The doctrine of fornication

1. Definition. It refers in most cases in the literal passages to sexual activity outside of marriage. The spiritual meaning refers to reversionism. In that sense it should be understood that sex was designed to be an expression of love between right man and right woman. And sex was designed by God. Its perversions are sin but its design was by God as an expression of the soul love between a right man and a right woman. It is an extension of soul love. As an expression of category #2 love sex is both legitimate and beautiful, for it expresses coalescence of soul and body. Adultery may be categorised as fornication. Fornication is seduction of a member of the opposite sex in contrast to abnormal fornication which includes incest, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, molestation of children, indecent exposure, as well as certain types of masturbation.

2. The prohibition of fornication. Exodus 20:14 forbids it. The prohibition is repeated in Deuteronomy 5:18. In the New Testament there are several very dramatic prohibitions — 1 Corinthians 6:18; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3. Mental adultery is forbidden — Matthew 5:27,28. Incest is forbidden — 1 Corinthians 5:1-7; Leviticus 18:6-17; 20:14; Deuteronomy 27:20. Homosexuality is regarded to day as a psychological problem. It is not, it is a sin and should be treated as such — Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26. Bestiality is also forbidden — Leviticus 18:23; 20:15.

3. Phallic reversionism has an effect upon the soul — Proverbs 6:32.

4. Fornication and the frantic search for happiness is emphasised in Ephesians 5:3.

5. The destructive force of promiscuity is brought out in such passages as 1 Corinthians 6:13-18.

6. Adultery is a bona fide basis for divorce — Matthew 5:32; 19:9; Luke 16:18.

7. Adultery or fornication is often used in a spiritual sense to describe both reversionism and apostasy, and that is the sense in which it is used in our passage in Hebrews 12. This is true in Jeremiah 3:8-10; Ezekiel 16:23-43; 23:24-28; Revelation 17:1-5; Hebrews 12:16.

8. The sanctification of category #2 love is marriage — 1 Thessalonians 4:3,4. This is the description of right man, right woman relationship.

9. The glory of category #2 love is described in spiritual analogies — 1 Corinthians 11:7ff.

11. The biblical application of category #2 love to the single person.

a) The right man and the right woman were designed by God in eternity past, therefore there exists for the single person an opposite number of divine design. That in the only one for you, there is no other.

b) There are some exceptions to right man, right woman. There is the rare case of celibacy or function under the law of supreme sacrifice — 1 Corinthians 9:5; Jeremiah 16:2. The law of supreme sacrifice is a normal person refraining from sex. It is designed by God for maximum concentration and production under a special type of a program, like Paul was an apostle, the activities of his apostleship precluded having a category #2 relationship.

c) Every believer under grace in the plan of God will eventually meet his opposite number. At the right time and in the right circumstances God will bring together right man and right woman.

d) However there is no benefit in meeting your right woman or right man unless you have waited on the Lord in faithfulness to that principle. This means from the negative standpoint the avoidance of fornication. This means from the positive standpoint the capacity for category #2 love — that means take in doctrine, take in doctrine.

e) Consequently the thought and life pattern must be based on the doctrinal principle that there exists on this earth your right woman or your right man.

f) Fornication or adultery is accepting a cheap substitute in order to gratify an emotional or biological urge. Fornication or adultery is a part f frantic search for happiness in the second stage of reversionism.

g) The antidote to temptation in the area of fornication is found in spiritual growth, in the intake of Bible doctrine. Supergrace, the erection of the ECS, maximum doctrine resident in the soul, rejects the concept of frantic search for happiness in the field of sex.

h) Under phallic reversionism fornication builds scar tissue of the soul while destroying the physical responses and capabilities of the human body in the field of sex. This is why fornication or adultery is prohibited, it has both physical and spiritual repercussions.

i) Maximum doctrine resident in the soul plus abstinence from sex becomes the basis for maximum pleasure from sex in category #2 love. The persistent and daily function of GAP translates the principles of doctrine into the pleasures and realities of a great future happiness in the field of sex relationship.

j) Therefore, preparation for life is persistent and daily function of GAP. This is the way to attainment of supergrace status, the way to have great capacity for life, and this capacity for life overflows so that when you finally meet right man or right woman your paragraph SG² will include that great principle of sexual prosperity.

In Hebrews 12:16 fornication is used as an analogy to reversionism in the unbeliever. Here is the unbeliever in the pattern of 2 Peter 2:20,21. Fornication, then, is synonymous with unbeliever reversionism. Our verse says, “That there be no fornicator.”

Esau was an unbeliever and a perfect illustration to the Jews. He is immediately called a reversionist in the phrase “that there be no fornicator.” Fornication in this passage is dealing with spiritual fornication or reversionism, the concept of apostasy, the concept of being away from that which is true and being connected with something which is completely and totally false. This is also brought out by the next phrase.

“or profane person” — we have a disjunctive particle, h. A disjunctive particle is designed to separate related and similar terms. After the disjunctive particle we have a predicate nominative bebhloj, which means Godless, irreligious, unhallowed. And “profane” is a good word as long as it is understood that profane means an unbeliever. It is a predicate adjective actually, rather than a noun, and it is used for the unbeliever. Perhaps as an adjective it is best translated by the word “unhallowed,” unhallowed in the sense of being outside of God’s plan. In Hebrews 12:16 fornication is used as an analogy to reversionism in the unbeliever. Here is the unbeliever in the pattern of 2 Peter 2:20,21. Fornication, then, is synonymous with unbeliever reversionism. Our verse says, “That there be no fornicator.”

Esau was an unbeliever and a perfect illustration to the Jews. He is immediately called a reversionist in the phrase “that there be no fornicator.” Fornication in this passage is dealing with spiritual fornication or reversionism, the concept of apostasy, the concept of being away from that which is true and being connected with something which is completely and totally false. This is also brought out by the next phrase.

“or profane person” — we have a disjunctive particle, h. A disjunctive particle is designed to separate related and similar terms. After the disjunctive particle we have a predicate nominative bebhloj, which means Godless, irreligious, unhallowed. And “profane” is a good word as long as it is understood that profane means an unbeliever. It is a predicate adjective actually, rather than a noun, and it is used for the unbeliever. Perhaps as an adjective it is best translated by the word “unhallowed,” unhallowed in the sense of being outside of God’s plan.