Is Kissing Sex?

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

If you were looking for a simple yes or no answer, you’ve come to the wrong place. After much thought and discussion with Christian friends, I two halves to my answer to this seemingly straight forward question.

Firstly, the issue comes down to the definition of sex, and the role that kissing has in that. Google defines sex as performing the act of sexual intercourse. I agree. That is what sex is. But the biblical understanding of sex is so much more. It’s the same action but it has a much deeper purpose than to satisfy a physical desire. Sex, as designed by God in Genesis 2, is the act of sexual intercourse to be between a husband and wife for the purpose of expressing love to each other and the becoming of one flesh. Paul expresses this same idea in Ephesians 5 and 1 Corinthians 6.
So where does kissing fall into all of this?
As I see it, and from discussions with people at college and church, I don’t think kissing is sex. That being said, kissing is a very personal and intimate part of a relationship, and thus should be not treated lightly. It brings a couple closer together. It is a sign of exclusivity between people. This being said, I know of Christian couples who never kissed until they were married, and I also know Christian couples who were kissing while they were dating. Yet, in all cases, the relationship wasn’t about whether they were kissing or not. It was about remaining pure and fleeing sexual immorality.

And that brings me to the second half of my answer:
Flee sexual immorality.
The words that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 6 are those of great concern. We are called not just slowly wander away, not just walk off in disdain, but to flee from sexual immorality. FLEE!
To flee means to run away from a place or situation of danger. Paul recognises the danger, the true and very real danger of living a life that is actively sinful. If we are not actively fleeing from the danger that is sexual immorality, then we are in peril of falling into its sinful grasp.
This is as much as message for me as it is for you, as it is for all fellow believers. If kissing is going to lead to sin in anyway, whether that be lustful thoughts, or going further sexually, or whether it is going to lead others to sin because you are an example to them of Christian behaviour, then flee from that.
But where are we going to flee to? There is no point in running away with no idea of a destination or we might end up back where we started. So where should we flee to?
We are to flee into the love of the Father. The death and resurrection of Christ washes away all our sin when we come to Him in repentance. That is the price which Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 6:20. And since we were bought at such a price, let us flee from sexual immorality, so that we may glorify God in our bodies.

Amen.