Is it sinful to have sex with your wife when she is on her period?

[tonychanyt]

It was, Leviticus 20:

18 If a man lies with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be cut off from their people.

Does this law apply to Christians today?

I don't think so since this law addressed the Israelites thousands of years ago. Some OT laws are relevant to us today; some are not.

Should married couples have sex when the woman is menstruating?

That's up to the husband and wife to decide together, 1 Corinthians 7:

5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

 

[Reluctant Theologian]

It was, Leviticus 20:

Does this law apply to Christians today?

I don't think so since this law addressed the Israelites thousands of years ago.

Should married couples have sex when the woman is menstruating?

That's up to the husband and wife to decide together, 1 Corinthians 7:

It all depends on how one interprets Acts 15:28-29 (instructions from the Apostles in Jerusalem for Gentile believers):

.. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.​

​

The assembly from Acts 15 in Jerusalem consisted of Jews only; their only framework of reference for 'sexual immorality' (in Greek: 'p-o-r-n-e-i-a-s') were the Torah instructions (Leviticus 18 among others); including the prohibition of adultery or homosexual practice among men, both of which are repeated explicitly in Paul's letters.

Given the above context and logic personally I would expect that all of the Torah laws concerning sexuality and family matters would be applied to Gentile believers as well - because all of that simply defined 'sexual immorality' for 1st century Jews (whether they believed in the Jesus as the Messiah or not).

If one would reject that, one is left with the odd situation of having to pick-and-choose what a nowadays Christian himself would consider to be 'sexual immorality' - a rather subjective and random judgement; I would find that hard to accept when the Torah (upheld by Jesus himself) quite precisely defined sexual immorality.

But of course that's just my humble opinion ..

 

[tonychanyt]

If one would reject that, one is left with the odd situation of having to pick-and-choose what a nowadays Christian himself would consider to be 'sexual immorality'

Thanks for sharing

See What did πορνεία mean?.

 

[RDKirk]

It was, Leviticus 20:

Does this law apply to Christians today?

I don't think so since this law addressed the Israelites thousands of years ago.

Should married couples have sex when the woman is menstruating?

That's up to the husband and wife to decide together, 1 Corinthians 7:

I suspect that women secretly liked that law.

 

[Blade]

It was, Leviticus 20:

Does this law apply to Christians today?

I don't think so since this law addressed the Israelites thousands of years ago.

Should married couples have sex when the woman is menstruating?

That's up to the husband and wife to decide together, 1 Corinthians 7:

HJ really? Praise God

 

[tonychanyt]

HJ really? Praise God

What's HJ?

 

[eleos1954]

It was, Leviticus 20:

Does this law apply to Christians today?

I don't think so since this law addressed the Israelites thousands of years ago.

Should married couples have sex when the woman is menstruating?

That's up to the husband and wife to decide together, 1 Corinthians 7:

A woman during her menstrual cycle is considered unclean ... according to the bible and if a man lies with her during this time he is considered unclean as well.

Leviticus 15:19 ESV​

“When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening (of the 7th day).

Ezekiel 22:10 ESV​

In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity.

Addressed to the Israelites (applicable to them only)? With that claim/idea, one could consider anything and everything to be dismissed as (not applicable to modern day christians) since Jacob and going forward ... certainly not so.

Impurity ... is associated unclean

Strong's Hebrew: 5079. נִדָּה (niddah) -- impurity

About the menstrual cycle .... kind of interesting (7 days)

Your period can last between 2 and 7 days, but it will usually last for about 5 days. The bleeding tends to be heaviest in the first 2 days. When your period is at its heaviest, the blood will be red. On lighter days, it may be pink or brown.

 

[tonychanyt]

A woman during her menstrual cycle is considered unclean ... according to the bible and if a man lies with her during this time he is considered unclean as well.

Leviticus 15:19 ESV​

“When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening (of the 7th day).

Ezekiel 22:10 ESV​

In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity.

Addressed to the Israelites (applicable to them only)? With that claim/idea, one could consider anything and everything to be dismissed as (not applicable to modern day christians) since Jacob and going forward ... certainly not so.

