Sex outside marriage: What does the Bible say?

*The Saturday session of the fourth in the series of three-day 2023 ‘Exercise Patience!’ Regional Convention at the Ota Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in Nigeria, explains the how Bible condemns every form of extra-marital intimacy

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Christians have been advised to flee from sex outside marriage as it is ungodly.

Ayomide Idowu Okunola, a representative of the Nigerian Branch Office of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in Igieduma, Edo State, gave the advice while delivering a talk on day two of the fourth in a series of the 2023 “Exercise Patience!” Regional Conventions holding at the Ota Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Ogun State.

Okunola, who spoke on the theme, “Why Beware of Instant Gratification?”, during the Saturday session of the three-day convention, told over 4,000 delegates that sex before marriage is a form of instant gratification being promoted by Satan the Devil.

“Satan is exploiting the brevity of life to make people not to be willing to wait. They want everything now. They ask, ‘Why wait?’,” the ordained minister said.

For the married, he also stressed that sexual relations should be only between them and their spouses, as the Bible condemns every form of extra-marital intimacy.

“Sex is only meant for a husband and wife. Reject provocative images, pornography and fantasies,” he admonished.

Okunola further quoted the Bible Book of I Thessalonians 4: 3,5, which reads: “For this is the will of God, that you should be holy and abstain from sexual immorality … not with greedy, uncontrolled sexual passion like the nations have that do not know God.”

Warning against “uncontrolled sexual passion”, the speaker said: “Any pleasure deprived from sin is temporary.”

He as well listed immorality, dishonesty and violence among the things God hates.

“Whoever does these things will not inherit God’s Kingdom, but people who flee from them will enjoy Jehovah’s blessings,” the speaker noted.

How to cultivate patience, and avoid extra-marital sex

Okunola also gave tips on how to cultivate patience and avoid extra-marital sex.

He urged the delegates to “prepare in advance, and strengthen your love for Jehovah through regular Bible reading, study and prayer.”

The convention is one of over 320 to be held in 39 host cities across Nigeria from August to December this year.

In all, some 6,000 conventions would be held worldwide as part of the 2023 Regional Conventions that started outside Nigeria from January 7 this year.

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