The Ten Commandments

Spiritual Fornication - Part 1

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Biblical Law

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2014-05-19

Synopsis: John Weaver introduces the concept of spiritual fornication and adultery, arguing that biblical terms like adultery, fornication, whoredom, and harlotry primarily refer to idolatry and unfaithfulness to God rather than physical acts. He demonstrates from Scripture that theological and ideological corruption—stealing, adding to, or substituting God's Word—constitutes spiritual adultery. This theological fornication leads to cultural decay, immorality, and divine judgment. The sermon calls for a return to fidelity to God and His Word.

[John Weaver] Let's begin with a word of prayer, shall we? Father, we are thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace and mercy to us. We are thankful for your word. We pray that you would indeed teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, tonight to 2 Chronicles chapter 21. 2 Chronicles 21. I want to bring Two messages tonight and tomorrow night, which I've just entitled Spiritual Fornication and Adultery.

[John Weaver] I think you're going to see the significance of this and the application of it as well, and probably in a newer way than you've ever thought about it. But night and tomorrow night, spiritual fornication and adultery. So look in Second Chronicles chapter 21. Let's read verses 10 through 13. I will preach more from this passage tomorrow night, but tonight will be mainly introduction. But notice, if you would, 2 Chronicles 21, beginning of verse 10.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. The same time also did Libna revolt from under his hand, that's King Joram, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. Moreover, he made high places in the mountains of Judah. and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled you to thereto." And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a-whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself."

[John Weaver] We are fleshly and we're physically oriented. And that is the way that we think most of the time. We think in terms of the flesh. We think in terms of temporality. We think in terms of carnality. Anytime you hear the word adultery, fornication, whoredom or harlotry, you immediately begin thinking of that which is physical. You begin thinking of a wayward husband or a wayward wife or a wayward child.

[John Weaver] And all those things are certainly true, and they're certainly spoken of in the Bible. And there are passages that deal with the physical in the Bible as well. But the truth of the matter is, whenever you see most of those terms in the Bible, it refers more to the spiritual aspect than the physical aspect. If you look in verse 11 of 2 Chronicles 21, we're talking about King Joram. The Bible says in verse 11, moreover, he that is the king made high places in the mountains of Judah and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication and compelled Judah thereto. It may surprise you to learn that of all the times there were adulteries used in the Old Testament, it only refers to physical adultery only about six times. And two of those times, it would refer to spiritual as well. The rest of the time, every time you see the word adultery in the Old Testament, it refers to spiritual adultery. In the New Testament, the word is frequently used not only to apply to the physical, but to the spiritual as well.

[John Weaver] An interesting thing is this. If you look at the word fornication in the Old Testament, each time the word is used, It is used in reference to spiritual fornication, not physical. And the interesting thing is also about the word harlot. The word harlot is used in the Old Testament a few times to refer to the physical, but most often is referred referring to that which is spiritual. I would think that an interesting study. Would be to study in the Bible the correlation between the wayward wife and the wayward church.

[John Weaver] Everyone's familiar with Ephesians chapter 5 where the Bible says likewise you wives submit yourselves to your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord. Why? For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church. Therefore the wife is to submit herself to her husband as the church does to Jesus Christ. So here's the thing. The picture in the Bible of a submissive wife to her husband pictures and symbolizes the church in submission to Jesus Christ. You would have to ask yourself this question, what then does a wayward wife represent in picture?

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something that I think would also be interesting if you would have time to look at it. When you look in Proverbs chapter 7 at the harlot, If you were to compare the harlot there, not only in her attire and her approach and all of this other, compare the harlot in Proverbs 7 to the wayward church or to the harlot church.

[John Weaver] Now, if you say, Brother Weaver, I think that's far out. Well, if you think that's far out, how do you explain Revelation chapter 17, verse 5, when the scripture says, and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots. the abomination of the earth. Another interesting thing is this. Every time the word hordes is used in the Old Testament. It refers to spiritual whoredoms, or we would call it spiritual adultery or spiritual fornication. So you're going to find that as you read through the Bible, that the word adultery, the word fornication, the word of harlotry and the word of whoredoms a lot of times are used interchangeably. And more often than not, they speak of the spiritual aspect and not the physical aspect.

[John Weaver] Now, They literally point to what you and I would just simply call idolatry. Now, to verify everything that I just told you, I want you to hold 2 Chronicles 21, but I want you to turn with me to a number of passages, and let me show you how these words are used. So if you will turn first to Jeremiah 3, verses 8 and 9. We'll look at several passages in Jeremiah. Jeremiah 3. And look, if you would please, at verses 8 and 9. Jeremiah 3, verse 8. Look what God says.

[John Weaver] And I saw when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery. Stop right there just a second. Look what he said. And I saw when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery. How does a nation commit adultery? He said, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah, another kingdom, feared not, but went and played the harlot also. How does a nation play the harlot? And it came to pass through the likeness of her whoredom that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. So here you have the word adultery and whoredom and harlotry.

[John Weaver] all used in reference to idolatry. I want you to look in verse 7 of Jeremiah chapter 5, and I would encourage you just to mark Jeremiah chapter 5. We will come back there a little bit later. Look in Jeremiah chapter 5 in verse 7. God asked, How shall I pardon me for this? Thy children have forsaken me and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, They then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses." Now, when you and I read that verse, since we are basically fleshly oriented, we think they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses. But go back to the first part. He said, How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me and have sworn by them that are no gods. So the harlots houses there would probably be the idols temples and not just necessarily a red light district, as you and I would say. Look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Jeremiah chapter 23.

[John Weaver] Jeremiah 23. I tell you what, let's go, before you turn there, go down to Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 9. Look at verse 9, because I want to come back and emphasize this a little bit later. God asked, shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? So all this, he's talking about nations now. So it's nations that's committing adultery. It's nations that's playing the harlot. It's nations that are committing whoredom. Now look in Jeremiah 23 and verse 14. Jeremiah 23 in verse 14.

[John Weaver] And he says it like this again. Jeremiah 23 verse 14. I've seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing, they commit adultery and walk in lies, and they strengthen also the hands of evildoers that none doth return from his wickedness. There, all of them unto me is Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof is Gomorrah." Now, when God says, I've seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing, they commit adultery. Well, could they be committing physical adultery? Well, surely they could. But notice if you would what He defines here as committing adultery. And that is walking in lies and strengthening also the hands of evildoers and none returning from his wickedness. And so God calls that adultery. And moreover, He says, they are all now as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah unto Him. Look in Jeremiah 29, verse 23. Jeremiah 29, verse 23. God says this concerning Israel, because they have committed villainy in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them, even I know, and am a witness at the Lord."

[John Weaver] Well, yes, there's physical adultery, but note, there's also spiritual adultery, because he says, they've spoken lying words in my name. Look in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 23 and verse 37. Ezekiel 23 and verse 37. I want you to watch this. Ezekiel 23, verse 37. Here's what he says. That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands. And with their idols have they committed adultery, and also have caused their sons whom they bear unto me to pass for them through the fire to devour them. So God says they've committed adultery. Blood is in their hands.

[John Weaver] And he's talking about Moloch worship here. And with their idols, have they committed adultery?

[John Weaver] Now, let me just try tonight to lay a foundation. Because we're talking about something that usually we should not even think about. Spiritual fornication and adultery. Let me put it to you very plainly. The root cause of all sin, especially idolatry. There is a theological. An ideological fornication.

[John Weaver] Now, I've just used two words and I use those two words purposefully. When we talk about theology, theology, of course, is the doctrine or the knowledge of God. When we talk about ideology, ideology may refer to a body of doctrine, just like theology does, but ideology is more. An ideology is that which guides a movement or directs a movement. Let me put it like this. Ideology is how you put your theology into practice.

[John Weaver] First and foremost, there is a theological and ideological fornication. Now, when God issued the seventh commandment, he said in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 14, thou shalt not commit adultery. Now, listen to that. Thou shalt not commit adultery. What did God mean when he said thou shalt not commit adultery? Well, most of us oftentimes think of physical adultery, and that certainly would be condemned. But there's spiritual adultery as well. You have to remember what David said in Psalm 119 in verse 96.

[John Weaver] He said, I've seen an end of all perfection. Thy commandment is exceedingly broad. And so God's commandment is indeed exceedingly broad. It not only covers the physical adultery, but the spiritual adultery as well.

[John Weaver] Now, what happens when you adulterate something? The answer is, you not only violate it, but you weaken it. You water it down. You dilute it. So if something is adulterated then, it's weakened, it's watered down, it's not what it was in the beginning. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 1. And this is the passage you need to mark, because we will be coming back to Isaiah chapter 1. I'm going to just read verses 21 through 31, make a comment or two, then look at some other passages and then come back to Isaiah chapter 1 and try to tie this thought together for you. Look in Isaiah chapter 1 and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Isaiah 21, 1 verse 21.

[John Weaver] God simply says, how is the fateful city become a harlot? That's talking about Judah and Jerusalem. How is the fateful city become a harlot? He was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. Thy silvers become dross, thy wine mix with water. Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come before them.

[John Weaver] Therefore thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies. And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin. And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning. Afterwards thou shalt be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

[John Weaver] And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together. And they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed. And they shall be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, and you shall be confounded for the gardens that you have chosen, that's idolatrous places. For you shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be a toe, and the maker a bit of spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them."

[John Weaver] Now, for now, let's look back at verse 22. Look what God says. Thy silver is become dross. by wine mixed with water. So let's suppose I had in this cup. A glass of pure wine or a cup of pure wine. And I then poured this water, by the way, Doc, I then poured half of the wine into another glass. And then I took water and poured into that glass of wine originally. What has happened to that glass of wine? It's really no longer wine. It's now adulterated. It's watered down. It's weakened. It's diluted. It's become something totally different than it was originally. Now, God says you've added water to your wine. You've also added dross to your silver. So I can have a silver coin, 100 percent silver, and I could take that coin and cut it in half and add dross, add tin or whatever to it or copper and come up with two coins. Now, I've doubled what I've just had, but what I've done is I've literally taken from, I've adulterated that silver.

[John Weaver] It is now no longer pure silver. It has dross added to it. It's weakened. It's adulterated. It's diluted. It's become something totally different than it was before.

[John Weaver] Now, that's exactly what God is talking about here. Remember, we're talking right now about theological and ideological fornication. You want to know what has happened in our country? You go back and listen to how the preachers preached originally and initially in this country. You go back and read and listen to some of the election sermons, or just read some of the sermons that were being preached in the average, ordinary church in those days. You're going to find there's a big difference between what was preached then and what is being preached now. Let me show you. I want you to hold Isaiah 1. We're coming right back there. But I want you to turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 23. Jeremiah 23. And we're going to begin reading at verse 25 and read through verse 32. Jeremiah 23. Beginning with verse 25.

[John Weaver] Now, remember, we're talking about theological and ideological fornication. Look what he said. Jeremiah 23, verse 25. I have heard what the prophet said that prophesied lies in my name, saying, I've dreamed, I've dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart. which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream. And he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully.

[John Weaver] What is the chap to the wheat, saith the Lord? Is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongue and say, He saith. Behold, I am against Them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them and cause my people to err by their lies and by their likeness.

[John Weaver] Yet I sent them not, nor commanded them. Therefore shall they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord."

[John Weaver] Now, I want to call your attention in Jeremiah 23 to a special kind of whoredom. You've probably never thought about it like this. It's a special kind of spiritual fornication or spiritual adultery. What is it? It's theological and ideological fornication. For instance, look in verse 30. Look what God says. Therefore, behold, I'm against the prophets of the Lord that steal my words, everyone from his neighbor. Here's a question. How do you steal the word of God? How does a pastor steal the Word of God? How does a preacher steal the Word of God? The answer is. He steals the Word of God either by not declaring it, preaching it, expounding it, explaining it, or by giving to it a light and shallow meaning which is adulterated.

[John Weaver] Now stop and think about that. God said, I'm against these prophets that steal my word. When you look in Jeremiah 23 right here. God is condemning preachers who, number one, steal his word, who, number two, add to his word, which I'll show you, and then number three, substitute for his word. So God's Word can be stolen from the people. How? Through theological and ideological fornication. Look, if you would please, in verse 31. He says, Behold, I'm against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues and say he saith. In other words, the prophets are saying this is what God said. When God hadn't said anything. God hadn't spoken to them. They're just simply adding to the word of God.

[John Weaver] You're going to see this a little bit later, but let me just tell you. The blasphemy that is involved in this, and I'm sorry if you know people like this, or if you happen to embrace this, I'm sorry, I believe you're just absolutely wrong. But I know I know preachers. I know of professing Christians. who come around and they'll say, well, let me tell you about a revelation that God gave me, and let me show you the vision that I had and the dream that I had. I'm sorry. God is not giving new or additional revelation. We have the completed Word of God. Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God.

[John Weaver] Hold Jeremiah, we're coming right back there as you hold Isaiah. But I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 1 and let's look at the first three verses. Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 through 3. Watch carefully what the Bible says. Hebrews chapter 1. Look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 1. Hebrews 1 verse 1, the Bible says, God, who at sundry times, and in divers or different manners, spake in time past in the fathers by the prophets. Now, just stop.

[John Weaver] In the Old Testament, yes, and some in the New Testament, yes, there were visions, yes, there were dreams, yes, there were trances. God spoke in time past, the Bible said, in many varied ways. But watch. God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past in the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who, being the brightness of his glory, may express the

[John Weaver] image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High." Now, go back to verse 2, that God hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. Do you realize that Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God? What did Christ say? No man had seen the Father at any time, but the Son hath revealed the Father. So when someone comes along and says, well, let me tell you, I had some extra biblical revelation, or I had this dream and I had this vision. No, what you're doing is saying Jesus Christ is not the full and final revelation of God. That's what you're saying. You have to remember that the Bible, first and foremost, is the written Word of God.

