Why premarital sex is incomplete

 These days, marriage seems like an outdated institution.

If I looked at it purely in the material, I’d think the same.

But marriage isn’t purely material.

Marriage is Spiritual!

Paul is talking about marriage here but applies it to the relationship of Jesus and the Church.

What’s that about?

Today, many of us see marriage as a social institution. There’s some truth to that but it’s not the complete picture.

Marriage, at its core, is spiritual. 

Marriage is a covenant, a promise. A way of two people saying, “Yes, I’m in this for the long haul. For you, for us, and for God.”

When two people are willing to make that commitment their souls are joined together. And marriage itself becomes a binding reminder of that commitment and the love behind it.

Unlike dating, there is, ideally, no back door. You’re in this together. 

Till death do you part.

Sex is the act of two bodies joining together. It’s a physical representation of the intense love motivating the relationship. It mirrors the coming together of the human and the divine in the person of Jesus, paving the way for salvation.

The love that sex intends to convey cannot be replicated outside of marriage. It requires commitment, sacrifice, and a passionate yet intentionally involved love.

These qualities simply aren’t present in two people who aren’t willing to enter into that marriage covenant alongside one another.

Final Thoughts

For followers of Jesus, premarital sex is not permissible.

I say this not as a shining symbol of virtue but as a flawed human.

I’m unmarried, so I abstain from sex. Yet, I’ve gotten closer with past girlfriends then I’d care to admit. I struggle, it’s an ongoing struggle - that’s part of life.

We are imperfect people, our spiritual lives reflect that.

So if you’re a follower of Jesus and if you’ve had sex outside of marriage remember that God is gracious, compassionate, and, above all, loving. He’s quick with forgiveness every time.

The spiritual life is a journey, a process.

One of the Church’s tragic mistakes has been its elevation of sexual sin as the worst of the bunch. But sin is sin. Sexual sin makes you no different than those who lie, envy, and so on.

We are more than our sexuality - married, unmarried, gay, straight - we are Image bearers of God, afflicted with sin but capable of being healed by the work of Jesus.

We’re given the great honor of populating the Earth through sex but also the honor of simply enjoying it!

God shows us the best possible avenue for that, a loving marriage that moves both wife and husband deeper in the love of God.

Sex is a normal part of life, so may we, as His Church, seek it in the best possible way… the way that produces love.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

Theophilus Newsletter