There is actually alot in the Old Testament that speaks against sex before marriage.
try reading Exodus 22:16-17.... if as a Jewish man you had sex with a virgin who was not pledged to be married, you HAD to pay the bride price and she became your wife
In the OT if a man wanted to divorce his wife, he could do so on the grounds he proved she hadn't shown herself as a virgin on her wedding night.
Note what Dueteronomy 22:13-31 says .. "she has done a disgraceful thing by being promiscuous whilst in her father's house.
A family actually kept the evidence of their daughters virginity. It was most important she showed evidence. Note, this is in the boundary of a normal Jewish family, not in the temples of other religions where sexual immorality was the norm.
Now this is the old testament and seems to point the finger at women, but now look at the NT
1Timothy 5:2 treat older women as mothers and younger women as sisters.
I Corinthians 7:1-2 speaks of the importance of marriage to prevent sexual immorality.
and so the list goes on... now why is it that God put such strict rules on pre marital sex or sex outside the marriage union?
Sex is a gift from God that is given for man and woman to enjoy and to find pleasure in, but ONLY within the bounds of marriage between husband and wife
Gen 2:24 talks about the mystical union that happens at marriage
for anyone else to have sex is called adultery and is sin Exodus 20:14,
1 Corinthians 5:1. 7:2 and others
Check out what happened to Tamar in 2 Samuel 13:12-22 when she lost her virginity. Okay, she was raped, but her reaction and shame, was that of all women in Isreal who lost their virginity before marriage
God has said "I give you a very beautiful gift of sex, but please use it only when you are married!" It is not a physical unity only, but a very complex psychological experience which has its roots in the whole personality of the man and woman." 1 Cor 6:12-20 and Eph 4:31-32.
Sex outside of marriage, does not have its basis in the covenant between two people to be united not only physically, but spirituallyand emotionally too. Sex outside of marriage does not only open you up to disease and possibly even death, but also potentially could put your future partner at risk as well when you marry. You also lose the opportunity of giving him or her the most precious gift you can on your wedding day... your wholeself.. and for the sexual partners you have before marriage.. you rob them of being able to give that gift to the person they end up marrying too.
don't give it away too quickly
Carol