Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Hebrews 13:4 (ESV)

Marriage is under assault everywhere. For instance in the United Kingdom, between 1971 and 2001, the number of people marrying fell by 38%, while simultaneously incidents of divorce nearly doubled. In 2002, 41% of births occurred outside of marriage and over 80% of 18 to 44 year olds surveyed approved of cohabitation, agreeing that “it is alright for a couple to live together without intending to get married.”¹

As terrible as the modern situation is, the problem of sexual immorality in the first-century Roman Empire was just as bad, if not worse. Prostitution was touted as a “guilt-free” enterprise that enjoyed promotion as a religious activity from the various pagan temples of the day. In some instances, a prostitute came as a “gift” as part of a package deal when an elite member of society donated a sizable sum of money to the temple. Sex was literally everywhere.

Although the author of Hebrews did not focus on sexual immorality as a major theme in his epistle, he obviously considered it important enough to include a strong admonition in his practical exhortations at the end of the letter. A rather depressing situation faced these Christians who probably lived in Rome. He knew that his readers were surrounded on all sides by sexual infidelity in their culture and that yielding to temptation was a perennial possibility. And yet, he also realized that his audience, which was Jewish, was well aware of the oft-repeated biblical warning: “God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” How is a faithful person supposed to cope in a world like that?

One strategy requires a remembering in thinking about what marriage was intended for: in part, God provides it as an escape from sexual immorality.² Fantasy and lust will, in time, destroy a person (Matt. 5:30). The Lord realizes that human beings possess a strong sexual drive, and He has given a way to satisfy those desires in a healthy way. But marriage is also very fragile. The minute a third person is allowed to interrupt that sacred bond, a horrible scenario ensues. Marital relations are devalued into just another act of sex. Such a breach of fidelity “defiles” the marriage—the same term that is used for those whose sin made them unfit for temple worship and sacrifice. “Brotherly love” (13:1) thus demands that everyone honor the privacy and intimacy of the sexual bond of marriage. God, who “is a consuming fire” (12:29), will not turn a blind eye to defilement or treat the dishonoring of marriage with a casual and helpless shrug of the shoulders. The sexually immoral and adulterous have forgotten or chosen to ignore who God really is—and those who play with fire will eventually get burned.

In the face of declining moral standards, reflected in worsening statistics, it is easy to lose hope. Marriage is dishonored on all sides: by government legislation, cohabitation, divorce, homosexuality. Yet a greater danger is defeatism by Christians in the face of this onslaught. Thankfully God has provided the proper strategy: preserving sexual relations within marriage is the only way out of the modern day madness.

Footnotes:

from Kairos Journal

The First Baptist Church of Perryville is located on Route 40, 1 1/2 miles east of Route 222.