
and his cohorts rob you of the awesome future that
God has in store for you. Today, choose to flee from
sexual immorality, knowing that when you do, you'll
have all the help of heaven on your side!
Prayer: Lord, when I'm tempted to yield to sexual
sin, help me to instantly turn to You in prayer. Give
me the strength and the wisdom to stay away from
people and situations that would lead me into sin.

Thank You for giving me the grace to say "No" to

ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live a selfcontrolled, upright and godly life in this present age!
(Titus 2:11-12 NIV