Is the Church Soft on Living Together?

Fornication would be when the two parties entered into that marriage act who had not been promised to another.

 

Brother Paul,

When you publish this book, whether any of my quotes are in it or not, I would be interested in purchasing a copy.

Keep me informed, please.

 

Certainly both parties don't need to be married but if one or both are then it is adultery.
If neither party is married then it is still wrong but it is refered to as fornication in the Bible.

THe reason for the increased severity in my understanding is that you are breaking an oath with adultery.
There is no oath breaking in premarital cohabitation or "shacking up"

THat said, I believe that when you see an increase in one, you will see an increase in the other as well.

 

So do you think adultery is a capital crime?

 

Yes, I think we would agree on that one.

It does bug me when people refer to fornication as adultery because they are separate.

 

That is a good question. One I would like to study.
I believe it was at one time.
Should it be in the new covenant is the question.

 

In the OT, adultery was a capital crime. Somewhere down through the ages, those entrusted with obeying and carrying out the laws of God and the torts and statutes handed down by Moses begain turning their heads and allowing sin.

It is true that Jesus did not condemn the woman taken in adultery. He instead showed her forgiveness. We are to pattern ourselves after Christ... to show forgiveness.

But showing forgiveness must not by any means be an excuse to not rebuke one in adultery or fornication.

Paul gave an example in 1 Corinthians 5 in the case of the man and his father's wife. This man was put out of the Church until at what time he repented and was back in right standing with God.

Way of Life Encyclopedia says that this was a case of fornication even though the woman was obviously married.

So apparently not all affairs by a married person is necessarily adultery, but can also be considered fornication as well. The same with the unmarried, but promised to another... it could be considered either adultery or fornication.

Either way, it is sin.

 

I never said that the majority of the calls were from married people cheating on each other. The world does not understand the difference between adultery and fornication.

 

Those cultures are ones we should not emulate. If adultery were to be a capital crime, we will have reached the end of the line as a free society. SFIC got one right here...Jesus showed the woman caught in adultery forgiveness. We are to do likewise. There is no way that killing people over a sexual encounter is civilized.

 

I woudln't make such a broad statement.

I believe that most people know it is wrong to cheat on your wife even if they think it is ok to move in before the wedding.

The reason I think this is the case is that fornication is a sin against God.
Adultery is also a sin against God but it is a sin against the spouse.
The reason for civil punishment is to bring justice to the human who was wronged.

God can and will judge all things in due time.

Another analogy is this:
We are to execute murderers but we do not execute those who do not worship our God.

Idolatry is worse than murder but it hasn't been given to the civil state to enforce.

 

We must also look at Jesus' statement:

Let the one who is without sin among you cast the first stone.

If one can emphatically and truthfully say he or she is without sin, Jesus gives permission for that capital punishment to be carried out.

Of course, we do know from Paul's epistle to the Romans that all have sinned.

 

This I agree, but not for the reasons you stated.

How is knowing that my wife is free to cheat on me make me free?
How does her knowing that I can just walkout and leave at anytime and run off with another woman and leave her with our daughter to fend for themsleves make either of the "free"

Now the societies that you are probably talking about abuse women and go way past biblical justice but enforcing God's law in no way hampers man's freedom.
At least not his freedom to do right.

It may hamper a persons ability to live in anarchy though.

 

OK, I left out a word, and now have to post again, in order to correct it. I should have said I have not posted before in the thread. Now I have posted a second time, in the same thread, in order to editorically correct the first post. I am not going to get in this particular discussion, beyond this.

"Area 51"??? Don't get it!!

Not anyplace that I'm aware of. [Shrug Shoulders Smilie]



Ed

 

All except one!!!!! Jesus Christ----the mercy of God!!!!

All except one!!! Jesus Christ---the forgiveness of God!!!

All except one!!! Jesus Christ---the grace of God!!!

All except one!!! Jesus Christ---the judgment of God!!!

All except one!!! Jesus Christ---the love of God!!!

Jesus Christ was the only one who had the right to cast the first stone---but He chose to extend(cast, if you would) grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love of God----and did judge the little woman there on the spot---here was the judgment---


Go, and sin no more!!!

He extends to us the same---we're no better off than that little lady of His day!!!

We can come to grasp with the judgment----"Go!!!"

But "and sin no more" sometimes falls on deaf ears!!!!

If the little woman obeyed that last phrase in her day---she's a whole lot better off than many of our day

 

So true, Brother David... so true.

 

It wouldn't seem to be if one follows the oft repeated mantra that ministers (I Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:6) need not be the "husband of one wife" but merely "a one woman kind of man".

 

Hbr 13:4Marriage [is] honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.


BBob,