[John Weaver] 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished and every good work. So the Bible is the written Word of God. 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. Jesus Christ is the living Word of God. John 1, 1-3, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.

[John Weaver] All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made, but it was made. Skip down to verse 14, And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and full of truth. Now listen, Jesus Christ is the living Word. The Bible is the written Word. You cannot have one attitude toward Jesus Christ and a different attitude toward the Bible. Nor can you have one attitude toward the Bible and a different attitude toward Jesus Christ. They go together. They stand or fall together. They're one in the same. Christ is the living Word. The Bible is the written Word. That's why in John 12 and verse 48, listen now, Christ put both of these together. Here's what He said in John 12 and verse 48. He that rejecteth me, that is the living word, and receiveth not my words, that is the written word, hath one that judgeth him in the last days, even the word which I have spoken."

[John Weaver] So Christ said, if you do not receive me, and if you do not receive my words, it's my words that are going to judge you. They stand or fall together. And so when someone comes along and says, well, I need to show you something that's not in the Bible, and this is a revelation God's given me. No. God is not giving new revelation. There is a difference between revelation and illumination. Revelation is revealing truth never known before to the human mind. Illumination is opening our understanding that we may understand what's already been revealed. When you're reading your Bible and all of a sudden you say, Why haven't I seen that before? That's not revelation. That's illumination. God just turned the light on for you. He let you see and understand what had already been previously revealed. So God says, I'm against these prophets who say He said when He hasn't said anything. So you can steal the Word of God. You can add to the Word of God.

[John Weaver] And if you will skip down, to verse 32 in Jeremiah 23. Watch this. Verse 32, God says, Behold, I'm against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies and by their likeness, yet I sent them not, nor commanded them. Therefore, they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord. And now here you have people who are substituting their dreams, their will, Their word for God's will and God's word. And God says, that's not going to profit anybody at all. Not at all.

[John Weaver] You don't have to turn there, but let me quote a passage for you. Zephaniah 3 in verse 4. It'll be good for you to look it up later. Zephaniah 3 in verse 4. God says concerning Israel, listen, her profits are light. and treacherous persons. Her priests have polluted the sanctuary. They've done violence to the law. So God is condemning the prophets and the priests as being theological fornicators. As being theological adulterers.

[John Weaver] Now, interestingly enough, I want you to go back to Isaiah chapter 1. I told you we were coming back there. So he's condemning all of these false prophets that have either stolen God's Word, added to God's Word, or substituted for God's Word. Now, if you'll go back to Isaiah chapter 1, I want you to look, if you would please, beginning there again with verse 21, Isaiah chapter 1. I told you we would be coming back there. So look, if you would please, at verse 1 or 21 because I want you to see the consequences and results of theological fornication.

[John Weaver] Factually speaking, adulterated products are not real and genuine products. Adulterated truth is not truth. I have truth. Presented as a whole truth is a lie. So you can take half of something. And presented as the whole truth, and it's a lie. Let's go back to Isaiah, chapter one, look at verse 21. Remember now he's talking about Judah and Jerusalem. And he says in verse 21, how is the fateful city become a harlot? So Judah and Jerusalem were at one time fateful. What were they like when they were fateful? Well, he says it was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in it. But now it's become theologically and ideologically adulterated. So now what is it like?

[John Weaver] Murderers lodge in it now. He said in verse 22 by silvers become dross by wine mixed with water. By princes are rebellious. And companions of thieves, everyone love it gifts and follow that rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come under them. You want to know what the effects And the consequences of theological fornication really are, here they are, corruption, rebellion, dishonesty, injustice. If you would like to know the root cause of all familial, individual, Ecclesiastical, political and governmental sins. It's theological fornication.

[John Weaver] I'm going to show you that just momentarily. The reason we are so perverse in this country is because of a theological fornication. I don't care which area you look in. I don't care which area you examine. There is another consequence of theological fornication. What is it? Judgment. Look what God said in verse 24. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty one of Israel.

[John Weaver] Ah, how will ease me of mine adversaries and avenge me of mine enemies. Skip down, if you would, to verse 27. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment. You know what God is telling us? God is telling us that He's going to judge us, not only individually and familially and ecclesiastically, but He's going to judge us nationally because of our theological fornication. Let me give you a good illustration.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn to the book of Amos, chapter 7. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Amos, chapter 7. Amos chapter 7. Let's begin reading there with verse 14. Amos chapter 7. Let me just tell you that Amos was from the southern kingdom of Judah. God sent him to prophesy against the northern kingdom of Israel. He is now being confronted by Amaziah, who is a harlot priest and prophet. And I want you to watch this. Amos 7, verse 14. Then answered Amos and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit. Tell you what, let's go back to verse 12. Let me start there. Look in verse 12. Because Amaziah says something first to Amos. Look what he said. Also, Amaziah said to Amos, O thou seer, go flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread and prophesy there. But prophesy not again any more at Bethel, for it is the king's chapel, it is the king's court.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just kind of paraphrase verse 12 for you. Amaziah said to Amos, You better go home, boy, if you want to live. Because we'll kill you if you keep messing around here. That's what he said. Flee thee into thine own land of Judah. There eat bread and prophesy. You want to preach? You go down there and preach. You better get out of here. And he tells you why. Verse 13, look at it. But prophesy not again anymore at the Bethel, for it is the king's chapel. It's the king's court. Jeroboam II.

[John Weaver] He said he'll have you killed. Now watch, Amos answered and said in verse fourteen, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son. I was a herdman in the gatherer of Sycamore fruit. And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go prophesy unto my people Israel.

[John Weaver] Now therefore, hear thou the word of the Lord. Thou say'st prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, thy wife shall be a harlot in the city. And my sons and my daughter shall fall by the sword, and my land shall be divided by line, and thou shalt die in a polluted land, and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of this land."

[John Weaver] Now listen, there is in the Bible that which is known as the Lex Talionis. L-E-X Talionis. T-A-L-I-O-N-I-S. That is just Latin for the law of retribution. The law of retribution is where God makes the punishment fit the crime. You remember when he said in Deuteronomy and in the book of Exodus, nah for nah, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. He makes the punishment fit the crime.

[John Weaver] Amaziah was a harlot priest. He was a priest of the golden calves that Jeroboam I had set up. He was not a prophet, not of God's prophet. And here's what God says. Now, listen, he says you're a harlot priest. You're not my priest. You've committed theological fornication, therefore, your wife shall be a harlot. Oh, you kill my children with your lies, therefore, your children shall die. Whoa!

[John Weaver] You polluted my land with your untruth. You're going to die in a polluted land. Everything that God tells Amos to say to Amaziah is right in line with the law of retribution.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand something. As plain as this is against an individual, It is equally plain against the nation. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Jeremiah 5. I told you that we would eventually get back there. Jeremiah 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 7. Jeremiah 5 and verse 7. Watch carefully. Jeremiah 5, verse 7. God asks, How shall I pardon thee for this? And he's talking about the nation now. How shall I pardon thee for this?

[John Weaver] He says, Thy children have forsaken me. And have sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's homes or houses. They were as sped horses in the morning, every one made after his neighbor's wife.

[John Weaver] Now look at verse 9. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Now, wait a minute. Here's a nation that has committed theological fornication. God says, I'm going to avenge my soul on such a nation as this. What is He going to do? Look in verse 10. "...go ye up upon her walls, and destroy, but make not a Tholian, take away her battlements, For they are not the Lord's know what the battlements were. The battlements were.

[John Weaver] Placed there for protection so they could defend themselves. God is saying take away their defenses. Because those defenses are not mine. Oh, look what else he said in verse 11. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord. They have belied, that is, they lied against the Lord and said, It is not he, neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword or famine, and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them, thus shall it be done unto them. Wow. God says here's a nation.

[John Weaver] The committed theological fornication, they turn from me. What's God saying? Take away our battlements. They've lied against me. They've dealt treacherously against me. I'm going to judge them. I'm going to destroy them. I want you to skip down to verse 22. Skip down to verse 22. Jeremiah 5, verse 22, God asked, Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? Would you not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass it?

[John Weaver] And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail? Though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? But this people have a revolting and rebellious heart. They're revolted and gone. Stop. Let me stop. This people have a revolting and rebellious heart. They're revolted and gone. May I ask why? Do they have a rebellious and revolting heart? Because of theological fornication. I'm going to tell you something, folks.

[John Weaver] If you don't believe right, you can't act right. Their theology was wrong. I'm going to show you. Look what he says in verse 24. Neither say they in their heart. Let us now fear the Lord our God that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season. He reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest." They're not interested in fearing God. He says in verse 25,"...your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

[John Weaver] For among my people are found wicked men. They lay wait, I see it said at snares, they set a trap and catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Therefore they are become great and waxen rich, their waxen fat and shine. Yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked. They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper And the right of the needy do they not judge?

[John Weaver] Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and a horrible thing is committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so. And what will you do in the end thereof? Now, it's interesting. God says in verse 28 concerning Israel and Judah, they're wax and fat. They shine.

[John Weaver] They overpass the deeds of the wicked. They're worse than the heathen. And then he says, shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? So theological fornication. always brings the judgment of God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain something to you. If you get nothing else tonight, I want you to get this, please. You cannot have a change in culture. Without having a previous change in theology. A change in theology always precedes a change in culture. The reason our society changes, the reason our culture changes, is because our theology has changed. Culture is nothing more than religion externalized. That's it. Let me give you a couple of examples.

[John Weaver] I remember when I was a boy. And that hadn't been all that long ago, Hart. I see you smiling. But I do remember when I was a boy, my father used to take us down to Miami, Florida every Christmas, and we would visit for two weeks with our relatives down there because my father was a farmer. And during the winter, you know, you were basically through with all your crops. And guess what? My father had machinery, even back when I was a boy, that was worth $50,000 back then.

[John Weaver] We never had a lock on our doors. Our windows were never locked. We would go off for two weeks. The house would be unlocked. All the equipment under the shelter and out in the barn. And we would come back two weeks later and guess what? Everything was exactly the way we left it. I was in the fifties. You try that today. I'll tell you something else, even when I was 16.

[John Weaver] If I wanted to see a policeman. I don't really had to go uptown. I had to go uptown and look around. There were hardly any. Today. I probably saw more police officers driving up here than I ever saw in a year's time when I was a boy. You know why? Because when I was a boy, at least most people, even those who were unconverted, would at least attempt to follow the Ten Commandments. They were at least had some morality about them. You don't have that today.

[John Weaver] I'll give you another illustration. I remember the first time I ever found out that there was such a thing as a sodomite. I do. I remember that. My wife and I were married. I know they're always around. I understand. They were back then. In the closet maybe. But I remember exactly what I said when somebody told me that. Here were my exact words. Nobody is that stupid. Those were my exact words.

[John Weaver] But what I'm trying to say is, look how our culture has changed. In Washington, D.C., in politics, in the courtrooms, everywhere. Why? You cannot have a change in culture Unless you have a change in theology. You want to know what went wrong in Isaiah chapter 1? You want to know what went wrong in Jeremiah 23 and all these passages? It's because their theology changed. And therefore, their culture.

[John Weaver] He said, how the fateful cities become a harlot. Here's what you used to be.

[John Weaver] Now look what you are. Let me give you two illustrations that you can argue with. The first one is this. We send. I want to say millions, but it's probably billions of dollars in aid to India. We send food to India. Grain. You know what happens to most of that grain, most of that food we send? The rats eat it. Cows defecate on it. If you don't believe me, I have video footage. I can show you these Indian women and men going into the temple with these big wharf rats with a big bowl of milk. They put it down for the rats and then they bow down and worship the rats as the rats eat. Cows going in where all the grain is stored. Rats going in just eating. What? Reincarnation.

[John Weaver] Now that could be somebody's aunt or somebody's uncle. Let me tell you something. You will never change the culture of India until you change the theology of India. When the theology changes, the culture changes. Some of you remember seeing a movie that came out a number of years ago called Black Hawk Down. It was about Our soldiers over in Somalia, they went over to capture the warlord Adid.

[John Weaver] I think his name was. He was a drug dealer. And those Somalis shot down some of those Black Hawk helicopters and killed the pilots. When that movie came on TV years ago, I watched it. And I thought it was interesting. About a year or so later, it came on again. I thought, well, I'll watch it again. And I was so thankful I did. Because I saw something the second time that I never saw the first time. One of those Black Hawk pilots lived.

[John Weaver] They had taken this pilot and beaten him almost to a bloody pulp. They had him tied sitting against the wall. Eyes swollen, almost full and shut, cut up, bloody, bleeding, but conscious. And one of the warlords, one of the black warlords was saying as he pointed his finger, and I'm going to paraphrase because I don't have the exact words, but here's what he said in essence. You stupid Americans, you think you can come over here and cram your democracy down our throats and stop us from killing when killing has been a way of life for us for a thousand years?

[John Weaver] What did he just say? That's our culture. Why is it their culture? Because of their lack of theology. You never change Somalia until you change the theology. What has happened in this country? Here's what has happened. We've become theological fornicators. We've become theological adulterers. And we've stolen God's words. We've substituted our words and our will for his. We've taken from and we've added to.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you how this ties together. I want you to go to the book of Hosea, chapter four, Daniel, Hosea, Hosea, chapter four, right after the book of Daniel. This may surprise you. But look what God says in Hosea chapter 4. Here again is a good illustration of the lex talionis, which is the law of retribution. Watch carefully. Hosea chapter 4, beginning there with verse 13. In fact, let's read verse 12. Verse 12 is so plain. Hosea chapter 4, verse 12, God says, My people ask counsel at their stocks, that is their idols, and their staff declare it unto them. another idol. For the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a-whoring from under their God.

