Question

I've been reading your website and have so far found it very interesting.  I do have one question, however...It almost seems as if Paul contradicts himself.  On one hand he says that everything is pure and nothing is unclean.  On the other hand he tells people to flee sexual immorality (fornication, adultery, etc.)  Was he simply talking about food in Romans 14:14, or was he talking about everything?  Can you please explain this to me?  Thank, Mike

Answer

The point Paul makes about all things being pure is, to me, simple. Everything, including sexual activity, is INHERENTLY pure. But ANY act BECOMES illegitimate, sinful, etc, when it is harmful to someone else.

Sexual intercourse is pure. But when sexual intercourse breaches a marriage bond, then it is impure. Thus the act itself is pure, while the way that act is used, or the means by which it is employed, etc, is sinful, because the act harms another. It is not the act that is impure, but the illegitimate manner in which that act is performed.

ANY act can be sinful for this reason. Thus Paul says that eating meat is an inherently pure act. Eating meat become sinful only if the eating produces harm to another person, as, per his example, if one eats sacrificial meat under circumstances that causes a weak person to violate their conscience.

Virtually any action can be used to illustrate this point. Driving a car at 60 miles per hour is inherently innocent. But it becomes criminal if one drives 60 miles per hour in a 15 mph school zone.

Eating a sandwich is pure, but it becomes impure if I steal that sandwich from my neighbor. And so forth.

Thus it is true that "all things are pure" without exception. It is only the harmful effects of any action that makes it impure.

Both "fornication" and "adultery" are specific examples of how sex becomes sinful. "Fornication" is a generic word that includes all "unlawful" sexual activity, such as adultery, rape, bestiality, child molestation and incest. Thus sexual intercourse, while it is an inherently innocent activity, becomes "fornication" in any of the above specific situations. And its "unlawful" nature lies in the fact that it harms other people.

"Adultery" is a specific word that refers to ANY ACTIVITY OR INTENTION THAT TENDS TO SEVER MARRIAGE BONDS. Thus sexual intercourse, while it is an inherently innocent activity, becomes "adultery" if it violates a marriage bond, thus harming the people it thus affects.

Thus sexual activity is inherently innocent, but becomes sin when it violates other people.