Saturday, January 14, 2023
Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.
A great deal of time, expense, and social media attention can be dedicated to becoming engaged and having a wedding. Couples often invest an excessive amount of effort and emotion to "pull off" these events so they look dazzling on Facebook® and Instagram.® This is their way of honoring their marriage. Meanwhile, they can often overlook the greater need to prepare themselves for, and commit themselves to, an intimate, holy, and faithful relationship with their life-long marriage partner.
In a sexually permissive world, God's commands about honoring marriage in Hebrews 13:4 sound shocking. [1] The Holy Spirit's [2] strengthening of the message emphasizing God's judgment on sexual immorality [3] and adultery [4] feels even more jarring. However, as followers of Jesus, we are called to re-tune our values to God's values and define sexual sin as God defines it.
Much like the cultural elitists in New Testament times, modern media portrays sexual permissiveness as the norm for those who are enlightened and unencumbered by moral hangups. In their world, sexual fulfillment has become their god and they believe no one has the right to tell them what is right and wrong. In the process, marriage — and especially fidelity in marriage and before marriage — is held in low regard and considered antiquated. At the same time, exploitation of and violence against women and children, along with the abandonment of women and children, has skyrocketed with the acceptance of sexual permissiveness .
The Spirit chose two words to warn us of the sexual sins God judges. [5] God's design is for each marriage partner to be faithful to the other, as they value, love, and treat each other with respect. [6] While all sin can be forgiven, the pain of sexual sin can create lasting damage in people that can be hard to overcome. [7] God's design for sexual fulfillment in marriage was intended to protect us from this damage and pain.
While society's definitions of sexual sin are quite different than God's, followers of Jesus are called to live by God's standard and give honor to marriage. They should humbly treat repentant sexual sinners with grace as they lovingly call them back to God to heal their relationships. At the same time, Jesus' followers must examine their lives and deal with their sins appropriately — whether those sins are sexual or involve other things God characterizes as evil. [8] Repentance and grace characterized the early churches of Jesus as people discovered that their lives could be made new, holy, and whole in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. [9] At the same time, they came to realize that God's design was intended to bless them, protect them, and deepen their relationships.
Holy and righteous Father, forgive us for straying so far from your intended blessings in sexual intimacy. As we grapple with our sin and the sin of others, we ask for strength not to compromise Your definitions for holiness in our intimate relationships and for grace in dealing with the pain of violating them. We need the cleansing of the Holy Spirit to make us new and the power of the Holy Spirit to help us honor you in our sexuality as we seek to bless those with whom we have a relationship. In Jesus' name, we ask for Your help. Amen.
Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.
'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Comments
Archived Facebook Comments