knowingjesus
Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2009
- Messages
- 15
"Guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband." (Hebrews 13:4)
God made sex to be something beautiful; a source of joy and happiness. He also designed it to be within the commitment of a marriage. This is where it is at its best. And where it becomes a sign of unity and an expression of mutual commitment and love. Sex outside of marriage avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever - the kind of sex that can never "become one."
God also wants to protect you--psychologically and physically (from disease). Because he passionately loves you. He laid down the rules so that you could have the best of life, complete happiness and fulfillment. God's plans for you are for your welfare and peace, plans to take care of you and give you a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) After all, he loves you so much he gave his very life just to be with you. He died so that you could live--so that you could have an "abundant", fulfilled, "complete", "real", "full", love-filled, "eternal" life---a life far better than you could ever have on your own (verse).
To quote Billy Graham on the matter...
"We have to have rules to live by. And what you're saying is we're going to play a baseball game without any rules, we're going to play a football game without any rules, we're going to live a life without any moral rules. Well God has laid down certain rules and said 'If you want the best of life, if you want complete happiness and fulfillment, live by these rules.' And one of those rules is that 'thou shalt not commit immorality.'
"Most pychologists today and most psychiatrists I think would agree with the Bible, that there are very serious problems involved. God did not say 'thou shalt not commit immorality before marriage in order to keep you from having a good time or having fun.' He said that to protect you. To protect you psychologically, to protect your body, because today venereal disease is at an all time high dispite all of our problems and illigeitmacy is at an all time high inspite of all our medical science...And all of these things God has said 'I want to make you happy, I want to help you, and I've given you some rules to live by and this is the rules.'
"...The Bible clearly teaches that all sexual relations outside
marriage are wrong in God's eyes. The Bible bluntly says, "Flee from sexual immorality" (1 Corinthians 6:18). This includes any kind of sexual activity apart from marriage.
"Remember that God gave us the gift of sex in the first place—and He intended for it to be a source of joy and happiness for us. But He also intended for it to be restricted to marriage. Why? One reason is because it was to be a sign of the unity between a husband and wife. It was, in other words, meant to be an expression of their mutual commitment and love. But sex outside marriage easily becomes selfish, and even boring.
"God knows what is best for us, including this important area of our lives. Why ignore His way, when it is best for us in the long run? The Bible warns, 'There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death' (Proverbs 14:12) The Bible also promises, 'Blessed are they whose ways are blameless' (Psalm 119:1).
"...With God's help we can follow a far better path."
Hebrews 13:4:
"Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex."
1 Corinthians 6:13-20:
"It may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that's no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body! God honored the Master's body by raising it from the grave. He'll treat yours with the same resurrection power. Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master's body. You wouldn't take the Master's body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not.
"There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, 'The two become one.' Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever - the kind of sex that can never 'become one.'
"There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body."
Jeremiah 29:11 (combining the MSG and Amplified):
"For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace"/"to take care of you, not abandon you"/"not for evil"/"plans to give you the future you hope for."
God made sex to be something beautiful; a source of joy and happiness. He also designed it to be within the commitment of a marriage. This is where it is at its best. And where it becomes a sign of unity and an expression of mutual commitment and love. Sex outside of marriage avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever - the kind of sex that can never "become one."
God also wants to protect you--psychologically and physically (from disease). Because he passionately loves you. He laid down the rules so that you could have the best of life, complete happiness and fulfillment. God's plans for you are for your welfare and peace, plans to take care of you and give you a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) After all, he loves you so much he gave his very life just to be with you. He died so that you could live--so that you could have an "abundant", fulfilled, "complete", "real", "full", love-filled, "eternal" life---a life far better than you could ever have on your own (verse).
To quote Billy Graham on the matter...
"We have to have rules to live by. And what you're saying is we're going to play a baseball game without any rules, we're going to play a football game without any rules, we're going to live a life without any moral rules. Well God has laid down certain rules and said 'If you want the best of life, if you want complete happiness and fulfillment, live by these rules.' And one of those rules is that 'thou shalt not commit immorality.'
"Most pychologists today and most psychiatrists I think would agree with the Bible, that there are very serious problems involved. God did not say 'thou shalt not commit immorality before marriage in order to keep you from having a good time or having fun.' He said that to protect you. To protect you psychologically, to protect your body, because today venereal disease is at an all time high dispite all of our problems and illigeitmacy is at an all time high inspite of all our medical science...And all of these things God has said 'I want to make you happy, I want to help you, and I've given you some rules to live by and this is the rules.'
"...The Bible clearly teaches that all sexual relations outside
marriage are wrong in God's eyes. The Bible bluntly says, "Flee from sexual immorality" (1 Corinthians 6:18). This includes any kind of sexual activity apart from marriage.
"Remember that God gave us the gift of sex in the first place—and He intended for it to be a source of joy and happiness for us. But He also intended for it to be restricted to marriage. Why? One reason is because it was to be a sign of the unity between a husband and wife. It was, in other words, meant to be an expression of their mutual commitment and love. But sex outside marriage easily becomes selfish, and even boring.
"God knows what is best for us, including this important area of our lives. Why ignore His way, when it is best for us in the long run? The Bible warns, 'There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death' (Proverbs 14:12) The Bible also promises, 'Blessed are they whose ways are blameless' (Psalm 119:1).
"...With God's help we can follow a far better path."
Hebrews 13:4:
"Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex."
1 Corinthians 6:13-20:
"It may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that's no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body! God honored the Master's body by raising it from the grave. He'll treat yours with the same resurrection power. Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master's body. You wouldn't take the Master's body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not.
"There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, 'The two become one.' Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever - the kind of sex that can never 'become one.'
"There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body."
Jeremiah 29:11 (combining the MSG and Amplified):
"For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace"/"to take care of you, not abandon you"/"not for evil"/"plans to give you the future you hope for."
