April 2
Counsel Concerning Marriage
I Corinthians 7:1-5, 8-16

Key Verse: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you received from God? You are not your own. I Corinthians 6:19

Recently a television newswoman reported on the increased number of couples who are living together without being married. She observed, "Because of the sexual revolution in America, marriage is no longer necessary for sex."

Paul teaches us that for the married couple, sex is a mutual responsibility. A husband belongs to his wife; a wife belongs to her husband. One must not withhold oneself from the other. Abstention from sex may be mutually agreed upon, but only temporarily and that for devotion to prayer.

The Bible does not leave us wondering about sex, marriage, and divorce. Fornication is sin. Adultery is sin. Divorce is sin. Does this mean that divorce is never justifiable? No, but it does mean that couples should do everything possible to solve their marital problems and not resort to divorce because one or the other is "unhappy."

There is no doubt that many couples could work their way through unhappy days if they were more concerned about being obedient to God than about their own personal happiness. Sadly, the divorce rate among Christians is not much better than that among nonbelievers. This fact points to the need for the church to do a better job of teaching our children the sanctity of Christian marriage before they begin choosing marriage partners.

Biblical teaching about sex and marriage are scorned by today's society. But we who are God's people must remember that we get our rules for living not from Hollywood but from the Word of God.