Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, addresses the loss of the words “fornicate” and “fornication” found in the Bible. These words have now been replaced with terms such as “abstinence” and “premarital sex.” Dr. Moore clarifies why these are not interchangeable. He believes,
This is important because the Scripture makes clear that “fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Rev. 21:8). The language of “premarital sex” can enable a conscience to evade repentance. After all, if the problem is one merely of “timing” or of “waiting” then the problem is resolved once one is married. The event was in the past.