Even for Christians, trial-marriages have become widely acceptable,
and few are preaching against it. Therefore, I thought it might be helpful for
me to share my thoughts on the subject:
·
Having sex is almost the same as being married
but without any commitment. It’s a matter of becoming one-flesh: 1
Corinthians 6:16: “Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute
becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one
flesh.” This means that any sexual act should ideally be formalized in
marriage. It’s that serious to God. Besides, those who postpone marriage, while
shacking-up, have a bad statistical track record.
·
Most importantly, shacking-up is not faithful to
God’s design. If they had been willing to take this step, why not also get
married? Perhaps they are kidding themselves. Trial marriages were forbidden in
Israel. If a couple were found having sex, they were to marry. Marriage is the
only sexual institution the Bible sanctioned:
·
It is marriage that keeps the bed undefiled,
not a trial marriage: Hebrews 13:4 “Let
marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for
God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
·
There was never a hint in the Scriptures that a
trial marriage could be used to satisfy sexual temptation: 1 Corinthians 7:2
“But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his
own wife and each woman her own husband.” This logic precluded a trial
marriage.
·
Parents cannot take such a “union” seriously. It
might negatively impact the relationships of everyone.
·
Good marriages often have a bad start. If you
are shacking-up, there is less motivation to try to persevere and work things
out. I think that this injures both parties, especially since at least one of
the two had hopes for marriage.
·
A child might result and perhaps also an
abortion. The impact of such a “family” is devastating for the children.
·
Even if they do eventually marry, it is a bad
example for others.
·
If we allow shacking-up, then it is hard to
stand against other sexual sins – divorce, adultery, LGBTQ. One compromise
leads to another. Therefore, trial marriages open the floodgate to all forms of
sexual perversion.
1 comment:
I agree
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