[John Weaver] They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, and the oaks, and poplars, and elms, because the shadow thereof is good. Now look what God says, Therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. And I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery, for they themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots. Therefore, the people that doth not understand shall fall." What did God just say? They're spiritual adulterers. You're spiritual fornicators.

[John Weaver] And here's what he said. Your children are going to turn out just like you. However, I want you to understand this. Here's what he's saying. Spiritual adultery always leads to physical adultery. Spiritual fornication always leads to physical fornication. If we are unafraid to whore around on the sovereign God of heaven and earth, what makes you think we'll fear to be unfaithful to our spouses? That's what he's saying. Listen, folks.

[John Weaver] You cannot violate the second table of the law until you violate the first table of the law. You cannot commit adultery physically until you violate, thou shalt have no other gods before me. Because what you've done is you've just dethroned God and enthroned yourself and you've said in essence, I don't care what God says, I'm going to do what I want to do. And what God is showing us is this, what begins as theological fornication, always ends up in immorality. Always.

[John Weaver] Why are we so immoral in this country? We're theological fornicators. I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 2. Here it is, plain as the nose on your face. Revelation chapter 2, beginning there with verse 18. Look what God says to the church of Tyre, Tyre, Revelation 2 and verse 18. Remember, this is to the church. Revelation 2, verse 18, and to the angel of the church in Tyre, Tyre, write, These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes likened to a flame of fire, and his feet likened to fine brass.

[John Weaver] I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, And them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds, and I will kill her children with death. And all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins of the hearts. I will give unto every one of you according to your works." Now I want you to notice, he said in verse 20, Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which called herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, physical, yes, and to eat things sacrificed to idols, spiritual, yes.

[John Weaver] A change in theology always leads to a change in culture. Whenever you have a Jezebel, Whenever you have a false prophet, whenever you have someone who will steal God's words or add to God's word or substitute for God's words, inevitably there's always going to be corruption. Immorality. Idolatry. And the judgment of God. And the judgment of God will follow like night follows day.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make some applications. Here's the first question that we really must face and ask ourselves. Not only as individuals. But as a family. As a church. As a nation. Here it is. Are we theological fornicators? Are we theological fornicators? Have we played light and loose with the Word of God? Do we treat God with contempt? You can also ask yourself this question. What is the main purpose of your life? Is your main purpose To really and truly honor and glorify God. Or is your main purpose something else? Let me submit something to you.

[John Weaver] Just for your consideration, I believe that in all probability, and I know there are exceptions, I understand that. But I believe in all probability, most churches in our land have actually committed the sin that Israel did in Hosea chapter 8 and verse 34, where God says this. Actually, it's verse 14, not verse 34, verse 14, where Israel have forgotten her maker or his maker and build the temples. Israel have forgotten his maker and build the temples. What does that verse say? Israel has forgotten God. Hosea 8 verse 14. Israel has forgotten his Maker and built temples. In other words, we're not really concerned with God right now. What we're concerned with is our ministry, our work, our success.

[John Weaver] That's where the average pastor is. That's where the average Christian is. We've forgotten God. And we're building our kingdom. We're building our ministry, we're building our work. And consequently, there are a lot of preachers who will not preach a lot of things because. It tends to divide and drive people away. And we need all the people we can get because we've got these sinking fund payments that we've got to make.

[John Weaver] So what do we do? We've become theological fornicators. That's it. Here's something else we need to remember and consider. We must never forget that there is also a spirit of whoredoms. That compels us and drives us to spiritual and physical fornication. It's something that we have to fight against all the time. Hosea 4 and verse 12 said this. I read it earlier. My people ask counsel at their stocks and their staff declares unto them for the spirit of whoredoms has caused them to err and they have gone to whoring from their God.

[John Weaver] I want to offer this for your consideration. I want you to think. If you will take the time and read through the Bible again, Underline the word adultery. Underline the word fornication. Underline the word whoredom and whoredoms and harlot and harlotry. You're going to find that most of the time. It has a reference to spiritual adultery. Let me close with this. I want you to think about this. And I think you'll understand it even more tomorrow night. There are some individuals that have gone through the heartbreak and the heartache of having a spouse that committed physical adultery. And you know, you sit and you think about something like that.

[John Weaver] How awful that must be. How hurtful that must be. How humiliating that must be. You sit there and you say, does that mean I'm insufficient? Does that mean I cannot satisfy my mate? Does that mean that I'm being rejected? And as all of those thoughts rush into you and it crushes you and weights you down. Have you ever stopped to think that's exactly what we're doing to God? We're saying to God, you're insufficient. You can't satisfy me. You're not enough.

[John Weaver] I need this idol or I need this sin or need this. It is absolute blasphemy. To say that the sovereign God of heaven and earth. Who is the all sufficient one? Is insufficient for us. He is God, and beside Him there is none else. His Word is true. What we need to come back to is to a theological and ideological foundation of the one true God and His Word.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee tonight. We ask for Your grace and Your mercy and Your help. We pray that You would indeed teach us, give us something to think about, give us something, Lord, to apply to our hearts and make us true to Thee. May we be theologically and ideologically true. May we not be fornicators. May we worship Thee and Thee alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we ask and pray. Amen.

Spiritual Fornication - Part 1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	51914215718
Subject	Biblical Law
Course	The Ten Commandments
Genre	Sermon
Date	2014-05-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 015: Spiritual Fornication — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	90

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to Spiritual Fornication

Weaver introduces the topic, noting that biblical terms for sexual sin often refer to spiritual unfaithfulness rather than physical acts.

Let's begin with a word of prayer, shall we? Father, we are thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace and mercy to us. We are thankful for Your Word. We pray that You would indeed teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, tonight to 2 Chronicles chapter 21. 2 Chronicles 21. I want to bring two messages tonight and tomorrow night, which I've just entitled "Spiritual Fornication and Adultery."

I think you're going to see the significance of this and the application of it as well, and probably in a newer way than you've ever thought about it. But tonight and tomorrow night, spiritual fornication and adultery. So look in 2 Chronicles chapter 21. Let's read verses 10 through 13. I will preach more from this passage tomorrow night, but tonight will be mainly introduction. But notice, if you would, 2 Chronicles 21, beginning at verse 10. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:10-13

"So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. The same time also did Libnah revolt from under his hand"

—that's King Jehoram—

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:10-13

"because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. Moreover, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto."

And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:10-13

"Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself."

We are fleshly and we're physically oriented. And that is the way that we think most of the time. We think in terms of the flesh. We think in terms of temporality. We think in terms of carnality. Anytime you hear the word adultery, fornication, whoredom, or harlotry, you immediately begin thinking of that which is physical. You begin thinking of a wayward husband or a wayward wife or a wayward child.

And all those things are certainly true, and they're certainly spoken of in the Bible. And there are passages that deal with the physical in the Bible as well. But the truth of the matter is, whenever you see most of those terms in the Bible, it refers more to the spiritual aspect than the physical aspect. If you look in verse 11 of 2 Chronicles 21, we're talking about King Jehoram. The Bible says in verse 11, "Moreover, he"—that is the king—"made high places in the mountains of Judah and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication and compelled Judah thereto." It may surprise you to learn that of all the times the word "adultery" is used in the Old Testament, it only refers to physical adultery only about six times. And two of those times, it would refer to spiritual as well. The rest of the time, every time you see the word "adultery" in the Old Testament, it refers to spiritual adultery. In the New Testament, the word is frequently used not only to apply to the physical, but to the spiritual as well.

Biblical Usage of Adultery, Fornication, and Whoredom

He demonstrates from multiple Old Testament passages that these words predominantly describe idolatry and spiritual apostasy.

An interesting thing is this. If you look at the word "fornication" in the Old Testament, each time the word is used, it is used in reference to spiritual fornication, not physical. And the interesting thing is also about the word "harlot." The word "harlot" is used in the Old Testament a few times to refer to the physical, but most often is referring to that which is spiritual. I would think that an interesting study would be to study in the Bible the correlation between the wayward wife and the wayward church. Everyone's familiar with Ephesians chapter 5 where the Bible says, "Likewise, ye wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord." Why? "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church." Therefore, the wife is to submit herself to her husband as the church does to Jesus Christ. So here's the thing. The picture in the Bible of a submissive wife to her husband pictures and symbolizes the church in submission to Jesus Christ. You would have to ask yourself this question: what then does a wayward wife represent in picture?

Let me tell you something that I think would also be interesting if you would have time to look at it. When you look in Proverbs chapter 7 at the harlot, if you were to compare the harlot there, not only in her attire and her approach and all of this other, compare the harlot in Proverbs 7 to the wayward church or to the harlot church. Now, if you say, "Brother Weaver, I think that's far out," well, if you think that's far out, how do you explain Revelation chapter 17, verse 5, when the Scripture says, "And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth"? Another interesting thing is this: every time the word "whoredoms" is used in the Old Testament, it refers to spiritual whoredoms, or we would call it spiritual adultery or spiritual fornication. So you're going to find that as you read through the Bible, that the word "adultery," the word "fornication," the word "harlotry," and the word "whoredoms" a lot of times are used interchangeably. And more often than not, they speak of the spiritual aspect and not the physical aspect.

Now, they literally point to what you and I would just simply call idolatry. Now, to verify everything that I just told you, I want you to hold 2 Chronicles 21, but I want you to turn with me to a number of passages, and let me show you how these words are used. So if you will turn first to Jeremiah 3, verses 8 and 9. We'll look at several passages in Jeremiah. Jeremiah 3. And look, if you would please, at verses 8 and 9. Jeremiah 3, verse 8. Look what God says.

"And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery." Stop right there just a second. Look what he said. "And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery." How does a nation commit adultery? He said, "I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah"—another kingdom—"feared not, but went and played the harlot also." How does a nation play the harlot? "And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks." So here you have the word "adultery" and "whoredom" and "harlotry" all used in reference to idolatry. I want you to look in verse 7 of Jeremiah chapter 5, and I would encourage you just to mark Jeremiah chapter 5. We will come back there a little bit later. Look in Jeremiah chapter 5 in verse 7. God asked, "How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:7-9

" Now, when you and I read that verse, since we are basically fleshly oriented, we think they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. But go back to the first part. He said, "

How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me and have sworn by them that are no gods." So the harlots' houses there would probably be the idols' temples and not just necessarily a red light district, as you and I would say. Look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Jeremiah chapter 23. Jeremiah 23. I tell you what, let's go—before you turn there, go down to Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 9. Look at verse 9, because I want to come back and emphasize this a little bit later. God asked, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" So all this, He's talking about nations now. So it's nations that are committing adultery. It's nations that are playing the harlot. It's nations that are committing whoredom. Now look in Jeremiah 23 and verse 14. Jeremiah 23 in verse 14.

And he says it like this again. Jeremiah 23 verse 14.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:14

"I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies, and they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness. They are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah."

Now, when God says,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:14

"I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery,"

well, could they be committing physical adultery? Well, surely they could. But notice if you would what He defines here as committing adultery. And that is walking in lies and strengthening also the hands of evildoers and none returning from his wickedness. And so God calls that adultery. And moreover, He says, they are all now as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah unto Him. Look in Jeremiah 29, verse 23. Jeremiah 29, verse 23. God says this concerning Israel, "Because they have committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord."

Well, yes, there's physical adultery, but note, there's also spiritual adultery, because he says, "they've spoken lying words in my name." Look in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 23 and verse 37. Ezekiel 23 and verse 37. I want you to watch this. Ezekiel 23, verse 37. Here's what he says: "That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands. And with their idols have they committed adultery, and also have caused their sons whom they bare unto me to pass for them through the fire to devour them." So God says they've committed adultery. Blood is in their hands.

And he's talking about Molech worship here. "And with their idols, have they committed adultery?" Now, let me just try tonight to lay a foundation. Because we're talking about something that usually we should not even think about. Spiritual fornication and adultery. Let me put it to you very plainly. The root cause of all sin, especially idolatry, there is a theological, an ideological fornication.

Theological and Ideological Fornication Defined

Weaver explains that theological fornication involves corrupting doctrine, while ideological fornication is putting corrupted theology into practice.

Now, I've just used two words and I use those two words purposefully. When we talk about theology, theology, of course, is the doctrine or the knowledge of God. When we talk about ideology, ideology may refer to a body of doctrine, just like theology does, but ideology is more. An ideology is that which guides a movement or directs a movement. Let me put it like this. Ideology is how you put your theology into practice. First and foremost, there is a theological and ideological fornication. Now, when God issued the seventh commandment, He said in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 14, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Now, listen to that. "Thou shalt not commit adultery." What did God mean when He said "Thou shalt not commit adultery"? Well, most of us oftentimes think of physical adultery, and that certainly would be condemned. But there's spiritual adultery as well. You have to remember what David said in Psalm 119 in verse 96.

He said, "I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad." And so God's commandment is indeed exceedingly broad. It not only covers the physical adultery, but the spiritual adultery as well. Now, what happens when you adulterate something? The answer is, you not only violate it, but you weaken it. You water it down. You dilute it. So if something is adulterated then, it's weakened, it's watered down, it's not what it was in the beginning. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 1. And this is the passage you need to mark, because we will be coming back to Isaiah chapter 1. I'm going to just read verses 21 through 31, make a comment or two, then look at some other passages and then come back to Isaiah chapter 1 and try to tie this thought together for you. Look in Isaiah chapter 1 and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Isaiah 1, verse 21.

