he sex drive is one aspect of man’s unique nature. Thereby the human race is perpetuated. And, inasmuch as the first recorded command of God to Adam and Eve was “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28), sex is a vital part of a healthy marriage. Therefore, it is God's will for a scripturally married man and woman to satisfy one another sexually (1 Cor. 7:2-5). However, those who have sex outside of scriptural marriage are “fornicators and adulterers” (Heb. 13:4; Matt. 19:9). “To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2).

hile the word “fornication” is defined as “voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons or two persons not married to each other,” the Greek word simply means “illicit sexual intercourse” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). This would include sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex, a person of the same sex, or even a brute beast. The word “adultery” is defined as “voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse.” Jesus, however, expanded this to include sexual intercourse between two persons who are married to each other without God’s approval. “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matt. 19:9).

hile it is true that God “hates divorce” (Mal. 2:16; Matt. 19:6; Mark 10:11-12; 1 Cor. 7:10-11), He does allow it under certain circumstances. First, He allows an individual to divorce his/her scriptural spouse if that spouse is guilty of fornication (Matt. 19:9). One who divorces his/her scriptural spouse for any other reason does so without God’s approval. If that person then marries another he/she is guilty of adultery. Also, one who marries a person who has been divorced by his/her spouse is guilty of adultery (Matt. 5:32; 19:9; Luke 16:18). On the other hand, one who divorces his/her spouse for fornication (sexual infidelity) and marries another is not guilty of adultery (Matt. 19:9). In other words, one is not obligated to remain married to a fornicator. Therefore, an innocent person who divorces a sexually unfaithful spouse is no longer bound and may marry someone else with God’s approval.

econd, those who are unscripturally married are not bound to one another; they are guilty of adultery and ought not to remain married. “For the woman which hath a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man” (Rom. 7:2,3). She is guilty of adultery because she is still bound to the first man. Therefore, though they have been pronounced “husband and wife” by a duly appointed representative of the state, they have not been “joined together” by God and ought not to stay together, because “fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4 [NKJV]). &

A HARLOT’S ATTIRE

By Chuck Bartlett

And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart” (Prov. 7:10).

othing hurts a child of God more than being accused of dressing like a harlot when they don’t realize they are doing so. People often make vain attempts to justify sin by claiming ignorance. If someone doesn’t realize that they are dressing in a provocative manner, does it mean it is not sin? Of course not, it may not be the intention of a saint to dress immodestly, but if they are, it is still sin if they are clothed in a lascivious way (Gal. 5:19).

o what can Christians do to make sure they are not dressing like a harlot? They need to understand what dressing like a harlot means and avoid it. To begin with, a harlot has seducing on her mind. Therefore, she must dress in such a way that advertises her body. The clothing is to be revealing. Here is a short list of how one reveals his/her body for show:

Clothes that are very tight -- This means the contour of the body is clearly revealed. Remember, dressing like a harlot is not being nude. The seductress first lures people with her body to entice them to want more. Tight clothes are a signal that says, “Look at my body.”

Clothes that reveal flesh -- We are not talking about someone not wearing socks or a long sleeve shirt. The flesh we are talking about is parts of the flesh that are not meant for the eyes of everyone. This would include shirts too short. When someone cannot comb their hair without revealing a midriff, then it is too short. Of course, some have it showing without even lifting their arms. Then there are tops with the neck line cut way too low. Also, we have the shorts and skirts that come up beyond the knee and with slits that go to the thigh. Finally, we have the see through material that people like to wear.

he question is, if everyone dresses like a harlot, does that mean it no longer exists? No. Our society is bombarded with advertising that uses sex-appeal. They use people that dress like a harlot to sell everything from cars to gum, and from clothing to music. The reason for this is sex sells. I am told that a movie that doesn’t require a provocative scene for the story line will often have one added just to get a higher rating. Why? It draws people in.

ociety has made a distinction between a harlot and one who dresses like one. In God’s eyes, both are sin. It doesn’t matter if an innocent, naïve child just wants to dress like Brittney Spears–it is inappropriate dress. Somewhere along the way, people have grown accustomed to dressing like a harlot and think it is perfectly fine. As stated earlier, when the majority is doing it, it’s difficult to see the harm.

he lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16) is one of Satan’s strongest tools. Men that lust after women because of the way they dress are often considered to be dirty minded. That may be the case; however, in the Proverb passage that speaks of the harlot, we are told that she tries to seduce young men who come by (Prov. 7:6-8). Let not the innocent, who dress immodestly, be unaware of how they can tempt the onlooker who is also naïve.

here are two misconceptions about harlot attire that need to be addressed.

It is wrong to think that as long as no one touches you, that your attire is okay. Jesus spoke about the sin that occurs just by looking and thinking about a woman (Matt. 5:28).

It is wrong to think that as long as you cover the basic parts of your anatomy, it is okay. Remember when Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves, it wasn’t enough. God gave them skins to cover them up (Gen. 3:21). &

[To be continued next week]