Welcome again on The Master’s Plan blog; today we will be looking at an important issue facing us in the contemporary.
Let’s talk about fornication and the Christian youths;
1 Thessalonians 4:1 – 5 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. for this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
The verses of Scripture above are from the letter of Paul to the Thessalonians in regards to one of the issues facing them; Paul noted above that Gods will for His people is that they abstain from fornication: with this statement of Paul, it is established that the issue of fornication did not start with the Contemporary but had its root from immemorial therefore the issue of fornication is a problem which both the Old Testament and the New Testament Scholars faced.
The word ‘Fornication’ as used in the Old King James Bible is derived from the Greek word πορνεία “porneia” and translated literally as ‘prostitution’ (including adultery, incest, and porn) and by extension unwedded stimulation or fulfillment of sexual desire; figuratively idolatry.
Porneia as a word is from the root word πορνεύω “porneuo” which means to act the prostitute or literally indulge unlawful lust (of either sex), to stimulate unwedded sexual desire and figuratively practice idolatry. Porneia is often compared with the Hebrew word תַּזנוּת ‘taznuwth’ which also means prostitution, figuratively idolatry. Taznuwth as used in the Old Testament to describe a Prostitute is from the root word זָנָה “zanah” meaning to commit adultery (usually of the female) less often to commit fornication and rarely to commit rape.
From the above you will discover that Fornication does not just mean to have sex with one that you are not married to but is being conceived by the ancient Bible authors as:
Prostitution, Adultery, Pornography, Incest, Unwedded stimulation like Masturbation or arousing your sexual desire through lust, Idolatry. Hence when one fornicates, he is first of all a prostitute and then an Idolater.
You will also discover that zanah as a word which speaks of fornication indicated that at the time of the usage of this word zanah, the act of fornication was less often while rape was rare, adultery was usually associated with females. But according to online sources it is gathered that most young people have had sex for the first time by the age of 17 with 21% of teens at this age recorded to have had sex as of 1995; another online source stated and I quote ‘those who don’t have sex during their teen years are in the minority…’ A professor in the department of humanities was teaching us African Traditional Religion in the Post Graduate class at Ajayi Crowther University and he stated that during the time of ATR, the case of fornication was minute unlike how it is now, He then said that while teaching the undergraduate students of the same institution, he admonished them to make sure they keep their virginity till they get married, to his surprise, the ladies who were in the majority shouted in surprise with the expression that such is no longer desirable.
While we all try our best to preach our youth out of premarital sex with emphasis on the girl it is observed that where 3 out of 10girls get married as a virgin, 1 out of 10boys get married as a virgin and all these are the same youths who sing in our Choir, play our drums, guitar, keyboard and other instrument which makes our services lively, these youths are the same that has once being confirmed and are now communicant in our Churches but right there in their hearts is this indwelling and unquenchable desire for premarital sexual activities…untamed lust and hunger for sex outside marriage an act which has denied the youths the ability to live their life in fullness to the will of God.
This challenging issues has long been existing in our churches with little or no effort made by our youths to stop it; it has grown to a point of acceptance by the youths that good number of our youths sees nothing wrong in hanging out with the opposite sex, have fun (they call it) and still pray with expectations that heaven will fall.
This spiritual cankerworm called fornication has penetrated into the bones and marrows of our youths without them knowing how it came about in their lives…some of them never intended to live a life of fornication but while they allowed the system of this world to influence their lifestyle, fornication became inevitable.
Let us consider some of the things that promote fornication in the life of a Christian youth today;
Fashion: this word is being defined in many contexts to suit the discussed issue but for the sake of this paper, we will adopt this definition; fashion is the latest and most admired style in clothes and cosmetics and behavior…fashion as a style of clothing in recent times has adopted a style that is best described as sexy dressing. These sexy dressings have cut the attention of most youths in such a way that what we wear seems to be giving the public the notion that we actually want to have sex. The implication of these is that knowingly or unknowingly we seduce the innocents’ youths who are on their own doing their businesses. Proverb 9:13 – 18 The woman Folly is rowdy; she is gullible and knows nothing. She sits by the doorway of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling to those who pass by, who go straight ahead on their paths: “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!” To the one who lacks sense, she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten secretly is tasty!” But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. These dressings which exposes the sensitive parts of the woman body makes a call to the young and inexperienced youths that fornication is sweet…little do they know that those that took the path of fornication ended up in the depth of hell.
Fashion also speaks of behaviors; in the contemporary, our youths has adopted these satanic behaviors that are sexually oriented, dance steps that makes a loud call for sex and words that unduly arouses the sexual urge of many youths so that they grow impatient to wait for their marriage time.
Movie and Music’s: in the contemporary, the music’s and movies watched by our youths promotes sex, the entertainment programs which we watch or listen to in our televisions and radios stations promote sex hence at a very tender age when our youths are still inexperienced these sexually oriented programs comes up to arouse their feelings and desires making them grow inquisitive and impatient to wait for the lawful time to explore this life of sex. These movies and music’s has so much been made popular that unless you decide not to watch the television or radio you will against your wish have them played in your very own house while your children which are still being gloomed dance to the tone of the song without knowing the implications.
The internet on the other hand is one of the fastest way by which this unholy act is being propagated as the pornographic videos and pictures pop up against ones wish or desire causing youths to have a glance at it even before they close the pop up but for the youths who are inexperienced even when they do close it, the picture becomes a seed sown in their minds which does not take time to germinate… and to think that these porn video cost just ₦20 put in these youth’s phones various vendor stands.
Opposite Sex relationship: This is the easiest way the devil is using to propagate this cankerworm called fornication, our youth who are inexperienced and influenced by the uncontrolled propagation of sex materials both in the media and in words are involved in some kind of opposite sex relationship which normally starts as a relationship with good intentions e.g. Study mate, family friend, casual friend etc. but as time goes on, the usage of sexually arousing words between the parties arouses their sexual urge for each other hence living them with the desire to explore this act without thinking of the implication or what is the mind of God over the whole issue. Some of them has in their faithfulness vowed never to get involved in the premarital sex but when they find themselves in these unholy relationship, in the cause of time, they establish trust for each other in such a way that it becomes hard for them to resist each other when the flesh starts its work.
These factors and some other that we will discuss next time has given birth to the fast spreading decay among our youth and the implication is that the Temple of the Holy Spirit which is our bodies constantly is being defiled… Paul admonishes that we do not offer any parts of our body to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer ourselves to God, and all the parts of our body to God as weapons for righteousness because it is the will of God that we be sanctified, and abstain from fornication Romans 6:13; 1 Thess. 4:3.
Beloved of God, as we come to conclusion, I want to remind you that God desires you to be pure in heart and body, if you have been in the Church but still share a part in fornication of any kind whether porn, stimulating of your sexual urge, masturbation, lust, sex itself or any other form mentioned in this paper you are best described as a prostitute and not a Christian and by means of figurative expression you are an idolater…draw near to God today and be a faithful youth sanctified and purified for the service of the master. Amen
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