FORNICATION-ADULTERY
The above named sins have been the cause of more heart-ache, sorrow and destruction of family relationship than any other sin.
First I want to give the Bible definition of “Sin”: From the N.T. There are three Greek words that are translated “sin”;
S# N.T.264 “ a(marta/nw hamartano (ham-ar-tan’-o); perhaps from NT:1 (as a negative particle) and the base of NT:3313; properly, to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize), i.e. (figuratively) to err, especially (morally) to sin: “for your faults, offend, sin, trespass”. This word is used 43 times in the N.T.
S# N.T. 266 “hamartia, hamartias, he”
a failing to hit the mark
1.a sinning, whether it occurs by omission or commission, in thought and feeling or in speech and action
2.that which is done wrong, committed or resultant sin, an offence, a violation of the divine law in thought or in act 1 John 3:4
a.generally: James 1:15
b.some particular evil deed Acts 7:60
3.collectively, the complex or aggregate of sins committed either by a single person or by many
4.abstract for the concrete, equivalent to
“hamartoolos”
This word is used 173 times in the N.T.
S# 268; “hamartoolos, hamartoolon”
devoted to sin, a (masculine or feminine) sinner.
a.not free from sin.
b.pre-eminently sinful, especially wicked
a. universally: 1 Tim 1:9
This word is used 47 times in the N.T.
And S# NT:361 anamarteetos, anamarteetonsinless, both one who has not sinned, and one who cannot sin. This word is used only one time in John 8:7.
James writes; in 1:14-15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”.
From the beginning of the creation of “Mankind”; God designed the “Family unit of Husband, Wife and Children”.
Gen 2:23-25 And Adam said; “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed”.
Notice: The scripture says; “The man and his wife”; not man and woman; were “naked and not ashamed”.
There are three types of sexual sins; # 1;Fornication; [Illicit sex between a man and a woman with-out the bond of marriage]# 2 Adultery; [committing a sexual act between persons that are married to others.] # 3 Homosexual acts; [Sex between couples of the same sex. All of these fall under the description of the “Works of the flesh” listed in Galatians 5:19-21; “And they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”.

FORNICATION
[for nih KAY shun] — sexual relationships outside the bonds of marriage. The technical distinction between fornication and ADULTERY is that adultery involves married persons while fornication involves those who are unmarried. But the New Testament often uses the term in a general sense for anything that is “unchaste”. Of the seven lists of sins found in the writings of the apostle Paul, the word fornication is found in five of them and is first on the list each time (1 Cor 5:11; Col 3:5). In the Book of Revelation, “Spiritual fornication” is symbolic of how idolatry and pagan religion defiles true worship of God (Rev 14:8; 17:4).
(from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
ADULTERY; “A married woman or man; cohabiting with another’s spouse”. The prevalent polygamy in patriarchal times rendered it impossible to stigmatize as adultery the cohabitation of a married man with another besides his wife. But as Jesus saith, from the beginning it was not so, for He which made male and female said, They twain shall be one flesh. So the Samaritan Pentateuch reads Gen 2:24, as it is quoted in Matt 19:5. A fallen world undergoing a gradual course of remedial measures needs anomalies to be pretermitted for a time (Rom 3:25 margin; Acts 17:30), until it becomes appropriate for a higher stage, in its progress toward its finally perfect state. God sanctions nothing but perfection; but optimism is out of place in governing a fallen world not yet ripe for it. The junction of the two into one flesh when sexual intercourse takes place with a third is dissolved in its original idea”.
“Faussets’ Bible Dictionary”:
Exodus 20:14; “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. From the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai; God in establishing the family as a unit consisting of the Father, Mother and Children; designed a lifestyle for a man and a woman to be joined together as Husband and wife for life.
Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:27-32; the difference in the Old Covenant and the New Covenant concerning marriage and divorce.
The words of Jesus; “Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time,[ Ex.20:14 & Deut. 5:18] Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust [S# 1937 “epithumeo”; lust for, desire, long for, covet] after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
The penalty for this sin under the Law was; Deut 22:21–“ If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.” This death was to be by stoning and it was to be a public event at the “gate of the city”.
“If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed to an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her: Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; The damsel, because she cried not, [called for help] being in the city: [help was available] and the man because he hath humbled [shamed] his neighbor’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you”.
The Law concerning “chastity” is found in Deut. 22:13-21; To put it in simple terms; If a man took a wife and “goes into her to consummate the marriage” and finds that she is not a “maid” [virgin] and goes out and degrades her character by declaring to the public that she was not the virgin she claimed to be; Then her father “shall bring his daughter with her mother and bring the “token of his daughter’s virginity” [ A piece of cloth “stained with blood” taken from her virginal area] and present it to the Elders at the gate of the city as proof of her virginity and tell the Elders “this man has shamed my daughter” by saying my daughter is not a virgin. The Elders would then chastise him and demand payment of 100 shekels of silver in payment for his “wrong doing”.

