Fornication Means Fornication: Why Paul Absolutely Meant Sex Outside of Marriage

There’s a dangerous trend happening in pulpits across America — preachers who should know better (or maybe they don’t) are standing behind microphones twisting Scripture in real time to excuse sin and comfort people in rebellion. And unfortunately, their audience is clapping… not realizing they’re applauding spiritual death. The latest offense? A “pastor” actually told his church that when Paul says “Flee fornication” in 1 Corinthians 6, he didn’t mean premarital sex — just prostitution.Yep. He said that. With his whole chest. Pastor Delman Coates, pastor of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Maryland is the pastor who in a recent sermon said that the Apostle Paul was just referring to prostitution, not sex outside of marriage. I covered his statements here in this video. Let’s talk about why this is not only false, but blasphemously reckless — and how you can stand firm on the Word of God when others are trying to distort it.

What Does “Fornication” Actually Mean?

Let’s go straight to the text:

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

— 1 Corinthians 6:18 (ESV)

The phrase “sexual immorality” here comes from the Greek word porneia (πορνεία). This word is not niche, isolated, or hard to understand. It’s a blanket term for all sexual activity outside the covenant of biblical marriage. That includes:

• Premarital sex

• Adultery

• Homosexual behavior

• Incest

• Prostitution

So when Paul says flee porneia, he’s saying flee all of it. Not just the bits you personally dislike.

The Misuse of the Greek

Pastor Delman Coates, the false teacher in question tried to make this sound scholarly. He explained that porneia comes from pornos, which means “prostitute.” That part is technically true. But the conclusion he draws from it is dead wrong. Porneia doesn’t mean only prostitution. That’s like saying the word “transportation” only refers to buses because the Latin root word “port” is in there. In the New Testament, porneia is used at least 24 times — and never once does it exclusively refer to prostitution. Jesus Himself uses the word in Matthew 15:19 to describe one of many sins that come from the heart. Paul lists it in Galatians 5:19 alongside sorcery and idolatry.

Nobody in those passages is talking about prostitutes. They’re talking about sexual sin. Period.

What the Church Has Always Believed

For over 2,000 years, the historic, orthodox Christian position has been clear:

Fornication is any sex outside of marriage.

This isn’t up for reinterpretation in the 21st century. From the Didache in the early church, to Augustine, Calvin, and even the Westminster Confession of Faith, the consistent understanding of porneia has always included premarital sex.So when someone gets in the pulpit and says, “Paul didn’t mean sex outside of marriage,” they’re not just confused — they’re contradicting the entire witness of Scripture and church history.

The Real Bombshell: Your Body Is Not Your Own

Here’s what Paul actually emphasizes in 1 Corinthians 6:

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (v. 19-20)

Your body is not a toy. It’s not a prop for your fleshly desires. It’s a temple of the Holy Spirit — and when you use it to engage in sexual sin, you’re not just hurting yourself. You’re dishonoring God. This is not legalism — this is lordship. This is what it means to walk in holiness.

Let’s Call It What It Is

What we’re seeing today is not new revelation. It’s old rebellion repackaged with trendy phrases and a Greek lexicon. You don’t need a theology degree to know when someone’s lying about God’s Word. But you do need to be equipped to stand when the lies come dressed in a three-point sermon. So here’s your friendly reminder, straight from the Scriptures:

Flee fornication. That includes sex outside of marriage.

The Greek says it. The Bible confirms it. And the Spirit within you testifies to it.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve fallen into sexual sin, there’s grace. There’s forgiveness. But don’t confuse God’s mercy with permission to persist in sin. Repent. Flee. Be made new. You were washed. You were cleansed. Act like it.  And if someone tries to convince you otherwise — walk out, log off, and cling tighter to God’s truth. Because at the end of the day, Unshakable people don’t play with sin. We fight it — with truth.

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