#DailyDevotion Keep The Marriage Bed Pure
Heb. 13 4Everyone should think highly of marriage and keep married life pure, because God will judge those who sin sexually whether single or married.
God has set the standard of sexual purity, chastity, and marriage. Social norms have little to do with what God has set as His standard and expectations of us in this realm. Modesty may change from culture to culture.
As to marriage it is written, 23“‘Now this is bone from my bones,’ the man said, ‘and flesh from my flesh. She will be called woman because she was taken from man.’ 24This is why a man leaves his father and his mother and lives with his wife, and they become one flesh. 25The man and his wife were both naked but weren’t ashamed before each other.” This is the standard for keeping marriage holy and the marriage bed pure. One man and one woman for life is what God has arranged. Jesus affirms this in Matt. 19 and Mark 10. He also teaches about divorce in these passages as well as in Matt. 5. God hates divorce. (Mal. 2:16) It makes the originator of it commit adultery and the one divorced to commit adultery. There are no exceptions to this. It is a hard saying because of the hardness of our hearts according to Jesus in these passages. Marriage is also between a man and a woman. The Bible recognizes no other arrangements.
God does speak to what our marriages should be like in Eph. 5. Husbands should love their wives as Christ loves the Church and wives should submit to their husbands and respect them as the Church submits to and respects Christ. There is no, “well I’ll do my part if they do their part.” If you have gotten married, you do your part. If the spouse does not do their part, they are answerable to the LORD who judges all things. Whether husband or wife, you do your duty as the Spirit through Paul commands us.
The LORD in no uncertain terms forbids sexual immorality no matter how it makes us feel, how natural it may seem to us, or what society and its laws permit. The author is clear here God will judge those who sin sexually whether single or married. The 6th commandment against adultery opposes all congress outside of what God calls marriage.
In 1 Cor. 5, Paul writes, “9In my letter I wrote you not to associate with those who live in sexual sin. 10I didn’t mean that you should altogether keep away from people who live in sexual sin in this world, 11. . . Don’t associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian but lives in sexual sin. . .” In ch. 6 he continues, “9Or don’t you know wicked people will have no share in God’s kingdom? Don’t be mistaken about this: No one who lives in sexual sin. . ., no adulterers or men who sin sexually with other men, . . . will have a share in God’s kingdom. . . 18Flee from sexual sin. Every other sin a man may do is outside his body. But if he sins sexually, he sins against his own body. 190r don’t you know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Whom God gives you and Who is in you? You don’t belong to yourselves, 20because you were bought for a price. Then glorify God with your bodies.” Keeping ourselves sexually pure also means we should not look at pornography in the internet, in books, in movies or any other means. The Greek word for sexually impure is porneia. Porn comes directly from this Greek word. Among us Christians it should be unheard of for us to engage in it. As Paul says, “Flee from it.” Repent. Turn from its fleeting pleasures and turn to Christ Jesus will and does forgive and makes us holy again.
Heavenly Father, grant to all husbands and wives to live as You desire and give chastity to all Your single children. Make us repentant from sexual immorality. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.