Based on actual experiences
John and Deborah (not their real names) listened attentively as the guest speaker spoke from the Bible. He read from Mark 10: 2-12. He emphasized the fact that Jesus came to restore the original design of marriage that God designed at Creation. Jesus taught that marriage is the joining of heart and hand of one man and one woman in a oneflesh relationship until the death of one or the other. Breaking that bond by either party and marrying another is adultery.
God is interested in the social and emotional stability of the home and family. It is to be a home where moral purity and social interaction can be enjoyed without the confusion of broken promises and corrupted and perverted behavior. The godly home is a one man and one woman relationship of love and fidelity. “Love,” the minister said, “is only true love when it is expressed in the framework of holiness.”
“Be ye holy for I am holy.” This was God’s commandment to Israel when He delivered them from Egypt. This commandment is repeated for us in 1 Peter 1:15, 16. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. ” To be holy means to be separate from sin. It is living and walking in the light of truth. It is choosing to live according to the Word of God rather than the world’s or society’s standard.
The speaker went on to explain that holiness in marriage involves a lifelong commitment. It is a commitment to be true to each other regardless of circumstances. We all know that physical beauty is fading; health may fail. Financial reverses may come; friends may prove false. The list goes on. Married partners who are committed to Jesus Christ and each other weather these storms and become the better because of them. This concept of marriage is a commitment of love that transcends all difficulties. To be holy in marriage is to be true.
Divine holiness jealously guards the atmosphere and the home environment. As John and Deborah considered the reality of this truth, they knew they would need to make some changes. These changes took time and serious consideration.
Number 1: They began to see the unholy presentation of marriage, sex, violence, sports, and crime in the media, especially the television. To continue to watch television could only produce more of the same. Would the television need to go? What would their friends think? Would it be hard for the children? They found freedom and peace in avoiding evil.
Number 2: They began to see that free access to the Internet and the pornography found there was dangerous to their marriage and family life. They would seek to eliminate the evils found there. How could they expect their children to develop sound morals if they had access to such moral filth and perversion?
Number 3: John and Deborah soon saw the negative influence the public school system had on their children. They decided that, as Christians, they would be selective with their children’s education. Holiness requires a proper concept of truth. The Bible and Bible-based textbooks and literature would become their source for the educational development of their children. They began by honoring God as their Creator and teaching their children divine precepts. Science and history, math, social studies took on new meaning when they let God enter the picture.
Number 4: In the fourth place, John and Deborah identified with other believers in a church fellowship that followed and practiced Biblical principles. Holiness in marriage, they believed, could best be experienced by association with other people who practiced godly standards. In this way, they could encourage others as well as be encouraged. Holiness, they learned, is letting Christ be the center of their marriage. To their great enjoyment, married life began to be a foretaste of heaven.
John and Deborah were not faultless, of course. They saw that the Christian life involves more than outward standards of holy living. If a person emphasizes “law” over love, then a person can go to extremes. It is possible for a person to be proper in outward obedience to Christ’s commands but be short in love, forbearance, and forgiveness.
John and Deborah sought help and counsel from other faithful believers. They wanted to be free from any wrong emphases in their pursuit of holiness. They prayed for daily guidance and a humble, teachable spirit. Their standard of holiness for themselves and their children was born out of love for God and their Saviour Jesus Christ. They took seriously 2 Corinthians 6:14—7:1 which teaches how necessary it is to be separated from ungodliness and unholiness. They claimed the promise of God and learned to lean on Him rather than their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
John and Deborah thanked God for leading them to a fellowship where they heard the truth and could see it lived in the lives of faithful Christians. Above that, they were thankful they could know the blessedness of holiness in their own marriage. They want others to come to the heavenly Father and experience it too. The way of the cross of Christ is not always easy but the rewards of peace and happiness are good now and eternally.
-by J. Luke Martin