What Does the Bible Say About Sex Before Marriage?
1) Direct answer
Sex before marriage is sin. The Bible calls it fornication. God reserves sexual intimacy for a man and a woman joined in the covenant of marriage. Anything outside that covenant brings judgment, not blessing.
2) Scriptural explanation
- Marriage is honorable... and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge (Hebrews 13:4).
- Flee fornication... he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body... your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
- This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5).
- To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband (1 Corinthians 7:2).
- Fornicators... shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
- A man shall cleave unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh (Genesis 2:24).
- Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:28).
3) Simple clarifying logic
Now notice, God joined “one flesh” to a covenant, not to casual desire. You see, love keeps God’s Word; lust breaks it. Engagement, feelings, or promises do not replace the marriage covenant. The Spirit doesn’t say “experiment and see”; He says “flee fornication.” Our bodies belong to the Lord; intimacy is holy when the vow makes two one. Outside that vow it wounds the soul, the body, and the testimony.
4) Reinforcing statement
There is mercy. If you’ve fallen, repent and turn from it now. The blood of Jesus cleanses when we confess and forsake our sin (1 John 1:9). Walk clean, guard your heart, and honor God’s pattern: purity before marriage, faithfulness within marriage.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
The flashing red light of the sign of His coming
63-0623E §45
...ters of men." And that's just exactly what we got today, same thing again. Now, compare that day: Multiplication of people, the women getting fair, the sons of God falling, marriage and giving in marriage, divorce cases, living in adultery, and so forth. "Why," you say, "Brother Branham, just a minute. I don't know." Listen, brother, just before you say something listen to this. Jesus Christ said that whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. And when you...
Thirsting for Life
57-0630 §43
...hirty-five dollars for a little vulgar thing that the devil's poured you in, to get out here and make you answer to adultery at the day of judgment. Look out, preacher. You say, "I never did commit adultery." I don't know about that. The Bible said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." And it don't matter how moral you live, how clean you live, how honorable you live to your husband; if you dress yourself to make a man look at you like that, at t...
The god of this evil age
65-0801M §27
Women, I'm going to say this, and I want you to listen. And men and women, you might disagree with this, but I feel led to say it. Did you know, any woman that undresses herself like that is not in her right mind? Do you know, she is, whether she believes it or not or thinks it or not, she is a prostitute? Though the woman might stand with her hand before God and swear that she's never been touched by any other man but her husband, and that might be the honest truth, but still she is a prostitute. Jesus said, "Whos...
Hear ye Him
58-0209A §29
I want to leave this, before I go a little farther. Did you know what? A lady... I don't want you to be angry with me, but bless your heart, sister, I got to be honest. Do you know, if you dress in these sexy-looking clothes that they wear out here on the street, and a sinner looks at you, and you are dressed that way, do you know you're going to answer at the judgment for committing adultery with that sinner? Jesus said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in...
Church Ages, part 10: The Laodicean Church Age
60-1211E §95
The Bible said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her." Is that right? Well, then, if the woman dresses herself sexy, and puts herself before a man, who's to blame for it? The woman is. She produced it. That's exactly right. Now, you might be as pure as a lily to your husband. You may be a young girl that's never did anything wrong in your life, be a virgin when you marry your husband. But if you dress like that and cause men to look at you like that, he's committed adult...