When St. Paul says,
“Do not be deceived: no fornicators … will inherit
God’s kingdom” (1 Cor 6:9-10), he certainly doesn’t appear
to be treating this subject lightly. His statement seems pretty
straightforward and includes a rather significant consequence. Yet
our society professes that what was once considered immoral behavior
really isn’t. Many TV shows and featured media articles
endorse it in one way or another, and it is practically expected of
today’s entertainment celebrities.
The word
“fornication” basically refers to single persons engaging in
sexual behavior. This applies to a broad spectrum of people: those
who say it’s merely a natural expression of their love, or those
who treat it as a recreational activity and claim that it’s no one
else’s business, or even engaged couples who reason that because
they’ve made a preliminary commitment to each other they’re as
good as married. Attempting to rationalize the Word of God, however,
is never wise, and the Bible is very clear regarding the source and
results of an immoral lifestyle (James 1:14-15, Mark 7:21, Gal
5:19-21, Eph 5:5-6).
Condoning the
immoral conduct of single persons while dressing it with pleasant
sounding expressions such as “sleeping together”, “making
love”, or “living together” doesn’t change either its nature,
which is sin, or its deadly consequence, which is the
resultant loss of eternal life with God. The Book of Revelation
indicates the judgment that awaits those who allow the flesh to
dominate their lives: “As for the . . . fornicators, . . .their
lot is the fiery pool of burning sulfur, the second death!” (Rev
21:8). This is most definitely not something to be taken lightly.
To counter the
deceptions that lead to immoral behavior the Catholic Church provides
many avenues, among them the sacraments of Reconciliation and the
Eucharist. Frequent reception of both helps to strengthen our
resolve to lead the holy, moral Christian lives to which we have been
called (1 Thess 4:3,7).
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