Sex Outside Marriage

3.2 & 3.3

Keywords
Adultery: A sexual act between a married person and someone other than their marriage partner. Faithfulness: staying with your marriage partner and having sex only with them. Promiscuity: having sex with a number of partners without commitment. Procreation: making a new life. Sacrament: a special action which brings a Christian closer to God

Introduction
Sex, which was once accepted outside marriage, has now become part of many relationships. Sex outside marriage not only applies to pre-marital sex, but also to adultery, where one partner in a marriage is being unfaithful by having a sexual relationship with someone outside of the marriage. This is done through adultery, cohabitation or promiscuity.

Why is Sex Outside Marriage wrong?

Living together as a husband and wife without being legally married is Fornication and fornication is defined as sexual intercourse between unmarried persons. It is a violation of the will of God. Sex without the binding commitment of marriage cheapens oneself and the other person involved as love without commitment is not really love at all but rather a lust. Marriage alone provides the security from the fear of being used, seduced and abandoned.

Adultery
Adultery is voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse. Most people think this is wrong because when trust is broken someone gets hurt. Adultery is condemned in the bible: Matthew 5:28, But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. This was said by Jesus.

Promiscuity
Promiscuity, in human sexual behavior, is the practice of casual sex with multiple sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment and is viewed in the context of a mainstream social ideal for sexual activity to take place within exclusive committed relationships. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous within the mainstream social ideals of many cultures is a one-night stand.

Cohabitation
A living arrangement in which an unmarried couple lives together in a long-term relationship that resembles a marriage. Couples cohabit, rather than marry, for a variety of reasons: They may want to test their compatibility before they commit to a legal union. They may want to maintain their single status for financial reasons. In some cases, such as those involving gay or lesbian couples, or individuals already married to another person, the law does not allow them to marry. In other cases, the partners may feel that marriage is unnecessary.

Christian response
Christians believe that people should to be taught the scriptural truth that their bodies ( and their sexuality) do not belong to themselves but to God. Committed Christians believe that sharing a bed, breakfast, and bills apart from a marital bond is a violation of the will of God.

 The Biblical condemnation of sexual relations before or outside marriage is abundantly clear. Adultery, or sexual intercourse between married women or married men and someone other than their marital partners, is condemned as a serious sin. "If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death" (Lev 20:10) Paul helps us to see why the Bible strongly condemns sex outside marriage. Sex represents the most intimate of all interpersonal relationships, expressing a "one-flesh" unity of total commitment. Such a unity of commitment cannot be expressed or experienced in a casual sexual union with a prostitute where the concern is purely commercial and recreational. The only oneness experienced in such sexual unions is the oneness of sexual immorality. Sexual immorality is serious because it affects the individual more deeply and permanently than any other sin. Paul describes it as a sin committed inside the body: "Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body" (1 Cor 6:18).

Other religions also state that

Sex outside marriage causes damage in 2 areas; Physical and relational consequences: The physical consequences are getting Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases. It leaves some people grieving because they can no longer claim virginity. The relational consequence is damaging a persons relationship with God. It displeases and dishonors God as it is an intentional disobedience from his command to not commit adultery. For God is pleased when his children choose obedience and selfcontrol instead of the immediacy of pleasure.

Roman Catholic response

Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 speaks clearly about what this means: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. And God says that the proper place for the sexual relationship is within the bonds of honorable marriage. To fornicate is immoral; it is a sin against the Holy Spirit who dwells in the believers body.

Purpose of a Roman Catholic Chapter 3.3 Marriage

1. Procreation, having children to carry on the human race, is an important purpose of a Christian marriage A married relationship is the best place to bring up a family 2. Catholics also believe that marriage is the right place for a couple to enjoy a loving, sexual relationship. 3. Marriage also provides the couple with support and companionship throughout their lives 4. For Catholics, marriage is a sacrament which means that it is a holy relationship that enables God to channel his love for them.

How is this shown in the wedding ceremony?

1. Children and Family Life: As part of the marriage ceremony, the priest asks both the bride and the groom: Will you accept children lovingly from God, and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church? This means part of the couples responsibility is to raise children in the light of Gods love, and according to the ways of the Church.

2. Love: There are many references to love in the ceremony because it is an important part of marriage. The priest asks the bride and groom: Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives? After the couple have made their promises to each other, the priest takes the wedding ring and says: May the Lord Bless these rings which you give to each other as a sign of your love and fidelity. As the bride and groom place the rings on each others finger, they too say: take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

3. Support and Companionship The priest asks each by name: [NAME], do you take [NAME] for your wife/husband? Do you promise to be true to her/him in all the good times and bad, in sickness and in health, to love her/him and honor her/him all the days of your life? 4. Sacrament The Holiness of marriage is shown in the prayers, Bible readings and words spoken by the priest. In the love of man and wife, God shows us a wonderful reflection of his own eternal love Christ is present to [NAME] and [NAME] in this sacrament of Matrimony. We pray that he will continue to make his presence felt throughout their lives.

Some Catholic couples also choose to take communion as part of the Nuptial Mass, which further becomes the Holiness of Marriage.