On the sin of fornication and adultery
Fornication is intimate relations between an unmarried woman and an unmarried man; betrayal of the purity of the family is called adultery. The characteristic mark of this passion is that it finds its root support in a natural need of our bodily being, which the Creator placed in it for the increase of the human race (after the Fall). As a carnal passion it shows itself in man in the form of many kinds of unnatural sexual relations: sodomy, lesbianism, bestiality, malakia (onanism), incest (carnal relations between relatives), which are called the sin of Sodom. Remember from the Bible how heavy a punishment the Lord sent upon Sodom and Gomorrah: with fire from heaven He burned both cities to the ground, so that no one was left alive.
When we use foul language, curse, tell indecent jokes, amuse ourselves with immoral films, magazines and newspapers, or even read literature of high artistic merit (of classic standing, but psychologically calculated to lead to sin), we are preparing ourselves for lust, that is, we are already sinning.
It often happens that those who honourably keep their family relations pure, or virgins, do not consider themselves guilty of this sin; but in our day a person cannot watch television, video and radio programmes (serials, films, clips or recordings) and not be guilty of this grave sin, for 95% of the time we give to these programmes is calculated to have a psychological effect that gives birth to the passion of fornication or justifies it.
Why does the devil wage war on man so zealously with this temptation? Because he is the enemy of salvation, and besides he knows better than we do the truth of the words of the apostle Paul: “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9–10).
Sins against this commandment are so vile and contagious that the apostle Paul advises us not even to mention them among Christians. Only the need for repentance compels us to direct our attention to these errors of our conscience before the Lord. Since our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the defiling of marriage and of virginal purity drives the divine Spirit out of our body and gives place to the devil.
The greatest responsibility lies on those of us who are called Christians, for we have been redeemed at a priceless cost — the spotless Blood of the Son of God — that we may serve God in soul and body: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:18–19). “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, which is God's” (1 Cor. 6:20). How, then, we insult the Lord when we defile with lustful desire our body, which He purchased for holiness (as a vessel of holiness). “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:16–17). All this is borne out by the history of mankind: because this sin had spread beyond measure, the race of Adam was punished by the Flood; terrible was the end of the two richest cities, Sodom and Gomorrah: by their depravity the inhabitants of these cities filled to overflowing the cup of the Lord's long patience!
What will happen if we look into our own soul without mercy and cast an eye over the reality around us? Do we not, by our depraved life, deserve the fate of those ill-starred cities? Will the Lord's patience last long? Let us repent before the Lord with all our heart. It will be well if we shed bitter tears of repentance for having defiled the purity of our soul and body.
There is one more sin against the seventh commandment — incest, when close relatives are joined in the union of marriage. Here is what the apostle Paul says of this shameful sin: “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you” (1 Cor. 5:1–2).
This sin works ruin not only on those who break the canon law, but also does irreparable harm to their offspring. Feeble-mindedness and, in general, weakness of the mental powers, deformity — such is the sad result of marriages between relatives, which go against the laws of nature.
What, then, does it mean to live chastely? Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow explained a life of purity thus: “To live chastely means to live under the guidance of wisdom, not to allow oneself the pleasure that sound reason condemns, to keep undefiled the mind from unclean thoughts, the heart from foul desires, the body from impure deeds.”
Perhaps someone will think: “What is the point of a life that forbids every pleasure?” Not at all! Neither sound reason nor the faith of Christ forbids innocent merriment; it is even necessary for rest after work.
The great teacher of faith and piety, the holy father John Chrysostom, writes thus of bodily amusements and pleasures: “If you want enjoyment, walk in a garden, by a river or a lake; look at the flowers, listen to the singing of the birds and the chirping of the crickets; visit holy places — in this way you will gain health of body and profit of soul. You will not regret the results of the pleasure gained in this way; the sorrow that follows attendance at sinful spectacles will not visit you. If you have a wife and children, what can compare with this pleasure? Family and friends — this pleasure together with purity will bring you great profit, for there can be nothing more desirable than wife and children to one who wishes to live in purity.”
Here we also offer you an extract from the life of St Theodora of Constantinople, which sets out the Church's teaching on the toll-houses, in particular on the toll-house of fornication and adultery:
“Imperceptibly they drew near to the sixteenth toll-house — that of fornication. Its guards were greatly astonished that the saint had reached it unhindered. In listing the sins of the venerable Theodora they invented many false charges as well, citing names and places besides. The servants of the seventeenth toll-house — that of adultery — did the same. The eighteenth toll-house — that of the sin of Sodom, where incest and every perverse union are judged, and also secret deeds of which, as the apostle says, it is shameful even to speak — the saint passed quickly. The angels said to her: ‘You have now passed the terrible and loathsome toll-houses of fornication — know that it is a rare soul that escapes them. The whole world is sunk in a swamp of temptation and uncleanness; almost all people are enslaved to love of pleasure: “the imagination of man is intently bent upon evil things from his youth” (Gen. 8:21). Few overcome the carnal passions and few pass freely through these toll-houses, and their servants boast that they cast more people into the pit of hell than all the other toll-houses together. Give thanks to God, Theodora, that through the prayers of your spiritual father you have passed them; now fear nothing any more.’”
Archpriest George Jgushia, “For Confession”
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin), “The Building of a Confession”
Toll-house (customs post) — after a person's death, when the soul begins its ascent to heaven led by the Guardian Angel, the dark spirits present to it the sins it has not repented of in the mystery of confession. Each sin has its own demon assigned to it and a corresponding toll-house where these sins are examined: at the first toll-house what was done by idle talk is examined, at the second by sight, at the third by hearing, at the fourth by smell, at the fifth every lawless and foul deed done by the hands; and after that are examined anger, envy, hatred, pride, fornication and the other deadly sins. At the toll-houses, besides the demons, there are also Angels, who present the good deeds a person has done: if the good outweighs the evil, the Angels receive the soul of the departed and bring it into the Kingdom of Heaven; otherwise the soul is handed over to the demons for torment.
