Sexual immorality has become widespread, and many people seek guidance on what the Bible says about it. Fornication, which refers to sexual relations outside of marriage, is frequently addressed in Scripture. The Bible provides clear teachings about sexual purity, the consequences of fornication, and the blessings of living a holy life according to God’s standards.
In this blog post, we will explore 40 Bible verses about fornication, breaking them down into different categories to help you understand what God’s Word teaches about sexual purity.
What Does the Bible Say About Fornication?
The Bible consistently warns against fornication and calls believers to live a life of holiness and sexual purity. Fornication is considered a sin that separates people from God, damages relationships, and carries spiritual and physical consequences. However, the Bible also offers redemption through repentance and God’s grace.
1. Fornication is a Sin Against the Body
- 1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”
2. God Calls Believers to Holiness
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.”
3. The Body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
40 Bible Verses About Fornication
Here are 40 bible verses about fornication, gotten from the old and new testament:
Old Testament Verses on Fornication
1. Genesis 39:9 – “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Joseph’s response to Potiphar’s wife, demonstrating his commitment to sexual purity.)
2. Exodus 20:14 – “You shall not commit adultery.” (One of the Ten Commandments, emphasizing the sanctity of marriage.)
3. Leviticus 18:20 – “You shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so make yourself unclean with her.”
4. Leviticus 20:10 – “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”
5. Proverbs 5:3-5 – “For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end, she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.”
6. Proverbs 6:32 – “He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.”
7. Proverbs 7:21-23 – “With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter.”
8. Ecclesiastes 7:26 – “And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters.”
9. Jeremiah 5:7-8 – “How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores.”
10. Hosea 4:2 – “There is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.”
New Testament Verses on Fornication
11. Matthew 5:28 – “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
12. Matthew 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”
13. Mark 7:21-23 – “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery.”
14. John 8:4-5 – “They said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?'”
15. Acts 15:20 – “But we should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.”
16. Romans 1:29 – “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips.”
17. Romans 13:13 – “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.”
18. 1 Corinthians 5:1 – “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans.”
19. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality.”
20. 1 Corinthians 6:13 – “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”
21. 1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”
22. 1 Corinthians 7:2 – “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.”
23. 1 Corinthians 10:8 – “We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.”
24. Galatians 5:19 – “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality.”
25. Ephesians 5:3 – “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.”
26. Ephesians 5:5 – “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
27. Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
28. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.”
29. Hebrews 13:4 – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
30. Jude 1:7 – “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”
31. Revelation 2:20 – “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality.”
32. Revelation 9:21 – “Nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
33. Revelation 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
34. Revelation 22:15 – “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”
Additional Verses on Sexual Purity
35. 1 Thessalonians 4:4-5 – “That each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.”
36. 2 Timothy 2:22 – “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
37. 1 Peter 2:11 – “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”
38. 1 John 2:16 – “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”
39. Job 31:1 – “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?”
40. Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
How to Overcome Fornication and Live in Purity
The Bible not only warns against fornication but also provides a way out through faith, self-discipline, and reliance on God’s strength.
- Pray for Strength – Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
- Guard Your Thoughts – Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
- Avoid Temptation – 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.”
- Surround Yourself with Godly Influence – Proverbs 13:20 – “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.”
Conclusion
The Bible is clear about the dangers of fornication and the importance of sexual purity. By studying these 40 Bible verses about fornication, we can better understand God’s will for our lives and strive to live in a way that honors Him. Whether you’re struggling with temptation or simply seeking to grow in your faith, these verses offer timeless wisdom and guidance.
If you found this post helpful, please share it with others who may benefit from these Bible verses about fornication. Let’s encourage one another to live lives that glorify God in every way!
Read also: 50 Prayer Points Against Fornication
Discover more from Bible Verses & Prayers
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