Day 336

Sex and Marriage

Read: 1 Corinthians 5-7

The Greeks believed the soul was so important it did not matter what you did with your body. As a result sexual immorality was rampant. A member of the Gentile church there was sleeping with his stepmother and the church treated the matter with indifference. Paul insists this man should be excommunicated to show that the church cannot accept such behavior.

Such a problem must not be handled in the civil court but in the church. No matter how common sexual immorality may be, God’s Word says, “Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (6:9-10 ESV). What a message for us!

Because sexual temptation is so powerful, it is best that each man have a wife, and that husband and wife seek to satisfy each other’s sexual appetites (7:3-5). However, Paul believed that the end of the world was coming soon and, therefore, a single person could best remain single, like himself. Besides, persecution was coming, which could be handled more easily if one was single. If a person chose to get married, it was “only in the Lord.” The other person must also be a Christian. This is a point which we should stress to our children at an early age; it is essential that they choose a true Christian as a spouse.

PRAYER
Father, give wisdom and courage to do your will in the important area of sex and marriage. In Jesus’ name. Amen.