What Jehovah’s Witnesses Teach
Jehovah’s Witnesses place great emphasis on the term porneía, the Greek word that is often translated “sexual immorality” in their Bible translation, the New World Translation. They define porneía as any sexual act between people who are not legally married to each other.
The organization specifies that porneía is not only regular vaginal intercourse, but also includes other genital stimulation between people who are not spouses. This means that acts such as mutual masturbation between two people, touching genitals and the like, can also fall under the category of sexual immorality if it occurs between unmarried people or between people out of wedlock.
They also make a distinction between sexual fantasies (which are considered impure thoughts) and physical action, although gross sexual fantasies are also seen as sinful and grounds for church action if it is a persistent practice.
Sexual immorality as defined by Jehovah’s Witnesses can lead to disfellowshipping if the act does not cease and the elders believe that the sinner is unrepentant.
What the Bible Says
The Bible does not explicitly say that two people that are not married, cannot touch each other’s genitals. Such an understanding seems to have its origin in a general perception rather than a Biblical teaching.
We will start here from what the Bible says to Christians, and we have excluded the verses that apply to commands to the Israelites in line with Romans 10:4 and Galatians 3:24,25, which confirm that the Mosaic Law was abolished when Jesus gave new commandments to Christians.
Adultery is condemned in the Bible (Hebrews 13:4). The Bible distinguishes between actual adultery and adultery in mind (Matthew 5:27,28). The Bible does not elaborate on exactly what adultery is for Christians. It is important to be aware that the Bible distinguishes between sexual immorality as a separate concept (porneia) and adultery (moicheia). Committing sexual immorality applies to everyone, but adultery presupposes that the person is married.
The Bible describes immorality for Christians as:
Homosexual acts
Romans 1:26,27: “… men gave up the natural intercourse with women and were inflamed by sexual desire towards each other, men performed shameful acts with men …”. Under the Mosaic Law in Leviticus 18:22, there was a similar vision: “You must not lie with a man as one lies with a woman. It’s something abominable.”
Sex with her stepmother
In 1 Corinthians 5:1, a sexual relationship between a man and his father’s wife is described as scandalous.
Reconciling with a prostitute
It is noteworthy that the Greek texts written to Christians do not condemn prostitution per se, but point to the fact that the one who “unites” (κολλώμενος [kollōmenos] – “unites”, “clings to”) with a prostitute is sinning against his own body. This verb is used in the Bible to describe marriage or loyalty as in a close community, as in 1 Corinthians. See Genesis 2:24 and Ephesians 5:31. It suggests physical union with a certain closeness, but it does not have to mean lasting relationship. It is also used in the present participle, i.e. about the action that is happening, not necessarily a sustained state. Paul compares union with prostitute with marital union (the reference to “the two shall be one flesh” from 1 Corinthians 6:16; see also Genesis 2:24).
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