It is the contention of some, relying on 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20 and 1 Corinthians 7: 1-9, that sex between a believer and his or her spouse is sexual immorality! Is this so?

1 Corinthians 6: 13 states clearly that the body is not for sexual immorality but for Yah'shuah, and Yah'shuah for the body. Verse 14 tells us that Yahweh both raised up Yah'shuah and will also raise believers up by his power. Verse 15 makes plain the point that believers’ bodies are members of the Messiah. It then adds by cautioning that members of the Messiah are NOT to be made members of a harlot - any harlot anywhere. For, as verse 16 shows, a person who is sexually joined to a harlot is one body with the harlot, even as shown by Genesis 2: 24. Verse 17 states that those who are joined to Yah'shuah are one spirit with him. Verse 18 urges us to flee sexual immorality, noting that every sin a human commit is outside one’s body, save for committing sexual immorality, which is sin against one’s own body! Verse 19 makes plain that the believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that dwells in the believer, the Spirit the believer has from Yahweh. Verse 19 then adds that believers do not belong to themselves. For verse 20 shows that they were bought at a price - namely the life of Yah'shuah. Therefore believers are to glorify Yahweh both in body and in spirit, for these no longer belong to the believer, but to Yahweh. And if they belong to Yahweh they ought to be used as Yahweh directs, and not in some manner violating Yahweh’s direction, such as in sexual immorality.

The above scriptures show plainly that sexual union between a believer and a harlot - one not married to the believer - is sexual immorality. They do not say that sexual union between a believer and his or her spouse is sexual immorality. The imputation of such a statement into the above scriptures would be adding onto Yahweh’s word, which is prohibited by other portions of scripture, such as Deuteronomy 4: 2.

The above scriptures admonish the believer to always remain one with Yah'shuah. As a harlot is not a believer, as she persists in committing sexual immorality, and therefore is not one with Yah'shuah, any sexual union between a believer and a harlot violates the oneness the believer has with Yah'shuah. When a believer is thus enjoined to a harlot and therefore one with the harlot, the believer is not one with Yah'shuah, for Yah'shuah is not one with harlots, for harlots are not believers. For a believer to remain one with Yah'shuah any sex the believer engages in must be with another who is one with Yah'shuah. For as both sexual partners are one with Yah'shuah, the oneness each of the sexual partners has with Yah'shuah is not violated.

1 Corinthians 7: 1 mentions that there were some matters that the Corinthian assembly had written to the author. In light of these undisclosed matters the author responded that it is good for a man not to touch a woman, meaning not to have sex with a woman. Nevertheless, as stated in verse 2, because of the existence of sexual immorality, it was advisable for each man to have his wife, and each woman to have her husband. In other words, had sexual immorality not been in existence, it would have been advisable for a man not to have sex with a woman, in light of the undisclosed circumstances with respect to which the author was written to.

By counselling that it is advisable for each man and each woman to have their wife and husband respectively, the clear implication of verse 2 is that it is through marriage that both a man and a woman avoid sexual immorality. For as sexual immorality exists, and the risk of so committing sexual immorality is great when one remains unmarried, to forestall this risk one ought to become married, thereby engaging in sex within marriage, which is NOT sexual immorality. For verse 3 commands the husband to render sexual affection to his wife, and the wife to do the same to the husband. Verse 4 shows that neither the husband nor the wife has any authority with respect to barring themselves rendering sexual affection to their spouse, for the authority over a married person’s body with respect to sex belongs to that person’s spouse.

Verse 5 commands that one should not sexually deprive one’s spouse, unless both the husband and the wife agree by mutual consent to sexually separate themselves from one another for a limited period of time, and then only for the purpose of prayer and fasting. And they should, after the expiry of that limited period, sexually enjoin themselves again in order not to give Satan an opportunity to tempt them with sexual immorality, that is their being sexually enjoined with anyone other than their spouse. For, due to lack of self-control, it was very probable that Satan would succeed in inducing either or both of them to so commit sexual immorality.

