July/98
Christians have adopted the worldly attitude: "If it feels right, how can it be wrong?" Love is more than an emotion, love is an attitude and a commitment that goes beyond how one feels. In these days guys tell girls, "If you love me, you would have sexual intercourse with me." Girls should respond. "If you love me, you would marry me and then we can have sexual intercourse." God created sexual intercourse when there is a commitment that goes beyond feelings. When God created man He placed him in a garden. On that same day , He said:
"It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18
God did not say man was lonely, rather man was alone- being only one. When God created the animals he created both male and female so that they could be fruitful and increase in number. When God first created man he made only one male:
"So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found." Genesis 2:20
God had not created a helper for man that would enable them to fulfill God’s command to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. God created a woman from one of man’s ribs and presented her to him, saying:
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Genesis2:24
God’s order is to leave their parents, be united to each other in a life-long commitment and then become one flesh. Agreeing to live together is not marriage. Jesus stopped at a well and after talking to a woman, said:
"You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband." John 4:17-18
The woman at the well was living with a man and Jesus said he was not her husband. Living together is a commitment for as long as the relationship is mutually beneficial; marriage is for life. Furthermore, to have sexual intercourse does not make one married.
"Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 1 Corinthians 6:16
People do not realize that every time a person has sexual intercourse outside of marriage, they are one flesh with everyone had sex with. Pre-marital, post-marital and extra-marital sexual intercourse does not make one married, it is the sin of sexually immorality:
"For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person... has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Ephesians 5:5
A Christian will not commit sexual immorality, for to do so, is to prove that you do not have eternal life(1Jn.3:15):
"But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral..." 1 Corinthians 5:11
Disciples need to know that sexual immorality is incongruent with the Christian life. You may call yourself a Christian, but if you are sexually immoral the end result is hell. Christ came to save you and free you from your sin.