Impurity ... is associated unclean

Strong's Hebrew: 5079. נִדָּה (niddah) -- impurity

About the menstrual cycle .... kind of interesting (7 days)

Your period can last between 2 and 7 days, but it will usually last for about 5 days. The bleeding tends to be heaviest in the first 2 days. When your period is at its heaviest, the blood will be red. On lighter days, it may be pink or brown.

 

[tonychanyt]

Addressed to the Israelites (applicable to them only)? With that claim/idea, one could consider anything and everything to be dismissed as (not applicable to modern day christians)

You overgeneralize.

 

[RDKirk]

A woman during her menstrual cycle is considered unclean ... according to the bible and if a man lies with her during this time he is considered unclean as well.

Leviticus 15:19 ESV​

“When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening (of the 7th day).

Ezekiel 22:10 ESV​

In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity.

Addressed to the Israelites (applicable to them only)? With that claim/idea, one could consider anything and everything to be dismissed as (not applicable to modern day christians) since Jacob and going forward ... certainly not so.

Impurity ... is associated unclean

Strong's Hebrew: 5079. נִדָּה (niddah) -- impurity

About the menstrual cycle .... kind of interesting (7 days)

Your period can last between 2 and 7 days, but it will usually last for about 5 days. The bleeding tends to be heaviest in the first 2 days. When your period is at its heaviest, the blood will be red. On lighter days, it may be pink or brown.

So, basically she got a mini-vacation from all household duties every month (albeit at a time that she was physically uncomfortable).

And because women who live in close proximity tend to get synchronized in their cycles, all the women in the household got that mini-vacation at the same time very month.

I'm pretty sure they low-key liked that law.

 

[eleos1954]

You overgeneralize.

Don't think so.

 

[tonychanyt]

Don't think so.

I wrote about one single law. You over-generalized it to all OT laws.

 

[eleos1954]

I wrote about one single law. You over-generalized it to all OT laws.

I did provide scriptures regarding menstruation ... those scriptures point to (parallels- associates) with being unclean ... He does this often in His Word and shouldn't be ignored.

You seemed to be inferring there are some laws/conditions that are for the Israelites only ... and this being one of them.

Back to the specific point .... menstruation ... something nearly every woman experiences until menopause and has been going on since creation ... it's unchangeable.

Jus staying .... God considers it unclean. Be convinced in your own mind.

 

[tonychanyt]

You seemed to be inferring there are some laws/conditions that are for the Israelites only ... and this being one of them.

Right. For another, click this and follow up there.

 

[eleos1954]

Right. For another, click this and follow up there.

The primary purpose for all laws was and is to point forward to Jesus Christ ... the entire bible is all about Him and pointing to Him.

In in we have accounts of how he interacted with mankind ... He did raise up a people to work through ... it helps us understand His underlying principles ... through their experiences and also to have the more sure word of prophecy.

Transgression of law is sin. All of mankind has sinned .... sin began with Lucifer in heaven before creation of mankind. Every single intelligent created being is judged by law. The law is made known to all His intelligent created beings .... He can not rightly judge unless this is so ... Judgement requires law. He judges all His intelligent creatures to one basic standard.

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ' This is the greatest and first commandment.

Impossible for mankind to do ... yet we are to strive for it.

 

[tonychanyt]

The primary purpose for all laws was and is to point forward to Jesus Christ ... the entire bible is all about Him and pointing to Him.

Amen. See What does it mean for Jesus to fulfill the law and the prophets?.

 

[Paidiske]

And because women who live in close proximity tend to get synchronized in their cycles, all the women in the household got that mini-vacation at the same time very month.

This only happens in communities where men are absent, fwiw. As to whether women liked it or not, I suspect it depends on how it played out in each household.

On topic, I agree with the OP that this is a matter for the couple to settle between them. The NT does not bind us to the Israelite purity code.

 

[RDKirk]

This only happens in communities where men are absent, fwiw.

Happened in my household, and I was right there.

 

[Paidiske]

That's very unusual. Usually men disrupt it.

 

[eleos1954]

Amen. See What does it mean for Jesus to fulfill the law and the prophets?.

Jesus did not sin. Sin is transgression of the law. Prophesy ... Jesus fulfilled/fulfills prophecies ... that's what a prophet is ... predictions of things that will happen in the future.