Verse 6 states that the counsel given above is concessionary advice, for verse 1 had already stated that it was good for a man not to touch a woman in light of the circumstances with respect to which the author was written to. In other words, had the risk of committing sexual immorality not been in existence, the author would not have given the concessionary advice given in verses 2 to 5, but would have counselled that men ought not to touch women but should remain unmarried. For in verse 7 the author wished that all men were like he was - unmarried. Nevertheless, the author also understood that not all had the gift of remaining unmarried, for remaining in this state yet without committing sexual immorality was a gift from Yahweh, and Yahweh apportions his various gifts to various people, without necessarily apportioning a particular gift to all believers.

Verse 8 reiterated the author’s comments in verse 1, that it is good for those not married, including widows, to remain unmarried. Nevertheless, as verse 9 added, if one cannot exercise self-control one should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion - the strong desire and physical need to have sexual gratification.

Verse 8, taken together with the preceding verses, therefore suggests that part of the gift from Yahweh of remaining in an unmarried state, yet not committing sexual immorality, involves the quality of self control, which not all believers have in sufficient amount to enable them to remain unmarried. Those who are unmarried and also have sufficient of self control to remain unmarried without committing sexual immorality or without being aflame with passion would do good by remaining unmarried.

And why would this be doing good?

For they would serve Yah'shuah, as verses 25 to 40 of 1 Corinthians 7 show, without the added distraction of also serving the interests of their spouse. In other words, they would remain in a state of being able to give Yah'shuah service undivided by marital distractions, for marriage does indeed have the distractions of catering to the interests of one’s spouse.

It should therefore be noted that it is NOT sexually immoral for a believing husband and/or wife to have sex with his or her spouse. Believing husbands and wives should have sex within marriage to AVOID committing sexual immorality - which is having sex with anyone who is not one’s married partner. The reason why it is good for those believers so gifted with sufficient self control to remain unmarried is that they can render undistracted service to Yah'shuah, while those who are married are inevitably distracted in their service to Yah'shuah as they also have to cater to the interests of their spouses.

A fair question can therefore be posed: can a believer have sex with an unbelieving spouse and still remain one with Yah'shuah? Also, would unmarried believers having sex between themselves remain one with Yah'shuah?

Can a believer have sex with an unbelieving spouse? With respect to the first question, of whether a believer can have sex with his or her unbelieving spouse and still remain one with Yah'shuah, it should be noted that the scriptures in 1 Corinthians 7, especially verses 10 to 16, do not forbid this. In fact, the believing spouse is urged not to depart or separate from the unbelieving spouse. For the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by his marriage to the believing spouse. As the unbelieving spouse is sanctified, and therefore not unholy, sex between a believing spouse and an unbelieving spouse does not violate the oneness the believer has with Yah'shuah. But if the unbelieving spouse was not sanctified then the believing spouse would not have been permitted to have sex with the unbelieving spouse, thereby leading to separation between the believer and the unbeliever. But as the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by marriage to a believer, the believing spouse can have sex with the unbelieving spouse, and need not and ought not to separate from the unbelieving spouse.

Do unmarried believers having sex between themselves remain one with Yah'shuah? With respect to the second question, of whether unmarried believers can have sex between themselves and still remain one with Yah'shuah, it should be noted that such a practice is clearly called fornication, and is therefore sexual immorality. For such believers would be violating Yahweh’s words with respect to sex being permitted only within marriage. And in their violation of Yahweh’s words they would be rebelling from Yahweh, and not acting as slaves owned by Yahweh, who both created them and bought them with the blood of his Son Yah'shuah. And in their rebellion they would not be walking with both Yahweh and Yah'shuah, and therefore they would not be one with both Yahweh and Yah'shuah. It should therefore be clear that unmarried believers would not be one with Yah'shuah if they had sex between themselves.

If unmarried believers desire to have sex between themselves they should become married, and have sex between themselves within marriage, whereby it is sanctioned by Yahweh (1 Corinthians 7: 36). Otherwise, by so engaging in sex yet not being married, they would cease to be believers, thereby becoming unbelievers, for they would be crucifying Yah'shuah again by their rebellious conduct!

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