I have an interesting question:

If a couple, both single, commits fornication before marriage and continue to have sex after marriage. Does that make their marriage tainted and continuing the sin?

SS, er, BA1, G10, BA,..or whoever you are.

Fornication is the act of unmarried people having sex. If they marry, they are bound for life together by God. Their sexual act is no longer considered fornication.

However, if they are not saved, then they will stand before God for committing fornication prior to being married. Follow?

Marriage is binding for life unless one of the spouses commits adultery (sex outside of marriage), then the betrayed spouse has the OPTION to divorce due to either the hardness of the offending spouse's heart or their own.

The BS is the only one who seems to have the option to remarry. The WS doesn't appear to be so fortunate.

BK, believe it or not, I am capable of speaking for myself without a "misinterpreter" speaking what they want to speak and attributing it to me.

"But FH sees "sinning no more" as works."

I do not "see" it that way. I see "works" as "a means required by someone in order to be saved" to be wrong. I see "works" motivated by a love for God and by thankfulness for what Jesus did for me as being "good works" that flow FROM being saved, not causing that salvation or earning me any "attaboys!".

What is the fruit (works) of the Spirit?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Gal.5:22-23)


"And repentance isn't necessary - faith alone is the mantra."

Again you distort what I have ALWAYS said, and you should know that from many previous discussions.

Repentance is necessary. "Works" to earn forgiveness is NOT necessary.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith - and this NOT from yourselves, it is the gift of God - NOT by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, emphasis added)

"Faith Alone" is NOT a "mantra," it is the teaching of the Word of God as the above quotation of Scripture states beyond any question.

You have argued in the past that a believer CAN lose his or her salvation by the commission of sins. I have argued in the past that no one who has had a true saving conversion (repenting of their sins and accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior) can ever lose their salvation as that salvation is "sealed" by the giving of the indwelling Holy Spirit and is maintained by Christ, the "person" who has made it clear that "no one can snatch them out of my hand."

BK, if you want to discuss these opposing viewpoints, I have told you several times in the past that I stand ready to discuss them with you anytime you want to have a serious discussion about them.

Until you are ready to hear exactly what I have to say, from me myself, and are ready to "defend" your interpretation of salvation and Eternal Security, please refrain from putting words into my mouth as some sort of "shortcut" to such a discussion.

Both are considered as sins and God does not see one sin greater than the other. Saralynn, you follow me?

If an adulterer commit adultery and later married the OP, they are entering into a marriage and later become saved. That seems to me to be very similiar to people who commit fornication and later getting married and then saved.

Ok, I will try this one more time.

Fornication is sexual relations outside of marriage. If two previously unmarried people commit fornication then marry and have sex, they are no longer committing fornication. This does not absolve them from their sin prior to being married, however. They will still give an account to God for fornication, if they are not saved.

When they marry IT IS FOR LIFE. They are bound to their spouse until they die. So if they have sexual relations outside of that marriage covenant, no matter if they remarry in the eyes of the state, they are IMO committing adultery against their covenant spouse.

Jesus says this quite plainly in Matthew 19:9 "And I tell you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except her unfaithfulness, and marries another woman, commits adultery." The same is true if a wife divorces her husband and remarries for reasons other than adultery.

If you don't like what Jesus said, I don't know what to say. He is stating quite clearly that marriage to someone, other than your first spouse, is adultery unless you are a BS.

Why do you keep switching names anyway? Are too many people putting you on ignore?

Exactly Sara. And God does see some sins as greater than others. The Bible is very clear on that.

Brilliant analogy Jo.

Awesome posts, Saralynn!! Bravo!

Thanks FF <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks so much, Saralynn. Right back atcha!

Jo

I've always preferred the saying:

[color:"blue"]"Marrying your adultery partner simply leaves an opening for the next one". [/color]