September 5
“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge,” Hebrews 13:4.
What is marriage? Today, we must ask this question seriously because there are so many people who do not know what marriage is. They speak of marriage as if it were some human arrangement which people dreamed up for their own convenience and pleasure. Many think that the marriage vow is something that you can make and keep or break by an individual decision or a mutual agreement. For many, the word “divorce” has a connotation which is too negative, so they speak only of having a separation.
The question, “What is marriage?” must be addressed today because of the many judges sitting on the bench who are trying to legislate the law instead of upholding the law, and they do not know the definition of marriage which has been in existence since the beginning of the human race.
People speak of “same-sex marriages.” A same-sex marriage is not a marriage but it is a sexual perversion of men with men and women with women. It is forbidden in both the Old and the New Testament. Moses wrote, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination,” Leviticus 18:22. The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting,” Romans 1:24-28.
To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God,” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
Note that Paul writes that some of those to whom he was writing once lived as sexual perverts, but they repented of their sins and changed their lifestyle. This is the word we must proclaim today: Repent and change your lifestyle, and believe and trust that the blood of Jesus Christ washed away all those sins of perversion, too!
We return to the question: What is marriage? Marriage was instituted by God in the Garden of Eden. Marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman to live as a husband and wife. Paul wrote, “Because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband,” 1 Corinthians 7:2-3. The marriage bed is undefiled. God has placed sexual relations within the boundary of marriage. Outside of marriage, people are sinning when having sexual relations. “Fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Let us add: Children should be reared by parents, by a father and a mother.
As Christians, let us raise our voices in an unmistakable testimony for all to hear. God’s Word sets the moral standards according to which we should live. Let us drown out the sinful voice of our perverted society, which is destroying the basic unit of humanity – the family!
O blessed home where man and wife, Together lead a godly life,
By deeds their faith confessing! There many a happy day is spent,
There Jesus gladly will consent, To tarry with His blessing. Amen.