God simply says, "How is the faithful city become a harlot?" That's talking about Judah and Jerusalem. "How is the faithful city become a harlot? It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water. Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come before them."

Adulterating God's Word: Stealing, Adding, Substituting

Using Jeremiah 23, he shows how preachers steal God's Word by not declaring it, add to it by claiming false revelations, or substitute their own words.

Now, remember, we're talking about theological and ideological fornication. Look what he said. Jeremiah 23, verse 25.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:25-32

"I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully."

"What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them and cause my people to err by their lies and by their lightness." "Yet I sent them not, nor commanded them. Therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord."

Now, I want to call your attention in Jeremiah 23 to a special kind of whoredom. You've probably never thought about it like this. It's a special kind of spiritual fornication or spiritual adultery. What is it? It's theological and ideological fornication. For instance, look in verse 30. Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:25-32

"Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbor."

Here's a question. How do you steal the word of God? How does a pastor steal the Word of God? How does a preacher steal the Word of God? The answer is, he steals the Word of God either by not declaring it, preaching it, expounding it, explaining it, or by giving to it a light and shallow meaning which is adulterated.

Now stop and think about that. God said, "I'm against these prophets that steal my word." When you look in Jeremiah 23 right here, God is condemning preachers who, number one, steal His word, who, number two, add to His word, which I'll show you, and then number three, substitute for His word. So God's Word can be stolen from the people. How? Through theological and ideological fornication. Look, if you would please, in verse 31. He says, "Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues and say, He saith." In other words, the prophets are saying this is what God said, when God hadn't said anything. God hadn't spoken to them. They're just simply adding to the word of God.

You're going to see this a little bit later, but let me just tell you. The blasphemy that is involved in this, and I'm sorry if you know people like this, or if you happen to embrace this, I'm sorry, I believe you're just absolutely wrong. But I know—I know preachers. I know of professing Christians who come around and they'll say, "Well, let me tell you about a revelation that God gave me, and let me show you the vision that I had and the dream that I had." I'm sorry. God is not giving new or additional revelation. We have the completed Word of God. Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God.

Hold Jeremiah, we're coming right back there as you hold Isaiah. But I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 1 and let's look at the first three verses. Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 through 3. Watch carefully what the Bible says. Hebrews chapter 1. Look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 1. Hebrews 1 verse 1, the Bible says, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets." Now, just stop.

In the Old Testament, yes, and some in the New Testament, yes, there were visions, yes, there were dreams, yes, there were trances. God spoke in time past, the Bible said, in many varied ways. But watch. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Now, go back to verse 2, that God "hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." Do you realize that Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God? What did Christ say? "No man hath seen the Father at any time, but the Son hath revealed the Father." So when someone comes along and says, "Well, let me tell you, I had some extra-biblical revelation, or I had this dream and I had this vision," no. What you're doing is saying Jesus Christ is not the full and final revelation of God. That's what you're saying. You have to remember that the Bible, first and foremost, is the written Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." So the Bible is the written Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Jesus Christ is the living Word of God. John 1:1-3,

Scripture Reading — John 1:1-3, 14

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God." "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

Skip down to verse 14,

Scripture Reading — John 1:1-3, 14

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Now listen, Jesus Christ is the living Word. The Bible is the written Word. You cannot have one attitude toward Jesus Christ and a different attitude toward the Bible. Nor can you have one attitude toward the Bible and a different attitude toward Jesus Christ. They go together. They stand or fall together. They're one and the same. Christ is the living Word. The Bible is the written Word. That's why in John 12 and verse 48, listen now, Christ put both of these together. Here's what He said in John 12 and verse 48: "He that rejecteth me"—that is the living Word—"and receiveth not my words"—that is the written Word—"hath one that judgeth him in the last day, even the word which I have spoken."

So Christ said, if you do not receive me, and if you do not receive my words, it's my words that are going to judge you. They stand or fall together. And so when someone comes along and says, "Well, I need to show you something that's not in the Bible, and this is a revelation God's given me," no. God is not giving new revelation. There is a difference between revelation and illumination. Revelation is revealing truth never known before to the human mind. Illumination is opening our understanding that we may understand what's already been revealed. When you're reading your Bible and all of a sudden you say, "Why haven't I seen that before?" that's not revelation. That's illumination. God just turned the light on for you. He let you see and understand what had already been previously revealed. So God says, "I'm against these prophets who say 'He saith' when He hasn't said anything." So you can steal the Word of God. You can add to the Word of God.

And if you will skip down to verse 32 in Jeremiah 23. Watch this. Verse 32, God says, "Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them. Therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord." And now here you have people who are substituting their dreams, their will, their word for God's will and God's word. And God says, that's not going to profit anybody at all. Not at all.

Consequences of Theological Fornication

From Isaiah 1, Weaver outlines that theological adultery results in corruption, rebellion, injustice, and ultimately divine judgment.

Factually speaking, adulterated products are not real and genuine products. Adulterated truth is not truth. Half-truth presented as a whole truth is a lie. So you can take half of something and present it as the whole truth, and it's a lie. Let's go back to Isaiah chapter 1, look at verse 21. Remember now he's talking about Judah and Jerusalem. And he says in verse 21, "How is the faithful city become a harlot?" So Judah and Jerusalem were at one time faithful. What were they like when they were faithful? Well, he says it was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in it. But now it's become theologically and ideologically adulterated. So now what is it like?

Murderers lodge in it now. He said in verse 22, "Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water." "Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come before them." You want to know what the effects and the consequences of theological fornication really are? Here they are: corruption, rebellion, dishonesty, injustice. If you would like to know the root cause of all familial, individual, ecclesiastical, political, and governmental sins, it's theological fornication. I'm going to show you that just momentarily. The reason we are so perverse in this country is because of a theological fornication. I don't care which area you look in. I don't care which area you examine. There is another consequence of theological fornication. What is it? Judgment. Look what God said in verse 24. "Therefore thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel."

"Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies." Skip down, if you would, to verse 27. "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment." You know what God is telling us? God is telling us that He's going to judge us, not only individually and familially and ecclesiastically, but He's going to judge us nationally because of our theological fornication. Let me give you a good illustration. I want you to turn to the book of Amos, chapter 7. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Amos, chapter 7. Amos chapter 7. Let's begin reading there with verse 14. Amos chapter 7. Let me just tell you that Amos was from the southern kingdom of Judah. God sent him to prophesy against the northern kingdom of Israel. He is now being confronted by Amaziah, who is a harlot priest and prophet. And I want you to watch this. Amos 7, verse 14. "Then answered Amos and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit." Tell you what, let's go back to verse 12. Let me start there. Look in verse 12. Because Amaziah says something first to Amos. Look what he said. "Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: but prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court."

The Law of Retribution and National Judgment

Using Amos 7 and Jeremiah 5, he illustrates that God's judgment fits the crime: spiritual harlotry leads to physical harlotry and national destruction.

Now, let me just kind of paraphrase verse 12 for you. Amaziah said to Amos, "You better go home, boy, if you want to live. Because we'll kill you if you keep messing around here." That's what he said.

Scripture Reading — Amos 7:12-17

"Flee thee into thine own land of Judah. There eat bread and prophesy. You want to preach? You go down there and preach. You better get out of here."

And he tells you why. Verse 13, look at it.

Scripture Reading — Amos 7:12-17

"But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court."

Jeroboam II.

He said he'll have you killed. Now watch, Amos answered and said in verse fourteen, "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel." "Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land."

Now listen, there is in the Bible that which is known as the Lex Talionis. L-E-X Talionis. T-A-L-I-O-N-I-S. That is just Latin for the law of retribution. The law of retribution is where God makes the punishment fit the crime. You remember when he said in Deuteronomy and in the book of Exodus, "an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." He makes the punishment fit the crime. Amaziah was a harlot priest. He was a priest of the golden calves that Jeroboam I had set up. He was not a prophet, not of God's prophet. And here's what God says. Now, listen, he says you're a harlot priest. You're not my priest. You've committed theological fornication, therefore, your wife shall be a harlot. Oh, you kill my children with your lies, therefore, your children shall die. Whoa!

You polluted my land with your untruth. You're going to die in a polluted land. Everything that God tells Amos to say to Amaziah is right in line with the law of retribution. Now, I want you to understand something. As plain as this is against an individual, it is equally plain against the nation. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Jeremiah 5. I told you that we would eventually get back there. Jeremiah 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 7. Jeremiah 5 and verse 7. Watch carefully. Jeremiah 5, verse 7. God asks, "How shall I pardon thee for this?" And he's talking about the nation now. "How shall I pardon thee for this?"

He says, "Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbor's wife." Now look at verse 9. "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Now, wait a minute. Here's a nation that has committed theological fornication. God says, "I'm going to avenge my soul on such a nation as this." What is He going to do? Look in verse 10. "Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the Lord's." You know what the battlements were? The battlements were

placed there for protection so they could defend themselves. God is saying take away their defenses. Because those defenses are not mine. Oh, look what else he said in verse 11. "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord. They have belied"—that is, they lied against the Lord—"and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword or famine: and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them." Wow. God says here's a nation.

They committed theological fornication, they turned from me. What's God saying? Take away their battlements. They've lied against me. They've dealt treacherously against me. I'm going to judge them. I'm going to destroy them. I want you to skip down to verse 22. Skip down to verse 22. Jeremiah 5, verse 22, God asked,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:7-11, 22-29

"Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?"

"And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone." Stop. Let me stop. "This people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone." May I ask why? Do they have a rebellious and revolting heart? Because of theological fornication. I'm going to tell you something, folks.

If you don't believe right, you can't act right. Their theology was wrong. I'm going to show you. Look what he says in verse 24. "Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest." They're not interested in fearing God. He says in verse 25, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you." "For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge."

"Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" Now, it's interesting. God says in verse 28 concerning Israel and Judah, "they are waxen fat, they shine." "They overpass the deeds of the wicked." They're worse than the heathen. And then he says, "Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" So theological fornication always brings the judgment of God.

Theology Precedes Culture

Weaver argues that cultural change always follows theological change, giving examples from India, Somalia, and America's moral decline.

Now, let me explain something to you. If you get nothing else tonight, I want you to get this, please. You cannot have a change in culture without having a previous change in theology. A change in theology always precedes a change in culture. The reason our society changes, the reason our culture changes, is because our theology has changed. Culture is nothing more than religion externalized. That's it. Let me give you a couple of examples.

I remember when I was a boy. And that hadn't been all that long ago, Hart. I see you smiling. But I do remember when I was a boy, my father used to take us down to Miami, Florida every Christmas, and we would visit for two weeks with our relatives down there because my father was a farmer. And during the winter, you know, you were basically through with all your crops. And guess what? My father had machinery, even back when I was a boy, that was worth $50,000 back then.

We never had a lock on our doors. Our windows were never locked. We would go off for two weeks. The house would be unlocked. All the equipment under the shelter and out in the barn. And we would come back two weeks later and guess what? Everything was exactly the way we left it. I was in the fifties. You try that today. I'll tell you something else, even when I was 16.

If I wanted to see a policeman, I don't really had to go uptown. I had to go uptown and look around. There were hardly any. Today, I probably saw more police officers driving up here than I ever saw in a year's time when I was a boy. You know why? Because when I was a boy, at least most people, even those who were unconverted, would at least attempt to follow the Ten Commandments. They at least had some morality about them. You don't have that today.

I'll give you another illustration. I remember the first time I ever found out that there was such a thing as a sodomite. I do. I remember that. My wife and I were married. I know they're always around. I understand. They were back then. In the closet maybe. But I remember exactly what I said when somebody told me that. Here were my exact words: "Nobody is that stupid." Those were my exact words.

But what I'm trying to say is, look how our culture has changed. In Washington, D.C., in politics, in the courtrooms, everywhere. Why? You cannot have a change in culture unless you have a change in theology. You want to know what went wrong in Isaiah chapter 1? You want to know what went wrong in Jeremiah 23 and all these passages? It's because their theology changed. And therefore, their culture.

He said, "How the faithful city become a harlot?" Here's what you used to be. Now look what you are. Let me give you two illustrations that you can argue with. The first one is this. We send—I want to say millions, but it's probably billions of dollars in aid to India. We send food to India. Grain. You know what happens to most of that grain, most of that food we send? The rats eat it. Cows defecate on it. If you don't believe me, I have video footage. I can show you these Indian women and men going into the temple with these big wharf rats with a big bowl of milk. They put it down for the rats and then they bow down and worship the rats as the rats eat. Cows going in where all the grain is stored. Rats going in just eating. What? Reincarnation.

Spiritual Adultery Leads to Physical Immorality

From Hosea 4 and Revelation 2, he shows that spiritual unfaithfulness inevitably results in physical immorality and judgment.

Now, let me show you how this ties together. I want you to go to the book of Hosea, chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea. Hosea, chapter 4, right after the book of Daniel. This may surprise you. But look what God says in Hosea chapter 4. Here again is a good illustration of the lex talionis, which is the law of retribution. Watch carefully. Hosea chapter 4, beginning there with verse 13. In fact, let's read verse 12. Verse 12 is so plain. Hosea chapter 4, verse 12, God says, "My people ask counsel at their stocks"—that is their idols—"and their staff declareth unto them"—another idol. "For the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God."

"They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good." Now look what God says, "Therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. And I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for they themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots. Therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall." What did God just say? They're spiritual adulterers. You're spiritual fornicators. And here's what he said. Your children are going to turn out just like you. However, I want you to understand this. Here's what he's saying. Spiritual adultery always leads to physical adultery. Spiritual fornication always leads to physical fornication. If we are unafraid to whore around on the sovereign God of heaven and earth, what makes you think we'll fear to be unfaithful to our spouses? That's what he's saying. Listen, folks.

