What happens in the spirit world when you sleep with someone? Marriage, my friends, was established by God himself. Among its many purposes, one is to fulfill the sexual needs and urges of a husband and wife. Sexual intimacy is intended to be experienced solely between a man and his wife within the sacred bonds of matrimony. It is not meant to be a casual activity between two individuals seeking to satisfy their temporary desires.
First Corinthians 7:2 states, “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” However, what many fail to realize is that in gay sexual relations with someone outside the covenant of marriage carries far greater consequences than the fleeting pleasure they seek in those mere moments during the act of intercourse.
It is not solely a physical experience; something profound is happening in the spiritual realm—something that most people fail to recognize. There is a genuine spiritual transference taking place between the two individuals involved. As stated in First Corinthians 6:16, “Do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For the two, he says, shall become one flesh.” In the realm of the spirit, you are uniting yourself with that person, declaring in the spiritual realm, “We Are One.”
And yet, our society takes fornication and adultery so lightly. Our world paints the picture that you can just change sexual partners as often as you change your clothes from one day to another day to another day. According to God’s word and according to God’s law, when people sleep with one another, it is not only a physical experience. Yes, the physical experience is undeniable, but equally, the evidence of a spiritual connection is undeniable as well.
Those involved in fornication may have a relationship that is so bad and negative. You ask yourself, “Why don’t they just go their separate ways?” They want to leave each other, but they can’t. They know they are not good for one another, and they want to leave, but they can’t. They know that their relationship is going nowhere, and they want to leave, but they can’t. They know that their relationship is unhealthy and toxic, and they want to leave, but they can’t. Why not? It’s not that simple. There is a connection between the two of them that transcends the physical and any other platonic relationship. They have been joined together; they have become one. Do you understand that there is a connection that transcends nature, that even transcends this world? “Know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? For two,” saith he, “shall be one flesh.” It’s a bond that transcends human comprehension, delving deep into the soul’s intricacies, interweaving destinies in an inextricable embrace. It’s a bond that transcends human logic; it is a bond that transcends the healing nature of time.
The Bible says, “For two,” saith he, “shall be one flesh.” In other words, these two people are married in the unseen world. There is a relationship status called friends with benefits. A friends with benefits relationship is one in which two people are physically intimate with one another, yet they’re not committed to each other in any way. People involved in a friends with benefits relationship sleep together, but their relationship isn’t romantic and isn’t exclusive and has no strings attached.
Have you ever noticed that in all friends with benefits couples, at least one of them begins to get attached to the other person? It happens every time. One or both people get attached, and the reason for this is they are joining themselves to one another. Fornication builds a spiritual connection between people. Why do you think breakups are so difficult? When the relationship ends, you feel so lost, as if something has been taken away from you. But the truth is, something has been taken away from you. A part of you has gone with that person, and a part of them is with you.
Breakups can feel somewhat like grief at points because someone to whom you were joined has left. There are people who are married to someone and still miss their ex-lover of over a decade ago. There are people who are married to someone and still think about their ex-lover of over a decade ago from time to time. Why do you think that is? Because they have become one flesh with them. You hear the line, “Time heals everything.” No, it doesn’t. Time does not fix the things of the spirit. So three, four, five years can pass, and you are still struggling with this breakup.
God created sex; he did. God loves you; yes, he does. And for this very reason, this is why God has created the specific parameters for two people to sleep together. God cares, and God’s laws are there for you to follow for your own good and to benefit you. God knows the consequences of people living a promiscuous life, and time and time again in his word, he warns us against this lifestyle.
So there is nothing wrong with you wanting sex; however, it is meant to be obtained through the parameters set by God. Allow me to illustrate the profound connection that is created when two people engage in a sexual relationship. Consider a woman who works a standard nine-to-five desk job in an office. Let’s say she sits next to the same person for 10 years, and they become the best of friends. They have lunch together every single day and spend more time with each other talking and working than they do with their own families. They meet up outside of work, celebrate birthdays, and grow closer and closer together. They invest 40 hours a week together and develop a deep friendship over the course of those 10 years.
Now imagine that her work best friend, who has become such an integral part of her life, decides to leave the job and move to another company. As a result, their once-close friendship gradually fades away. It is likely that she will feel a sense of loss and have to adjust to the absence of this colleague who meant so much to her. However, when compared to the breakup of a boyfriend with whom she had been in a sexual relationship for only one year, the emotional struggle is much greater. She may struggle with depression and experience feelings of grief, loss, rejection, and loneliness for years.
She will cry her eyes out for her boyfriend, who she had only known for one year, but she will not struggle to the same level with her colleagues she was close to for 10 years. When two individuals engage in sexual intimacy, a profound spiritual connection is established, reaching depths that extend far beyond the physical realm. It is a union that surpasses mere physical pleasure and transcends the boundaries of ordinary human relationships. In that intimate act, something extraordinary occurs—a merging of souls, a mingling of spirits.
