Q
Why was the word “sexual” or “sexually” left out in the discussion of
porneia (fornication) and only “immorality” noted?
A
I have a chapter in my book called “Men Shall Be Unholy” (2 Tim. 3:2). In it
I discuss how new versions have substituted the terms “immorality” or “sexual
immorality” for the word “fornication.” Webster’s Dictionary is very clear that the
word “fornication” means sex before marriage. If you look up the word
“immorality,” you find a definition that just says, “contrary to the moral code of the
community.” The word “morals” is a Latin word, moralis, which means “customs.”
What did God say about customs in Leviticus 18:30? He said, “Therefore shall ye
keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs.”
God said, “the customs of the people are vain” in Jeremiah 10:3. We cannot go by
customs or mores because customs and mores are relative. With the omission of the
word “fornication” from the new bibles, we have no standards for young people to
look to.
I did an informal survey at Kent State University asking college students their
impressions about the word “immorality.” They said that “immorality” related to
things like the Vietnam War, air pollution, or things like that. So, when the NASB
puts the word “immorality” in place of “fornication,” they are completely missing
the sin God is pointing to in his word. The NIV and New King James choose the
words “sexual immorality.” In a culture such as ours today, where mores are very
relative and very degraded, this reading elicits an equally vague response. When I
asked students, “What is “sexua1 immorality,’” absolutely none of them ever said,
“sex before marriage.” They would say something to me like, “Engaging in sex with
someone you did not love,” or “Having more than one boyfriend at a time.” So the
term “sexual immoraIity” in the New King James and the NIV will not communicate
to young people the clear prohibitions inherent in the word “fornication.”
Now some might say that “fornication” is a difficult word. Every first-grader is
taught that ph sounds like f sometimes. Every high school student, unfortunately, has
heard the word “porn.” There is a trend for “dumbing down” in our schools and this
trend is leaking over into the church. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a word
that is clearly defined in Webster’s Dictionary. As long as it is still in the dictionary,
it is not an archaic word.