You cannot violate the second table of the law until you violate the first table of the law. You cannot commit adultery physically until you violate, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Because what you've done is you've just dethroned God and enthroned yourself and you've said in essence, "I don't care what God says, I'm going to do what I want to do." And what God is showing us is this, what begins as theological fornication always ends up in immorality. Always. Why are we so immoral in this country? We're theological fornicators. I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 2. Here it is, plain as the nose on your face. Revelation chapter 2, beginning there with verse 18. Look what God says to the church of Thyatira. Revelation 2 and verse 18. Remember, this is to the church. Revelation 2, verse 18, "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass."

"I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." Now I want you to notice, he said in verse 20, "Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication"—physical, yes—"and to eat things sacrificed unto idols"—spiritual, yes.

A change in theology always leads to a change in culture. Whenever you have a Jezebel, whenever you have a false prophet, whenever you have someone who will steal God's words or add to God's word or substitute for God's words, inevitably there's always going to be corruption. Immorality. Idolatry. And the judgment of God. And the judgment of God will follow like night follows day.

Application and Self-Examination

Weaver challenges listeners to examine whether they are theological fornicators, forgetting God while building their own kingdoms.

Now, let me make some applications. Here's the first question that we really must face and ask ourselves. Not only as individuals, but as a family, as a church, as a nation. Here it is. Are we theological fornicators? Are we theological fornicators? Have we played light and loose with the Word of God? Do we treat God with contempt? You can also ask yourself this question. What is the main purpose of your life? Is your main purpose to really and truly honor and glorify God? Or is your main purpose something else? Let me submit something to you.

Just for your consideration, I believe that in all probability, and I know there are exceptions, I understand that. But I believe in all probability, most churches in our land have actually committed the sin that Israel did in Hosea chapter 8 and verse 14, where God says this. Actually, it's verse 14, not verse 34, verse 14, where

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:14

"Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples."

What does that verse say? Israel has forgotten God. Hosea 8 verse 14.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:14

"Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples."

In other words, we're not really concerned with God right now. What we're concerned with is our ministry, our work, our success.

That's where the average pastor is. That's where the average Christian is. We've forgotten God. And we're building our kingdom. We're building our ministry, we're building our work. And consequently, there are a lot of preachers who will not preach a lot of things because it tends to divide and drive people away. And we need all the people we can get because we've got these sinking fund payments that we've got to make.

The Spirit of Whoredoms and Call to Fidelity

He warns of a spirit that drives spiritual and physical unfaithfulness and calls for a return to the all-sufficient God and His Word.

So what do we do? We've become theological fornicators. That's it. Here's something else we need to remember and consider. We must never forget that there is also a spirit of whoredoms that compels us and drives us to spiritual and physical fornication. It's something that we have to fight against all the time. Hosea 4 and verse 12 said this. I read it earlier. "My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God."

I want to offer this for your consideration. I want you to think. If you will take the time and read through the Bible again, underline the word "adultery." Underline the word "fornication." Underline the word "whoredom" and "whoredoms" and "harlot" and "harlotry." You're going to find that most of the time, it has a reference to spiritual adultery. Let me close with this. I want you to think about this. And I think you'll understand it even more tomorrow night. There are some individuals that have gone through the heartbreak and the heartache of having a spouse that committed physical adultery. And you know, you sit and you think about something like that.

How awful that must be. How hurtful that must be. How humiliating that must be. You sit there and you say, "Does that mean I'm insufficient? Does that mean I cannot satisfy my mate? Does that mean that I'm being rejected?" And as all of those thoughts rush into you and it crushes you and weighs you down. Have you ever stopped to think that's exactly what we're doing to God? We're saying to God, "You're insufficient. You can't satisfy me. You're not enough."

"I need this idol or I need this sin or need this." It is absolute blasphemy to say that the sovereign God of heaven and earth, who is the all-sufficient One, is insufficient for us. He is God, and beside Him there is none else. His Word is true. What we need to come back to is to a theological and ideological foundation of the one true God and His Word. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee tonight. We ask for Your grace and Your mercy and Your help. We pray that You would indeed teach us, give us something to think about, give us something, Lord, to apply to our hearts and make us true to Thee. May we be theologically and ideologically true. May we not be fornicators. May we worship Thee and Thee alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Spiritual Adultery as Idolatry

Summary: Biblical terms for sexual sin primarily denote unfaithfulness to God through idolatry and false worship.

Evidence: Weaver cites Jeremiah 3:8-9 where Israel's adultery is defined as idolatry with stones and stocks.

Theological Corruption

Summary: Stealing, adding to, or substituting God's Word constitutes spiritual fornication.

Evidence: In Jeremiah 23:30-32, God condemns prophets who steal His words, speak falsely in His name, or substitute dreams for His Word.

Judgment Follows Spiritual Unfaithfulness

Summary: God's judgment on individuals and nations is a direct consequence of theological adultery.

Evidence: Isaiah 1:24-27 and Jeremiah 5:9-10 show God avenging Himself on a nation that commits spiritual whoredom.

Theology Shapes Culture

Summary: Cultural decay is rooted in prior theological decay; a change in theology always precedes a change in culture.

Evidence: Weaver illustrates with India's reincarnation beliefs and Somalia's violence, arguing culture is religion externalized.

Spiritual Adultery Leads to Physical Immorality

Summary: Unfaithfulness to God inevitably results in physical sexual sin and societal corruption.

Evidence: Hosea 4:12-14 states that because of spiritual whoredom, daughters commit whoredom and spouses commit adultery.

The All-Sufficiency of God

Summary: Spiritual adultery implies God is insufficient, which is blasphemy against His all-sufficient nature.

Evidence: Weaver argues that seeking idols or sin declares God insufficient, contradicting His sovereignty.

Key Arguments

Biblical terms for sexual sin are primarily spiritual

Summary: Most Old Testament uses of adultery, fornication, whoredom, and harlotry refer to idolatry, not physical acts.

Evidence: Weaver states that of all Old Testament uses of 'adultery,' only about six refer to physical adultery; the rest are spiritual.

Theological fornication is stealing, adding to, or substituting God's Word

Summary: Preachers commit spiritual adultery by not declaring God's Word fully, adding false revelations, or replacing it with human ideas.

Evidence: Jeremiah 23:30-32 condemns prophets who steal God's words, say 'He saith' when God has not spoken, and prophesy false dreams.

Theological corruption leads to societal corruption

Summary: When theology is adulterated, the culture becomes corrupt, rebellious, and unjust.

Evidence: Isaiah 1:21-23 describes how the faithful city became a harlot, resulting in murder, rebellion, and injustice.

God's judgment fits the crime of spiritual adultery

Summary: The law of retribution means spiritual harlotry brings physical harlotry and national destruction.

Evidence: Amos 7:17 pronounces that the harlot priest's wife will become a harlot and his children will die by the sword.

You cannot change culture without changing theology

Summary: Cultural problems are symptoms of theological problems; missions and reform must address underlying beliefs.

Evidence: Weaver argues that India's poverty and Somalia's violence stem from their theology, not just politics or economics.

Spiritual adultery always leads to physical adultery

Summary: Violating the first table of the law (no other gods) leads to violating the second table (no adultery).

Evidence: Hosea 4:13-14 shows that spiritual whoredom results in daughters and spouses committing physical whoredom and adultery.

Scripture References

2 Chronicles 21:10-13

Context: King Jehoram caused Judah to commit fornication by making high places, leading to a letter from Elijah condemning his whoredoms like Ahab.

Jeremiah 3:8-9

Context: Israel committed adultery and played the harlot by idolatry with stones and stocks.

Jeremiah 5:7-9

Context: Israel committed adultery by forsaking God and swearing by false gods; God asks if He should not avenge such a nation.

Jeremiah 23:14

Context: Prophets commit adultery by walking in lies and strengthening evildoers, becoming like Sodom.

Jeremiah 29:23

Context: Israel committed villainy and adultery with neighbors' wives and spoke lying words in God's name.

Ezekiel 23:37

Context: They committed adultery with idols and caused their sons to pass through fire to Molech.

Isaiah 1:21-31

Context: The faithful city became a harlot; silver became dross, wine mixed with water; judgment will purify and restore.

Jeremiah 23:25-32

Context: God condemns prophets who steal His words, add to them, or substitute false dreams, profiting no one.

Hebrews 1:1-3

Context: God spoke in the past through prophets but in these last days has spoken by His Son, the full and final revelation.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Context: All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.

John 1:1-3, 14

Context: Jesus Christ is the living Word made flesh; the Bible is the written Word; they stand or fall together.

John 12:48

Context: Rejecting Christ and His words brings judgment by the word He has spoken.

Zephaniah 3:4

Context: Prophets are light and treacherous; priests have polluted the sanctuary and done violence to the law.

Amos 7:12-17

Context: Amaziah the harlot priest is told his wife will be a harlot and his children will die by the sword as retribution.

Jeremiah 5:7-11, 22-29

Context: A nation that commits adultery with idols will have its defenses removed and face God's vengeance.

Hosea 4:12-14

Context: A spirit of whoredoms causes Israel to err; therefore their daughters commit whoredom and spouses adultery.

Revelation 2:18-23

Context: The church at Thyatira tolerated Jezebel who seduced servants to commit fornication and eat idol sacrifices.

Hosea 8:14

Context: Israel forgot his Maker and built temples, focusing on their own works rather than God.

Exodus 20:14

Context: The seventh commandment, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' is exceedingly broad, covering spiritual adultery.

Psalm 119:96

Context: David said God's commandment is exceeding broad, implying it covers more than physical adultery.

Historical References

King Jehoram of Judah

Context: Jehoram made high places and caused Judah to commit fornication, leading to Elijah's prophetic condemnation.

Jeroboam I and the golden calves

Context: Amaziah was a priest of the golden calves set up by Jeroboam I, representing institutionalized idolatry in Israel.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Context: God compared the prophets of Jerusalem to Sodom and Gomorrah because of their spiritual adultery.

Molech worship

Context: Ezekiel 23:37 references causing children to pass through fire to Molech as part of idolatrous adultery.

1950s America

Context: Weaver recalls that in the 1950s, people left doors unlocked and crime was low because even the unconverted followed the Ten Commandments.

India's reincarnation beliefs

Context: Weaver describes how rats and cows are worshiped in India due to reincarnation theology, hindering effective aid.

Somalia and 'Black Hawk Down'

Context: A Somali warlord in the movie states that killing is their culture, illustrating that culture stems from theology.

Important Quotes

The root cause of all sin, especially idolatry, there is a theological, an ideological fornication.

Significance: This is the central thesis of the sermon, linking all sin to corrupted theology and ideology.

You cannot have a change in culture without having a previous change in theology. A change in theology always precedes a change in culture.

Significance: This principle undergirds Weaver's argument that societal decay is a symptom of theological decay.

Spiritual adultery always leads to physical adultery. Spiritual fornication always leads to physical fornication.

Significance: Weaver asserts a direct causal link between unfaithfulness to God and sexual immorality.

You cannot violate the second table of the law until you violate the first table of the law.

Significance: This explains why theological fornication (first table) inevitably leads to physical adultery (second table).

Culture is nothing more than religion externalized.

Significance: A concise definition of culture as the outward expression of inward religious beliefs.

Adulterated truth is not truth. Half-truth presented as a whole truth is a lie.

Significance: Weaver emphasizes that diluting or mixing God's Word with error makes it false.

What begins as theological fornication always ends up in immorality. Always.

Significance: A strong warning that doctrinal compromise inevitably produces moral decay.

It is absolute blasphemy to say that the sovereign God of heaven and earth, who is the all-sufficient One, is insufficient for us.

Significance: Weaver concludes that spiritual adultery is a declaration that God is not enough, which is blasphemous.

Discussion Questions

In what ways might we be guilty of 'theological fornication' by stealing, adding to, or substituting God's Word in our own lives or churches?

Context: Weaver defines theological fornication as mishandling God's Word, as seen in Jeremiah 23.

How does the principle that 'a change in theology always precedes a change in culture' explain the moral decline we see today?

Context: Weaver argues that cultural decay is rooted in prior theological decay.

Why does spiritual adultery inevitably lead to physical adultery, according to Hosea 4 and Revelation 2?

Context: Weaver shows the connection between idolatry and immorality.

What does it mean that 'culture is nothing more than religion externalized'? Can you give modern examples?

Context: Weaver uses India and Somalia as illustrations of theology shaping culture.

How should the law of retribution (Lex Talionis) seen in Amos 7 shape our understanding of God's judgment on nations?

Context: Weaver explains that God makes the punishment fit the crime of spiritual harlotry.

In what ways might we be 'building temples' while forgetting God, as in Hosea 8:14?

Context: Weaver applies this verse to modern churches focused on their own ministries rather than God.

How can we guard against the 'spirit of whoredoms' that drives us away from God?

Context: Weaver warns of a spiritual force that compels unfaithfulness, referencing Hosea 4:12.

What does it practically mean to treat God as all-sufficient in a culture that constantly offers substitutes?

Context: Weaver concludes that spiritual adultery declares God insufficient.

Applications

Examine our fidelity to God's Word

Summary: We must ask whether we are theological fornicators who play loose with Scripture, treating God with contempt.

Evidence: Weaver directly asks, 'Are we theological fornicators? Have we played light and loose with the Word of God?'

Evaluate our life's main purpose

Summary: Our primary aim should be to honor and glorify God, not to build our own kingdoms or ministries.

Evidence: Weaver challenges listeners to consider if their main purpose is to honor God or something else, citing Hosea 8:14.

Resist the spirit of whoredoms

Summary: We must actively fight against the spiritual force that compels us toward unfaithfulness to God.

