Arguably, sex (sexual intercourse) is one of the most controversial issues across all societies. Since sex is the fundamental process through which humanity comes into existence, there are many arguments and conflicting opinions on different aspects of sex. According to Smith et al. (2019), sex or sexual intercourse refers to how individuals experience and express their sexuality to other individuals. Despite racial and cultural differences, sex passes as a highly crucial affair to all humans and communities. Typically, sex ensures the existence and continuity of human life here on earth. On the other hand, health studies point out that regular sex bears numerous physical and psychological health benefits. For instance, sex enhances cognitive functions, promotes weight loss, increases happiness, enhances sleep quality, boosts the immune system, and prevents heart complications (Smith et al., 2019).
Without a doubt, the overwhelming importance of sex seemingly makes it an essential requirement for human survival. From a secularist perspective, sex is equally important as food, water, and clothing. Notwithstanding, strict societal regulations prevent specific social groups, especially young and unmarried couples, from engaging in premarital sex. Throughout the history of humankind, Christianity (as the world’s most prominent religion) condemns premarital sex/fornication as a major sin, a disgrace to morality and purity in society, and interference with cordial relations between humanity and God (Shveka & Faust, 2020). Christianity draws its convictions from the Bible, which generally prohibits all sexual relations that occur outside the confines of marriage.
As much as Biblical interpretations recognize premarital sex as a sin, there are several reasons why fornication is not against the Scripture. Firstly, the Bible never mentions anything concerning fornication. According to the sixth of the Ten Commandments, God forbids humans from committing adultery (Shveka & Faust, 2020). Primarily, adultery denotes the act of having sexual intercourse with a person other than one’s spouse (either wife or husband). As we know it, premarital sex is different from adultery, and thus, in my view, it does not contravene the Scriptures. As opposed to premarital sex, the Bible recognizes and strictly forbids homosexuality. In the Old Testament, the Bible states that it is an abomination for a man to engage in sexual intercourse with another man. In this sense, homosexuality is unnatural and punishable by death. Suppose premarital sex was against the Scripture, as most people suggest, it is equally vital to implore why it is not despised like adultery, incest, prostitution, and homosexuality. Although some Bible versions mention fornication as “Porneia” in the New Testament, “Porneia” is a Greek word that stands for harlotry, which is different from premarital sex (Harper, 2018, p7).
The Scriptures depict marriage as the perfect and only setting in which sexual intercourse should occur. For instance, Paul reiterates that Christians should strive to remain pure by avoiding sexual immorality. In his teaching, Paul states that people who engage in sexual immorality shall not inherit God’s kingdom. Again, he recognizes that human temptation is real and thus suggests one to marry to avoid engaging in sexual immorality (Von Thaden, 2017). In my opinion, Paul’s suggestion was ambiguous and futile in that it does not indicate whether premarital sex is part of sexual immorality. Besides, Paul’s suggestion neglected the fact that marriage does not prevent people from engaging in sexual affairs with other people besides their spouses. For instance, King David, Abraham, and other notable personalities had sexual relations outside their marriages. Even though such acts were condemned and others punished, they happened even with the institution of marriage in place. We could still argue that King Solomon married a thousand wives to avoid committing adultery. Nevertheless, Solomon’s arrangement is contrary to Biblical teachings on chastity and faithfulness between spouses. This clearly demonstrates that marriage is not a panacea for extramarital sex.
Due to the controversy surrounding sex, some parts of the Scriptures are often misinterpreted to make premarital sex contrary to Biblical teachings. For instance, Deuteronomy states that if a man forcefully sizes and sleeps with a virgin woman, he must pay a hefty sum of money to her father and then marry the girl (Lim, 2019). This verse does not relate to premarital sex in any way. In biblical times, virginity was a crucial measure of purity. In this case, parents (especially the father) would get plenty of bridal wealth if their daughter was married off as a virgin. In this scenario, if a man raped a virgin, he would not be punished for having premarital sex with the woman but rather for interfering with the extent to which her parents would benefit from dowry payment.
In another light, the scriptures seemingly condone premarital sex. For instance, Deuteronomy 21:10 states that it is acceptable for a man to marry a woman he has captured in war and then dispose of her if she is not desirable (Lim, 20190. Such a provision indicates that it is relatively acceptable for men to have sex with women they do not intend to spend their lives. In instances where the Scriptures seemingly condemn premarital sex, there are signs that it may be or not be a critical issue as most people view it. For instance, the book of Deuteronomy holds that a newlywed husband must “confirm” his wife’s purity by first having sex with her. If not found a virgin, the woman should be stoned to death in front of her parents. On the other hand, if the husband lied to the elders and the woman was indeed a virgin, he was beaten, forced to marry the woman and pay a vast amount of silver to her parents (Koller, 2010). In my view, this verse illustrates the pervasive social injustice that existed in Biblical times. One could only ask, why is the woman in this case subjected to a more brutal sanction for her loss of virginity than the man who falsely accuses her of not being a virgin? Also, why did parents, elders, or anyone else involved see no importance of investigating whether men had equally maintained their virginity before marriage? Such ignorance and partiality create an impression that men could fornicate as much as they wanted while women preserved themselves for marriage.
In conclusion, I reiterate that premarital sex is not against the scriptures. Although the Scriptures do not specifically address every evil, premarital sex is as old as other sexual relations. In this light, it should have been highlighted in the Bible. From a personal standpoint, the Scriptures are misinterpreted against premarital sex as they are also used to legitimize gender and racial inequality. Sex is natural and divine; therefore, it is not against the Scriptures. Again, in the book of Genesis, it is not stated whether Adam and Eve were a married couple, yet God instructed them to have sex and fill the earth.
Reference
Harper, K. (2018). The first Sexual Revolution. First Things, (279), 1-12.
Koller, A. (2010). Sex or Power? The Crime of the Bride in Deuteronomy 22. Zeitschrift für altorientalische und biblische Rechtsgeschichte, 16, 279-296.
Lim, H. J. (2019). Re-Examining Israelite Patriarchy through Marriage Laws of Deuteronomy. Spectrum, (3).
Shveka, A., & Faust, A. (2020). Premarital Sex in Biblical Law: a Cross-Cultural Perspective. Vetus Testamentum, 70(2), 316-339.
Smith, L., Yang, L., Veronese, N., Soysal, P., Stubbs, B., & Jackson, S. E. (2019). Sexual activity is associated with greater enjoyment of life in older adults. Sexual medicine, 7(1), 11-18.
Von Thaden, R. H. (2012). Sex, Christ, and embodied cognition: Paul’s wisdom for Corinth. Emory studies in early christianity.