This spiritual connection goes far beyond the physical sensations and pleasures experienced in the here and now. It delves into the realms of eternity where time ceases to exist, and the constraints of the material world fade away. It is a connection that binds their souls together, weaving an intricate tapestry of shared experiences, emotions, and desires. Fornication establishes a deep spiritual bond between individuals, and this is precisely why breakups can be incredibly agonizing.
Have you ever noticed how difficult breakups are?
Have you ever wondered why divorces are so profoundly challenging? Even in the context of a casual boyfriend-girlfriend relationship where fornication has taken place, the pain of a breakup can be excruciating. The reason behind this lies in the fact that we were not created by our divine Creator to engage in promiscuous behavior—hopping from one bed to another and leaving a trail of broken connections in our wake.
No, we were designed for a more sacred purpose. Breakups are intensely difficult for both men and women because when you sever ties with someone to whom you have intimately bound yourself, it feels like you’re bleeding from the depths of your being. You might be inclined to dismiss the significance of a non-marital relationship, thinking that since you didn’t exchange vows and say, “I do,” it wasn’t serious. However, that assumption is misguided.
When you join yourself to another person and form a deep emotional and physical connection, the pain of breaking that bond is excruciating. It cuts deep into your soul, leaving wounds that are slow to heal. The pain of a breakup is unique, like a heavy weight pressing upon your chest—an ever-present companion that accompanies you wherever you go. It’s not a pain that can be numbed with a simple painkiller; rather, it is a pain that lingers, breathes, and intertwines with your very being.
Even if years pass and communication between the two is non-existent, the mere sight of a text message from your ex can send your heart plummeting or racing. The lingering effects of the spiritual connection you once shared are undeniable. You may wonder why the emotional aftershocks persist long after the physical separation. Why are the feelings and emotions for that person persistent? Where you can be going to sleep at night thinking about your ex you broke up with five years ago, ten years ago, twenty years ago.
Sex does change people. What does the Bible say about our body and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? The Bible provides us with a clear stance on fornication, adultery, and the significance of honoring our bodies. It beautifully portrays our bodies as temples of Christ—holy sanctuaries deserving of reverence and respect.
“Your body, honor your body,” God demands you to honor it. God requires you to honor it. When individuals engage in bodily sins like fornication and adultery, they are committing acts of sexual immorality, thereby sinning against their own bodies, which are the temples of Christ. It is vital to recognize that we do not possess ownership over ourselves, for we have been purchased at a great price. Therefore, it is crucial that every action we take with our bodies aligns with the will of the one who sacrificially died for us and called us to salvation.
Our lives must reflect the gratitude and obedience we owe to Him. First Corinthians 7:23 states, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye servants of men.” Verse 13, “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats, but God shall destroy both it and them. Now, the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”
The opening lines, which may have been slogans and trendy justifications adopted by the Corinthian Church, aimed to downplay the seriousness of the sins they committed with their body. They liken sex to food, suggesting that just as food satisfies hunger, sex satisfies sexual urges. However, the Apostle Paul rejected these comparisons, emphasizing their temporary nature. He sternly warned against belittling the body and undermining its significance in worshiping God. Our bodies serve a greater purpose; they house the spirit of God and embody the presence of the Most High.
To grasp the profound truth that God dwells within us, therefore, we cannot align ourselves with those who chant the mantra of “I can do what I like with my body.” As children of God, we are called to obedience, not indulgence. We must demonstrate our devotion to God by obeying His commands. As Luke 6:46 states, “Why do you call him Lord if you do not do the things he instructs us to do?” Obedience is the true mark of our commitment to God and our recognition of His lordship over our lives.
Verses 15 and 16 state, “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of a harlot? God forbid. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? For two, saith he, shall be one flesh.”
Apostle Paul continues to unveil profound insights about the body, shedding light on aspects that believers in the Corinthian Church had disregarded and reduced to a mere tool for pleasure. He challenges their understanding of the indwelling of Christ within them and questions their audacity to engage in sacrilegious acts with their bodies. How can Christ reside within them while they willingly unite themselves with a harlot, an unbeliever, or someone with whom they haven’t entered into holy matrimony? His response is firm, “God forbid!”
Despite being products of a deeply entrenched culture of moral decay, Paul expected the Corinthian believers to have broken free from its grip after surrendering their lives to Christ. He goes even further to inquire if they truly comprehend the spiritual consequences of engaging in relationships with strangers, both men and women. These probing questions challenge the believers to reflect on their actions and the sacredness of their bodies as vessels of the indwelling Christ.
Paul’s admonition serves as a wake-up call, urging them to embrace a higher standard of purity and honor.