Evidence: Weaver warns of the 'spirit of whoredoms' from Hosea 4:12 that causes people to err.

Return to the all-sufficient God

Summary: We need to come back to a theological foundation that acknowledges God as all-sufficient and His Word as true.

Evidence: Weaver calls for a return to the 'theological and ideological foundation of the one true God and His Word.'

Study biblical terms for spiritual adultery

Summary: Weaver encourages a personal Bible study to underline words like adultery, fornication, whoredom, and harlot to see their spiritual emphasis.

Evidence: He suggests reading through the Bible and underlining these terms to discover their frequent spiritual reference.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:28:59Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:26:32Z

Clean Transcript

Spiritual Fornication - Part 1

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let's begin with a word of prayer, shall we? Father, we are thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace and mercy to us. We are thankful for Your Word. We pray that You would indeed teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, tonight to 2 Chronicles chapter 21. 2 Chronicles 21. I want to bring two messages tonight and tomorrow night, which I've just entitled "Spiritual Fornication and Adultery."
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I think you're going to see the significance of this and the application of it as well, and probably in a newer way than you've ever thought about it. But tonight and tomorrow night, spiritual fornication and adultery. So look in 2 Chronicles chapter 21. Let's read verses 10 through 13. I will preach more from this passage tomorrow night, but tonight will be mainly introduction. But notice, if you would, 2 Chronicles 21, beginning at verse 10.
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The Bible says, "So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. The same time also did Libnah revolt from under his hand"—that's King Jehoram—"because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. Moreover, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto." And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, "Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself."
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We are fleshly and we're physically oriented. And that is the way that we think most of the time. We think in terms of the flesh. We think in terms of temporality. We think in terms of carnality. Anytime you hear the word adultery, fornication, whoredom, or harlotry, you immediately begin thinking of that which is physical. You begin thinking of a wayward husband or a wayward wife or a wayward child.
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And all those things are certainly true, and they're certainly spoken of in the Bible. And there are passages that deal with the physical in the Bible as well. But the truth of the matter is, whenever you see most of those terms in the Bible, it refers more to the spiritual aspect than the physical aspect. If you look in verse 11 of 2 Chronicles 21, we're talking about King Jehoram. The Bible says in verse 11, "Moreover, he"—that is the king—"made high places in the mountains of Judah and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication and compelled Judah thereto." It may surprise you to learn that of all the times the word "adultery" is used in the Old Testament, it only refers to physical adultery only about six times. And two of those times, it would refer to spiritual as well. The rest of the time, every time you see the word "adultery" in the Old Testament, it refers to spiritual adultery. In the New Testament, the word is frequently used not only to apply to the physical, but to the spiritual as well.
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An interesting thing is this. If you look at the word "fornication" in the Old Testament, each time the word is used, it is used in reference to spiritual fornication, not physical. And the interesting thing is also about the word "harlot." The word "harlot" is used in the Old Testament a few times to refer to the physical, but most often is referring to that which is spiritual. I would think that an interesting study would be to study in the Bible the correlation between the wayward wife and the wayward church.
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Everyone's familiar with Ephesians chapter 5 where the Bible says, "Likewise, ye wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord." Why? "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church." Therefore, the wife is to submit herself to her husband as the church does to Jesus Christ. So here's the thing. The picture in the Bible of a submissive wife to her husband pictures and symbolizes the church in submission to Jesus Christ. You would have to ask yourself this question: what then does a wayward wife represent in picture?
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Let me tell you something that I think would also be interesting if you would have time to look at it. When you look in Proverbs chapter 7 at the harlot, if you were to compare the harlot there, not only in her attire and her approach and all of this other, compare the harlot in Proverbs 7 to the wayward church or to the harlot church.
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Now, if you say, "Brother Weaver, I think that's far out," well, if you think that's far out, how do you explain Revelation chapter 17, verse 5, when the Scripture says, "And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth"? Another interesting thing is this: every time the word "whoredoms" is used in the Old Testament, it refers to spiritual whoredoms, or we would call it spiritual adultery or spiritual fornication. So you're going to find that as you read through the Bible, that the word "adultery," the word "fornication," the word "harlotry," and the word "whoredoms" a lot of times are used interchangeably. And more often than not, they speak of the spiritual aspect and not the physical aspect.
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Now, they literally point to what you and I would just simply call idolatry. Now, to verify everything that I just told you, I want you to hold 2 Chronicles 21, but I want you to turn with me to a number of passages, and let me show you how these words are used. So if you will turn first to Jeremiah 3, verses 8 and 9. We'll look at several passages in Jeremiah. Jeremiah 3. And look, if you would please, at verses 8 and 9. Jeremiah 3, verse 8. Look what God says.
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"And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery." Stop right there just a second. Look what he said. "And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery." How does a nation commit adultery? He said, "I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah"—another kingdom—"feared not, but went and played the harlot also." How does a nation play the harlot? "And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks." So here you have the word "adultery" and "whoredom" and "harlotry" all used in reference to idolatry.
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I want you to look in verse 7 of Jeremiah chapter 5, and I would encourage you just to mark Jeremiah chapter 5. We will come back there a little bit later. Look in Jeremiah chapter 5 in verse 7. God asked, "How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses." Now, when you and I read that verse, since we are basically fleshly oriented, we think they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. But go back to the first part. He said, "How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me and have sworn by them that are no gods." So the harlots' houses there would probably be the idols' temples and not just necessarily a red light district, as you and I would say. Look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Jeremiah chapter 23.
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Jeremiah 23. I tell you what, let's go—before you turn there, go down to Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 9. Look at verse 9, because I want to come back and emphasize this a little bit later. God asked, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" So all this, He's talking about nations now. So it's nations that are committing adultery. It's nations that are playing the harlot. It's nations that are committing whoredom. Now look in Jeremiah 23 and verse 14. Jeremiah 23 in verse 14.
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And he says it like this again. Jeremiah 23 verse 14. "I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies, and they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness. They are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah." Now, when God says, "I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery," well, could they be committing physical adultery? Well, surely they could. But notice if you would what He defines here as committing adultery. And that is walking in lies and strengthening also the hands of evildoers and none returning from his wickedness. And so God calls that adultery. And moreover, He says, they are all now as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah unto Him. Look in Jeremiah 29, verse 23. Jeremiah 29, verse 23. God says this concerning Israel, "Because they have committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord."
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Well, yes, there's physical adultery, but note, there's also spiritual adultery, because he says, "they've spoken lying words in my name." Look in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 23 and verse 37. Ezekiel 23 and verse 37. I want you to watch this. Ezekiel 23, verse 37. Here's what he says: "That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands. And with their idols have they committed adultery, and also have caused their sons whom they bare unto me to pass for them through the fire to devour them." So God says they've committed adultery. Blood is in their hands.
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And he's talking about Molech worship here. "And with their idols, have they committed adultery?"
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Now, let me just try tonight to lay a foundation. Because we're talking about something that usually we should not even think about. Spiritual fornication and adultery. Let me put it to you very plainly. The root cause of all sin, especially idolatry, there is a theological, an ideological fornication.
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Now, I've just used two words and I use those two words purposefully. When we talk about theology, theology, of course, is the doctrine or the knowledge of God. When we talk about ideology, ideology may refer to a body of doctrine, just like theology does, but ideology is more. An ideology is that which guides a movement or directs a movement. Let me put it like this. Ideology is how you put your theology into practice.
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First and foremost, there is a theological and ideological fornication. Now, when God issued the seventh commandment, He said in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 14, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Now, listen to that. "Thou shalt not commit adultery." What did God mean when He said "Thou shalt not commit adultery"? Well, most of us oftentimes think of physical adultery, and that certainly would be condemned. But there's spiritual adultery as well. You have to remember what David said in Psalm 119 in verse 96.
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He said, "I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad." And so God's commandment is indeed exceedingly broad. It not only covers the physical adultery, but the spiritual adultery as well.
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Now, what happens when you adulterate something? The answer is, you not only violate it, but you weaken it. You water it down. You dilute it. So if something is adulterated then, it's weakened, it's watered down, it's not what it was in the beginning. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 1. And this is the passage you need to mark, because we will be coming back to Isaiah chapter 1. I'm going to just read verses 21 through 31, make a comment or two, then look at some other passages and then come back to Isaiah chapter 1 and try to tie this thought together for you. Look in Isaiah chapter 1 and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Isaiah 1, verse 21.
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God simply says, "How is the faithful city become a harlot?" That's talking about Judah and Jerusalem. "How is the faithful city become a harlot? It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water. Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come before them."
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"Therefore thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies. And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin. And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning. Afterwards thou shalt be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness."
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"And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together. And they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed. And they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen"—that's idolatrous places. "For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them."
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Now, for now, let's look back at verse 22. Look what God says. "Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water." So let's suppose I had in this cup a glass of pure wine or a cup of pure wine. And I then poured this water—by the way, Doc—I then poured half of the wine into another glass. And then I took water and poured into that glass of wine originally. What has happened to that glass of wine? It's really no longer wine. It's now adulterated. It's watered down. It's weakened. It's diluted. It's become something totally different than it was originally. Now, God says you've added water to your wine. You've also added dross to your silver. So I can have a silver coin, 100 percent silver, and I could take that coin and cut it in half and add dross, add tin or whatever to it or copper and come up with two coins. Now, I've doubled what I've just had, but what I've done is I've literally taken from—I've adulterated that silver.
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It is now no longer pure silver. It has dross added to it. It's weakened. It's adulterated. It's diluted. It's become something totally different than it was before.
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Now, that's exactly what God is talking about here. Remember, we're talking right now about theological and ideological fornication. You want to know what has happened in our country? You go back and listen to how the preachers preached originally and initially in this country. You go back and read and listen to some of the election sermons, or just read some of the sermons that were being preached in the average, ordinary church in those days. You're going to find there's a big difference between what was preached then and what is being preached now. Let me show you. I want you to hold Isaiah 1. We're coming right back there. But I want you to turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 23. Jeremiah 23. And we're going to begin reading at verse 25 and read through verse 32. Jeremiah 23. Beginning with verse 25.
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Now, remember, we're talking about theological and ideological fornication. Look what he said. Jeremiah 23, verse 25. "I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully."
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"What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them and cause my people to err by their lies and by their lightness."
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"Yet I sent them not, nor commanded them. Therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord."
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Now, I want to call your attention in Jeremiah 23 to a special kind of whoredom. You've probably never thought about it like this. It's a special kind of spiritual fornication or spiritual adultery. What is it? It's theological and ideological fornication. For instance, look in verse 30. Look what God says. "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbor." Here's a question. How do you steal the word of God? How does a pastor steal the Word of God? How does a preacher steal the Word of God? The answer is, he steals the Word of God either by not declaring it, preaching it, expounding it, explaining it, or by giving to it a light and shallow meaning which is adulterated.
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Now stop and think about that. God said, "I'm against these prophets that steal my word." When you look in Jeremiah 23 right here, God is condemning preachers who, number one, steal His word, who, number two, add to His word, which I'll show you, and then number three, substitute for His word. So God's Word can be stolen from the people. How? Through theological and ideological fornication. Look, if you would please, in verse 31. He says, "Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues and say, He saith." In other words, the prophets are saying this is what God said, when God hadn't said anything. God hadn't spoken to them. They're just simply adding to the word of God.
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You're going to see this a little bit later, but let me just tell you. The blasphemy that is involved in this, and I'm sorry if you know people like this, or if you happen to embrace this, I'm sorry, I believe you're just absolutely wrong. But I know—I know preachers. I know of professing Christians who come around and they'll say, "Well, let me tell you about a revelation that God gave me, and let me show you the vision that I had and the dream that I had." I'm sorry. God is not giving new or additional revelation. We have the completed Word of God. Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God.
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Hold Jeremiah, we're coming right back there as you hold Isaiah. But I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 1 and let's look at the first three verses. Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 through 3. Watch carefully what the Bible says. Hebrews chapter 1. Look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 1. Hebrews 1 verse 1, the Bible says, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets." Now, just stop.
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In the Old Testament, yes, and some in the New Testament, yes, there were visions, yes, there were dreams, yes, there were trances. God spoke in time past, the Bible said, in many varied ways. But watch. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express
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image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Now, go back to verse 2, that God "hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." Do you realize that Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God? What did Christ say? "No man hath seen the Father at any time, but the Son hath revealed the Father." So when someone comes along and says, "Well, let me tell you, I had some extra-biblical revelation, or I had this dream and I had this vision," no. What you're doing is saying Jesus Christ is not the full and final revelation of God. That's what you're saying. You have to remember that the Bible, first and foremost, is the written Word of God.
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2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." So the Bible is the written Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Jesus Christ is the living Word of God. John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God."
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"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." Skip down to verse 14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." Now listen, Jesus Christ is the living Word. The Bible is the written Word. You cannot have one attitude toward Jesus Christ and a different attitude toward the Bible. Nor can you have one attitude toward the Bible and a different attitude toward Jesus Christ. They go together. They stand or fall together. They're one and the same. Christ is the living Word. The Bible is the written Word. That's why in John 12 and verse 48, listen now, Christ put both of these together. Here's what He said in John 12 and verse 48: "He that rejecteth me"—that is the living Word—"and receiveth not my words"—that is the written Word—"hath one that judgeth him in the last day, even the word which I have spoken."
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So Christ said, if you do not receive me, and if you do not receive my words, it's my words that are going to judge you. They stand or fall together. And so when someone comes along and says, "Well, I need to show you something that's not in the Bible, and this is a revelation God's given me," no. God is not giving new revelation. There is a difference between revelation and illumination. Revelation is revealing truth never known before to the human mind. Illumination is opening our understanding that we may understand what's already been revealed. When you're reading your Bible and all of a sudden you say, "Why haven't I seen that before?" that's not revelation. That's illumination. God just turned the light on for you. He let you see and understand what had already been previously revealed. So God says, "I'm against these prophets who say 'He saith' when He hasn't said anything." So you can steal the Word of God. You can add to the Word of God.
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And if you will skip down to verse 32 in Jeremiah 23. Watch this. Verse 32, God says, "Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them. Therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord." And now here you have people who are substituting their dreams, their will, their word for God's will and God's word. And God says, that's not going to profit anybody at all. Not at all.
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You don't have to turn there, but let me quote a passage for you. Zephaniah 3 and verse 4. It'll be good for you to look it up later. Zephaniah 3 and verse 4. God says concerning Israel, listen, "Her prophets are light and treacherous persons. Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law." So God is condemning the prophets and the priests as being theological fornicators. As being theological adulterers.
