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“Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice with the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:15, 18). God has ordained the marriage between a man and a woman to be the only covenant under which sexual union has its place. Those who are not married – singles – are called to be chaste or to refrain from sexual union with their partners before marriage. The married are called to be faithful in their married life and to refrain from any form of sexual union outside their marriage. “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Hebrews 13:4).
However, both chastity and fidelity are widely considered to be unfashionable and even unnatural today. They are considered as too conservative and not in step with the practices of our modern times. The famous author, Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) wrote more than 50 years ago: “Chastity is the most unnatural of all the sexual perversions.” His words ring throughout contemporary society. Dating/hookup apps for mobile devices have proliferated in recent years, making the “hookup culture” the norm. Adultery websites such as Ashley Madison continue to attract tens of millions of users worldwide. Promiscuity and illicit affairs are de rigueur (required fare) in awarded TV shows such as ‘Mad Men’, ‘Game of Thrones’ or almost any popular show deemed to be “of quality” today.
Why should Christians hold fast to God’s way or follow the Bible teachings and commandments instead? It seems so antiquated and not in pace with our modern times of so called liberated living!
If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He was the atoning sacrifice for our sins, Jesus promised that we would receive the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). Therefore, as Christians, our bodies are not our own but God’s Holy Spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). Our bodies are sacred to God and only those who have clean hands and a pure heart may stand before God (Psalm 24:3-4). We must therefore flee from sexual immorality that will cause us to sin against God. We are to be like Joseph who, when his boss’s wife asked him to sleep with her, ran away rather than succumb to temptation (Genesis 39:12).
Our obedience to the teachings of the Bible, God’s Word to us, will also be an important witness to the watching world, so that there may be truth and mercy and the knowledge of God in the land (Hosea 4:1). Faithfulness in marriage reflects God’s faithfulness and love towards us. Chastity reflects our inward obedience to God’s Word and the purity of heart that God desires from all who call upon His Name. We need to play our part for God’s Name to be glorified through our bodies and through our actions in our relationship with others that many will come to know the Lord Jesus and be saved.