The next verse deals with a man who forces [rapes] a woman that is betrothed [engaged] to a man into a sexual act; then the man only shall die.
Paul deals extensively with this subject in 1st. Corinthians 7: In verse # 36 he writes; “If any man thinks that he behaves himself uncomely[S# 807 unseemly, problem with sexual desires ] toward his virgin [S# 3933 young unmarried woman] If she has passed the “flower of her age” [reached maturity as a woman] and need so require, [and has natural desires for sex] let them marry [then consummate the marriage to satisfy their sexual desires] they have committed no sin. The word “his” [S# 3588 a demonstrative pronoun]; denoting a commitment to or the promise of marriage.
The words “put away” S# 630 “apoluoo”; To dismiss, divorce, set free; means to break or disannul the marriage bond or contract. The next part of this verse gives the only legitimate reason for divorce and remarriage is the sin of “fornication”. Mark 10:11-12 includes the same penalty for a woman as a man. The Gospel of Luke 16: 18 repeats the same teaching.
Paul writes in 1Tim. 5:14 “I will therefore that the young women marry, bear children, guide the house, give no occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully”.
In 1st. Corinthians 7: Paul teaches that it is “good” for a man not to touch [S# 680; to connect intimately] a woman. But to avoid the sin of fornication; let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Then he instructs the married couples to “render due benevolence” [NT:3782 “that which is owed; properly, a debt”: Matt 18:32; metaphorical plural, dues: Rom 13:7; specifically, of conjugal duty (R.V. her due), 1 Cor 7:.(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000,
From this text it is very clear that it is not only the duty; but the will of God and the command of the Holy Scriptures, for both husband and wife to satisfy each others’ sexual needs. But there are times in the Christians’ life when by mutual agreement the husband and wife will refrain from sexual activity that they may devote themselves to “fasting and prayer”. And then after the committed time; they “come together again”; to avoid the temptation of Satan for the lack of “incontinency”. [S# 193; lack of self control]
Paul continues with; “I speak this by permission and not by commandment. For I wish that all men were unmarried as I”; See ch.9:5. But every man has his proper gift of God, And some are different from others.Ch.7:7 “I say to the unmarried [men] and widows; It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, [S# 1467 to exercise self restraint, or chastity] let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
In the Epistle to the Romans chapter 13: 9 cites the list of “Thou shalt not’s” beginning with “Thou shalt not commit adultery”, And in verse # 13 he warns against “chambering” [S# 2485 NT:2846 “cohabitation, whether lawful or unlawful”] and “wantonness” S# 766 also translated as lasciviousness and filthy.
This sin has caused more men and women in the church to be tempted and “fall from grace” than any other sin.
James 1:14-15; “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”.
The seriousness of this sin is made clear when Jesus said in Matt 5:28 “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”. When a man or woman looks at a member of the opposite sex and in their heart [mind] thinks; “If I had the opportunity I would take advantage it and enjoy the pleasure of the sexual act with them”; then he or she has committed adultery in their heart. And expect to receive the judgment of God for their sin.
Now back to Paul’s instructions to the married in 1st. Cor. 7:10; “To the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not [don’t allow] the wife depart [leave] her husband: But if she chooses to depart, let her remain unmarried [single; w/o a husband] or be “reconciled “ to her husband: And let not the husband put away his wife.
Verse # 11; Paul repeats what he had said in verse # 10; It is the command of the Lord; If any [all inclusive] brother has a wife that is not a “believer” [a Christian] and she is pleased to live with [ continue in marriage] him, let him not [don’t allow]him to “put her away”.
Verse # 13 reverses the order and instructs the woman [wife] in the same way.
Verse # 14 teaches that the manner of lifestyle of the Christian husband or wife will “sanctify” [change or convict] the unsaved partner in marriage. And adds to the fact, that the consecrated Christian can expect that their children of this marriage will be saved.
Verse # 15 makes it very clear; That if the “unsaved partner” in any union chooses to leave; Then the Christian brother or sister are released from the bondage [commitment or contract] of marriage. And in my opinion is free to enter into marriage with another partner, with-out guilt.
Verse # 16 gives hope to the Christian; that by living a faithful Christian life and keeping the names of their “unbelieving husband or wife” before the Lord in prayer; they may be led into Christian faith.
Then verse # 27 Paul advises; If you are bound [married] to a wife; seek not to be loosed. If you are loosed [have no] from a wife; seek not a wife. But if you marry, you have not sinned. Nevertheless you will have trouble in the flesh.
In verse # 34 Paul states; “There is a difference of desires between a wife and a virgin. The “unmarried cares for the things of the Lord; that she may be “holy both in body and spirit; But she that is married cares for “the things of the world”, how she may please her husband.
Paul closes the subject of marriage in verse # 39 “The wife is bound by the law as long as he liveth; But if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to she will; only in the Lord”.
There is nothing better in this life than being married to a Christian wife or husband; And nothing worse than being married to an unfaithful mate.
Many “good Christians” misunderstand the statement of Jesus in; Matt 19:9 “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery”.
This is also repeated in Matthew 5:32, Mark 10:11-12 and Luke 16:18.
There is a statement by Paul in 2 Cor 6:14 “ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”; that is over-looked or ignored by many. This applies both to the church and the home.
There was a commitment made between Jonathan the son of King Saul and David that is an example of Love that Christians should have between themselves and God and one another.
1 Sam 20:42 “And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city”.
Another example of acceptable commitment is recorded in Ruth 1:16-17;

“And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me”.
The beloved disciple of our Lord wrote in his epistle; 1 John 3:18 “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth”.
I will close with this; The relationship between a husband and wife is compared with Christ and the Church; Eph 5:25- “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it”. When this type of love is demonstrated between husband and wife in the home; there will be an end to broken homes, divorce and children brought up with-out the benefit of a united Christian home.