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Now, interestingly enough, I want you to go back to Isaiah chapter 1. I told you we were coming back there. So He's condemning all of these false prophets that have either stolen God's Word, added to God's Word, or substituted for God's Word. Now, if you'll go back to Isaiah chapter 1, I want you to look, if you would please, beginning there again with verse 21, Isaiah chapter 1. I told you we would be coming back there. So look, if you would please, at verse 21 because I want you to see the consequences and results of theological fornication.
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Factually speaking, adulterated products are not real and genuine products. Adulterated truth is not truth. Half-truth presented as a whole truth is a lie. So you can take half of something and present it as the whole truth, and it's a lie. Let's go back to Isaiah chapter 1, look at verse 21. Remember now he's talking about Judah and Jerusalem. And he says in verse 21, "How is the faithful city become a harlot?" So Judah and Jerusalem were at one time faithful. What were they like when they were faithful? Well, he says it was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in it. But now it's become theologically and ideologically adulterated. So now what is it like?
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Murderers lodge in it now. He said in verse 22, "Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water." "Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come before them." You want to know what the effects and the consequences of theological fornication really are? Here they are: corruption, rebellion, dishonesty, injustice. If you would like to know the root cause of all familial, individual, ecclesiastical, political, and governmental sins, it's theological fornication.
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I'm going to show you that just momentarily. The reason we are so perverse in this country is because of a theological fornication. I don't care which area you look in. I don't care which area you examine. There is another consequence of theological fornication. What is it? Judgment. Look what God said in verse 24. "Therefore thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel."
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"Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies." Skip down, if you would, to verse 27. "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment." You know what God is telling us? God is telling us that He's going to judge us, not only individually and familially and ecclesiastically, but He's going to judge us nationally because of our theological fornication. Let me give you a good illustration.
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I want you to turn to the book of Amos, chapter 7. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Amos, chapter 7. Amos chapter 7. Let's begin reading there with verse 14. Amos chapter 7. Let me just tell you that Amos was from the southern kingdom of Judah. God sent him to prophesy against the northern kingdom of Israel. He is now being confronted by Amaziah, who is a harlot priest and prophet. And I want you to watch this. Amos 7, verse 14. "Then answered Amos and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit." Tell you what, let's go back to verse 12. Let me start there. Look in verse 12. Because Amaziah says something first to Amos. Look what he said. "Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: but prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court."
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Now, let me just kind of paraphrase verse 12 for you. Amaziah said to Amos, "You better go home, boy, if you want to live. Because we'll kill you if you keep messing around here." That's what he said. "Flee thee into thine own land of Judah. There eat bread and prophesy. You want to preach? You go down there and preach. You better get out of here." And he tells you why. Verse 13, look at it. "But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court." Jeroboam II.
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He said he'll have you killed. Now watch, Amos answered and said in verse fourteen, "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel."
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"Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land."
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Now listen, there is in the Bible that which is known as the Lex Talionis. L-E-X Talionis. T-A-L-I-O-N-I-S. That is just Latin for the law of retribution. The law of retribution is where God makes the punishment fit the crime. You remember when he said in Deuteronomy and in the book of Exodus, "an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." He makes the punishment fit the crime.
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Amaziah was a harlot priest. He was a priest of the golden calves that Jeroboam I had set up. He was not a prophet, not of God's prophet. And here's what God says. Now, listen, he says you're a harlot priest. You're not my priest. You've committed theological fornication, therefore, your wife shall be a harlot. Oh, you kill my children with your lies, therefore, your children shall die. Whoa!
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You polluted my land with your untruth. You're going to die in a polluted land. Everything that God tells Amos to say to Amaziah is right in line with the law of retribution.
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Now, I want you to understand something. As plain as this is against an individual, it is equally plain against the nation. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Jeremiah 5. I told you that we would eventually get back there. Jeremiah 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 7. Jeremiah 5 and verse 7. Watch carefully. Jeremiah 5, verse 7. God asks, "How shall I pardon thee for this?" And he's talking about the nation now. "How shall I pardon thee for this?"
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He says, "Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbor's wife."
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Now look at verse 9. "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Now, wait a minute. Here's a nation that has committed theological fornication. God says, "I'm going to avenge my soul on such a nation as this." What is He going to do? Look in verse 10. "Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the Lord's." You know what the battlements were? The battlements were
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placed there for protection so they could defend themselves. God is saying take away their defenses. Because those defenses are not mine. Oh, look what else he said in verse 11. "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord. They have belied"—that is, they lied against the Lord—"and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword or famine: and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them." Wow. God says here's a nation.
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They committed theological fornication, they turned from me. What's God saying? Take away their battlements. They've lied against me. They've dealt treacherously against me. I'm going to judge them. I'm going to destroy them. I want you to skip down to verse 22. Skip down to verse 22. Jeremiah 5, verse 22, God asked, "Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?"
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"And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone." Stop. Let me stop. "This people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone." May I ask why? Do they have a rebellious and revolting heart? Because of theological fornication. I'm going to tell you something, folks.
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If you don't believe right, you can't act right. Their theology was wrong. I'm going to show you. Look what he says in verse 24. "Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest." They're not interested in fearing God. He says in verse 25, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you."
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"For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge."
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"Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" Now, it's interesting. God says in verse 28 concerning Israel and Judah, "they are waxen fat, they shine."
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"They overpass the deeds of the wicked." They're worse than the heathen. And then he says, "Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" So theological fornication always brings the judgment of God.
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Now, let me explain something to you. If you get nothing else tonight, I want you to get this, please. You cannot have a change in culture without having a previous change in theology. A change in theology always precedes a change in culture. The reason our society changes, the reason our culture changes, is because our theology has changed. Culture is nothing more than religion externalized. That's it. Let me give you a couple of examples.
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I remember when I was a boy. And that hadn't been all that long ago, Hart. I see you smiling. But I do remember when I was a boy, my father used to take us down to Miami, Florida every Christmas, and we would visit for two weeks with our relatives down there because my father was a farmer. And during the winter, you know, you were basically through with all your crops. And guess what? My father had machinery, even back when I was a boy, that was worth $50,000 back then.
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We never had a lock on our doors. Our windows were never locked. We would go off for two weeks. The house would be unlocked. All the equipment under the shelter and out in the barn. And we would come back two weeks later and guess what? Everything was exactly the way we left it. I was in the fifties. You try that today. I'll tell you something else, even when I was 16.
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If I wanted to see a policeman, I don't really had to go uptown. I had to go uptown and look around. There were hardly any. Today, I probably saw more police officers driving up here than I ever saw in a year's time when I was a boy. You know why? Because when I was a boy, at least most people, even those who were unconverted, would at least attempt to follow the Ten Commandments. They at least had some morality about them. You don't have that today.
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I'll give you another illustration. I remember the first time I ever found out that there was such a thing as a sodomite. I do. I remember that. My wife and I were married. I know they're always around. I understand. They were back then. In the closet maybe. But I remember exactly what I said when somebody told me that. Here were my exact words: "Nobody is that stupid." Those were my exact words.
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But what I'm trying to say is, look how our culture has changed. In Washington, D.C., in politics, in the courtrooms, everywhere. Why? You cannot have a change in culture unless you have a change in theology. You want to know what went wrong in Isaiah chapter 1? You want to know what went wrong in Jeremiah 23 and all these passages? It's because their theology changed. And therefore, their culture.
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He said, "How the faithful city become a harlot?" Here's what you used to be.
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Now look what you are. Let me give you two illustrations that you can argue with. The first one is this. We send—I want to say millions, but it's probably billions of dollars in aid to India. We send food to India. Grain. You know what happens to most of that grain, most of that food we send? The rats eat it. Cows defecate on it. If you don't believe me, I have video footage. I can show you these Indian women and men going into the temple with these big wharf rats with a big bowl of milk. They put it down for the rats and then they bow down and worship the rats as the rats eat. Cows going in where all the grain is stored. Rats going in just eating. What? Reincarnation.
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Now that could be somebody's aunt or somebody's uncle. Let me tell you something. You will never change the culture of India until you change the theology of India. When the theology changes, the culture changes. Some of you remember seeing a movie that came out a number of years ago called "Black Hawk Down." It was about our soldiers over in Somalia, they went over to capture the warlord Aidid.
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I think his name was. He was a drug dealer. And those Somalis shot down some of those Black Hawk helicopters and killed the pilots. When that movie came on TV years ago, I watched it. And I thought it was interesting. About a year or so later, it came on again. I thought, well, I'll watch it again. And I was so thankful I did. Because I saw something the second time that I never saw the first time. One of those Black Hawk pilots lived.
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They had taken this pilot and beaten him almost to a bloody pulp. They had him tied sitting against the wall. Eyes swollen, almost full and shut, cut up, bloody, bleeding, but conscious. And one of the warlords, one of the black warlords was saying as he pointed his finger, and I'm going to paraphrase because I don't have the exact words, but here's what he said in essence: "You stupid Americans, you think you can come over here and cram your democracy down our throats and stop us from killing when killing has been a way of life for us for a thousand years?"
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What did he just say? That's our culture. Why is it their culture? Because of their lack of theology. You never change Somalia until you change the theology. What has happened in this country? Here's what has happened. We've become theological fornicators. We've become theological adulterers. And we've stolen God's words. We've substituted our words and our will for His. We've taken from and we've added to.
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Now, let me show you how this ties together. I want you to go to the book of Hosea, chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea. Hosea, chapter 4, right after the book of Daniel. This may surprise you. But look what God says in Hosea chapter 4. Here again is a good illustration of the lex talionis, which is the law of retribution. Watch carefully. Hosea chapter 4, beginning there with verse 13. In fact, let's read verse 12. Verse 12 is so plain. Hosea chapter 4, verse 12, God says, "My people ask counsel at their stocks"—that is their idols—"and their staff declareth unto them"—another idol. "For the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God."
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"They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good." Now look what God says, "Therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. And I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for they themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots. Therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall." What did God just say? They're spiritual adulterers. You're spiritual fornicators.
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And here's what he said. Your children are going to turn out just like you. However, I want you to understand this. Here's what he's saying. Spiritual adultery always leads to physical adultery. Spiritual fornication always leads to physical fornication. If we are unafraid to whore around on the sovereign God of heaven and earth, what makes you think we'll fear to be unfaithful to our spouses? That's what he's saying. Listen, folks.
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You cannot violate the second table of the law until you violate the first table of the law. You cannot commit adultery physically until you violate, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Because what you've done is you've just dethroned God and enthroned yourself and you've said in essence, "I don't care what God says, I'm going to do what I want to do." And what God is showing us is this, what begins as theological fornication always ends up in immorality. Always.
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Why are we so immoral in this country? We're theological fornicators. I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 2. Here it is, plain as the nose on your face. Revelation chapter 2, beginning there with verse 18. Look what God says to the church of Thyatira. Revelation 2 and verse 18. Remember, this is to the church. Revelation 2, verse 18, "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass."
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"I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." Now I want you to notice, he said in verse 20, "Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication"—physical, yes—"and to eat things sacrificed unto idols"—spiritual, yes.
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A change in theology always leads to a change in culture. Whenever you have a Jezebel, whenever you have a false prophet, whenever you have someone who will steal God's words or add to God's word or substitute for God's words, inevitably there's always going to be corruption. Immorality. Idolatry. And the judgment of God. And the judgment of God will follow like night follows day.
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Now, let me make some applications. Here's the first question that we really must face and ask ourselves. Not only as individuals, but as a family, as a church, as a nation. Here it is. Are we theological fornicators? Are we theological fornicators? Have we played light and loose with the Word of God? Do we treat God with contempt? You can also ask yourself this question. What is the main purpose of your life? Is your main purpose to really and truly honor and glorify God? Or is your main purpose something else? Let me submit something to you.
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Just for your consideration, I believe that in all probability, and I know there are exceptions, I understand that. But I believe in all probability, most churches in our land have actually committed the sin that Israel did in Hosea chapter 8 and verse 14, where God says this. Actually, it's verse 14, not verse 34, verse 14, where "Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples." What does that verse say? Israel has forgotten God. Hosea 8 verse 14. "Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples." In other words, we're not really concerned with God right now. What we're concerned with is our ministry, our work, our success.
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That's where the average pastor is. That's where the average Christian is. We've forgotten God. And we're building our kingdom. We're building our ministry, we're building our work. And consequently, there are a lot of preachers who will not preach a lot of things because it tends to divide and drive people away. And we need all the people we can get because we've got these sinking fund payments that we've got to make.
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So what do we do? We've become theological fornicators. That's it. Here's something else we need to remember and consider. We must never forget that there is also a spirit of whoredoms that compels us and drives us to spiritual and physical fornication. It's something that we have to fight against all the time. Hosea 4 and verse 12 said this. I read it earlier. "My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God."
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I want to offer this for your consideration. I want you to think. If you will take the time and read through the Bible again, underline the word "adultery." Underline the word "fornication." Underline the word "whoredom" and "whoredoms" and "harlot" and "harlotry." You're going to find that most of the time, it has a reference to spiritual adultery. Let me close with this. I want you to think about this. And I think you'll understand it even more tomorrow night. There are some individuals that have gone through the heartbreak and the heartache of having a spouse that committed physical adultery. And you know, you sit and you think about something like that.
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How awful that must be. How hurtful that must be. How humiliating that must be. You sit there and you say, "Does that mean I'm insufficient? Does that mean I cannot satisfy my mate? Does that mean that I'm being rejected?" And as all of those thoughts rush into you and it crushes you and weighs you down. Have you ever stopped to think that's exactly what we're doing to God? We're saying to God, "You're insufficient. You can't satisfy me. You're not enough."
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"I need this idol or I need this sin or need this." It is absolute blasphemy to say that the sovereign God of heaven and earth, who is the all-sufficient One, is insufficient for us. He is God, and beside Him there is none else. His Word is true. What we need to come back to is to a theological and ideological foundation of the one true God and His Word.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee tonight. We ask for Your grace and Your mercy and Your help. We pray that You would indeed teach us, give us something to think about, give us something, Lord, to apply to our hearts and make us true to Thee. May we be theologically and ideologically true. May we not be fornicators. May we worship Thee and Thee alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:28:59Z

Spiritual Fornication - Part 1

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver introduces the concept of spiritual fornication and adultery, arguing that biblical terms like adultery, fornication, whoredom, and harlotry primarily refer to idolatry and unfaithfulness to God rather than physical acts. He demonstrates from Scripture that theological and ideological corruption—stealing, adding to, or substituting God's Word—constitutes spiritual adultery. This theological fornication leads to cultural decay, immorality, and divine judgment. The sermon calls for a return to fidelity to God and His Word.

Introduction to Spiritual Fornication

Weaver introduces the topic, noting that biblical terms for sexual sin often refer to spiritual unfaithfulness rather than physical acts.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:10-13

"So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. The same time also did Libnah revolt from under his hand"

—that's King Jehoram—

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:10-13

"because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. Moreover, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto."

And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:10-13

"Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself."

Biblical Usage of Adultery, Fornication, and Whoredom

He demonstrates from multiple Old Testament passages that these words predominantly describe idolatry and spiritual apostasy.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:7-9

" Now, when you and I read that verse, since we are basically fleshly oriented, we think they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. But go back to the first part. He said, "

And he says it like this again. Jeremiah 23 verse 14.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:14

"I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies, and they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness. They are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah."

Now, when God says,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:14

"I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery,"

Theological and Ideological Fornication Defined

Weaver explains that theological fornication involves corrupting doctrine, while ideological fornication is putting corrupted theology into practice.

Adulterating God's Word: Stealing, Adding, Substituting

Using Jeremiah 23, he shows how preachers steal God's Word by not declaring it, add to it by claiming false revelations, or substitute their own words.

Now, remember, we're talking about theological and ideological fornication. Look what he said. Jeremiah 23, verse 25.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:25-32

"I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully."

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:25-32

"Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbor."

Scripture Reading — John 1:1-3, 14

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God." "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

Skip down to verse 14,

Scripture Reading — John 1:1-3, 14

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Consequences of Theological Fornication

From Isaiah 1, Weaver outlines that theological adultery results in corruption, rebellion, injustice, and ultimately divine judgment.

The Law of Retribution and National Judgment

Using Amos 7 and Jeremiah 5, he illustrates that God's judgment fits the crime: spiritual harlotry leads to physical harlotry and national destruction.

Scripture Reading — Amos 7:12-17

"Flee thee into thine own land of Judah. There eat bread and prophesy. You want to preach? You go down there and preach. You better get out of here."

And he tells you why. Verse 13, look at it.

Scripture Reading — Amos 7:12-17

"But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court."

Jeroboam II.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:7-11, 22-29

"Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?"

Theology Precedes Culture

Weaver argues that cultural change always follows theological change, giving examples from India, Somalia, and America's moral decline.

Spiritual Adultery Leads to Physical Immorality

From Hosea 4 and Revelation 2, he shows that spiritual unfaithfulness inevitably results in physical immorality and judgment.

Application and Self-Examination

Weaver challenges listeners to examine whether they are theological fornicators, forgetting God while building their own kingdoms.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:14

"Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples."

What does that verse say? Israel has forgotten God. Hosea 8 verse 14.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:14

"Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples."

In other words, we're not really concerned with God right now. What we're concerned with is our ministry, our work, our success.

The Spirit of Whoredoms and Call to Fidelity

He warns of a spirit that drives spiritual and physical unfaithfulness and calls for a return to the all-sufficient God and His Word.

Spiritual Fornication - Part 1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	51914215718
Subject	Biblical Law
Course	The Ten Commandments
Genre	Sermon
Date	2014-05-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 015: Spiritual Fornication — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	90

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to Spiritual Fornication: Weaver introduces the topic, noting that biblical terms for sexual sin often refer to spiritual unfaithfulness rather than physical acts.
Biblical Usage of Adultery, Fornication, and Whoredom: He demonstrates from multiple Old Testament passages that these words predominantly describe idolatry and spiritual apostasy.
Theological and Ideological Fornication Defined: Weaver explains that theological fornication involves corrupting doctrine, while ideological fornication is putting corrupted theology into practice.
Adulterating God's Word: Stealing, Adding, Substituting: Using Jeremiah 23, he shows how preachers steal God's Word by not declaring it, add to it by claiming false revelations, or substitute their own words.
Consequences of Theological Fornication: From Isaiah 1, Weaver outlines that theological adultery results in corruption, rebellion, injustice, and ultimately divine judgment.
The Law of Retribution and National Judgment: Using Amos 7 and Jeremiah 5, he illustrates that God's judgment fits the crime: spiritual harlotry leads to physical harlotry and national destruction.
Theology Precedes Culture: Weaver argues that cultural change always follows theological change, giving examples from India, Somalia, and America's moral decline.
Spiritual Adultery Leads to Physical Immorality: From Hosea 4 and Revelation 2, he shows that spiritual unfaithfulness inevitably results in physical immorality and judgment.
Application and Self-Examination: Weaver challenges listeners to examine whether they are theological fornicators, forgetting God while building their own kingdoms.
The Spirit of Whoredoms and Call to Fidelity: He warns of a spirit that drives spiritual and physical unfaithfulness and calls for a return to the all-sufficient God and His Word.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Biblical terms for sexual sin are primarily spiritual

Most Old Testament uses of adultery, fornication, whoredom, and harlotry refer to idolatry, not physical acts.

Weaver states that of all Old Testament uses of 'adultery,' only about six refer to physical adultery; the rest are spiritual.

Theological fornication is stealing, adding to, or substituting God's Word

Preachers commit spiritual adultery by not declaring God's Word fully, adding false revelations, or replacing it with human ideas.

Jeremiah 23:30-32 condemns prophets who steal God's words, say 'He saith' when God has not spoken, and prophesy false dreams.

Theological corruption leads to societal corruption

When theology is adulterated, the culture becomes corrupt, rebellious, and unjust.

Isaiah 1:21-23 describes how the faithful city became a harlot, resulting in murder, rebellion, and injustice.

God's judgment fits the crime of spiritual adultery

The law of retribution means spiritual harlotry brings physical harlotry and national destruction.

Amos 7:17 pronounces that the harlot priest's wife will become a harlot and his children will die by the sword.

You cannot change culture without changing theology

Cultural problems are symptoms of theological problems; missions and reform must address underlying beliefs.

Weaver argues that India's poverty and Somalia's violence stem from their theology, not just politics or economics.

Spiritual adultery always leads to physical adultery

Violating the first table of the law (no other gods) leads to violating the second table (no adultery).

Hosea 4:13-14 shows that spiritual whoredom results in daughters and spouses committing physical whoredom and adultery.

Scripture References

2 Chronicles 21:10-13: King Jehoram caused Judah to commit fornication by making high places, leading to a letter from Elijah condemning his whoredoms like Ahab.
Jeremiah 3:8-9: Israel committed adultery and played the harlot by idolatry with stones and stocks.
Jeremiah 5:7-9: Israel committed adultery by forsaking God and swearing by false gods; God asks if He should not avenge such a nation.
Jeremiah 23:14: Prophets commit adultery by walking in lies and strengthening evildoers, becoming like Sodom.
Jeremiah 29:23: Israel committed villainy and adultery with neighbors' wives and spoke lying words in God's name.
Ezekiel 23:37: They committed adultery with idols and caused their sons to pass through fire to Molech.
Isaiah 1:21-31: The faithful city became a harlot; silver became dross, wine mixed with water; judgment will purify and restore.
Jeremiah 23:25-32: God condemns prophets who steal His words, add to them, or substitute false dreams, profiting no one.
Hebrews 1:1-3: God spoke in the past through prophets but in these last days has spoken by His Son, the full and final revelation.
2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.
John 1:1-3, 14: Jesus Christ is the living Word made flesh; the Bible is the written Word; they stand or fall together.
John 12:48: Rejecting Christ and His words brings judgment by the word He has spoken.
Zephaniah 3:4: Prophets are light and treacherous; priests have polluted the sanctuary and done violence to the law.
Amos 7:12-17: Amaziah the harlot priest is told his wife will be a harlot and his children will die by the sword as retribution.
Jeremiah 5:7-11, 22-29: A nation that commits adultery with idols will have its defenses removed and face God's vengeance.
Hosea 4:12-14: A spirit of whoredoms causes Israel to err; therefore their daughters commit whoredom and spouses adultery.
Revelation 2:18-23: The church at Thyatira tolerated Jezebel who seduced servants to commit fornication and eat idol sacrifices.
Hosea 8:14: Israel forgot his Maker and built temples, focusing on their own works rather than God.
Exodus 20:14: The seventh commandment, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' is exceedingly broad, covering spiritual adultery.
Psalm 119:96: David said God's commandment is exceeding broad, implying it covers more than physical adultery.

Historical References

King Jehoram of Judah: Jehoram made high places and caused Judah to commit fornication, leading to Elijah's prophetic condemnation.
Jeroboam I and the golden calves: Amaziah was a priest of the golden calves set up by Jeroboam I, representing institutionalized idolatry in Israel.
Sodom and Gomorrah: God compared the prophets of Jerusalem to Sodom and Gomorrah because of their spiritual adultery.
Molech worship: Ezekiel 23:37 references causing children to pass through fire to Molech as part of idolatrous adultery.
1950s America: Weaver recalls that in the 1950s, people left doors unlocked and crime was low because even the unconverted followed the Ten Commandments.
India's reincarnation beliefs: Weaver describes how rats and cows are worshiped in India due to reincarnation theology, hindering effective aid.
Somalia and 'Black Hawk Down': A Somali warlord in the movie states that killing is their culture, illustrating that culture stems from theology.

Important Quotes

The root cause of all sin, especially idolatry, there is a theological, an ideological fornication.

This is the central thesis of the sermon, linking all sin to corrupted theology and ideology.

You cannot have a change in culture without having a previous change in theology. A change in theology always precedes a change in culture.

This principle undergirds Weaver's argument that societal decay is a symptom of theological decay.

Spiritual adultery always leads to physical adultery. Spiritual fornication always leads to physical fornication.

Weaver asserts a direct causal link between unfaithfulness to God and sexual immorality.

You cannot violate the second table of the law until you violate the first table of the law.

This explains why theological fornication (first table) inevitably leads to physical adultery (second table).

Culture is nothing more than religion externalized.

A concise definition of culture as the outward expression of inward religious beliefs.

Adulterated truth is not truth. Half-truth presented as a whole truth is a lie.

Weaver emphasizes that diluting or mixing God's Word with error makes it false.

What begins as theological fornication always ends up in immorality. Always.

A strong warning that doctrinal compromise inevitably produces moral decay.

It is absolute blasphemy to say that the sovereign God of heaven and earth, who is the all-sufficient One, is insufficient for us.

Weaver concludes that spiritual adultery is a declaration that God is not enough, which is blasphemous.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways might we be guilty of 'theological fornication' by stealing, adding to, or substituting God's Word in our own lives or churches?

[Context]

Weaver defines theological fornication as mishandling God's Word, as seen in Jeremiah 23.

[Question]

How does the principle that 'a change in theology always precedes a change in culture' explain the moral decline we see today?

[Context]

Weaver argues that cultural decay is rooted in prior theological decay.

[Question]

Why does spiritual adultery inevitably lead to physical adultery, according to Hosea 4 and Revelation 2?

[Context]

Weaver shows the connection between idolatry and immorality.

[Question]

What does it mean that 'culture is nothing more than religion externalized'? Can you give modern examples?

[Context]

Weaver uses India and Somalia as illustrations of theology shaping culture.

[Question]

How should the law of retribution (Lex Talionis) seen in Amos 7 shape our understanding of God's judgment on nations?

[Context]

Weaver explains that God makes the punishment fit the crime of spiritual harlotry.

[Question]

In what ways might we be 'building temples' while forgetting God, as in Hosea 8:14?

[Context]

Weaver applies this verse to modern churches focused on their own ministries rather than God.

[Question]

How can we guard against the 'spirit of whoredoms' that drives us away from God?

[Context]

Weaver warns of a spiritual force that compels unfaithfulness, referencing Hosea 4:12.

[Question]

What does it practically mean to treat God as all-sufficient in a culture that constantly offers substitutes?

[Context]

Weaver concludes that spiritual adultery declares God insufficient.

Applications

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