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Brother Joe Velasquez: Marriage is an institution [that] many people enter into with a sincere intention of being faithful to their spouse. But marital problems, temptations, and personal crises can become the trigger points for infidelity and adultery in the absence of proper guidance and personal resolve, especially if one is just acting on their feelings. But what does the Bible say about marriage? And how should married people—especially Christians—regard marriage and their respective responsibilities so that the union of husband and wife can be nurtured and preserved? That’s what we will be studying today on The Message.
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THE MESSAGE
Brother Joe: Hello, I’m Brother Joe. And with me here in our studios in Anaheim, California, is Brother Marvin. Hello, Brother Marvin.
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Brother Joe
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Marvin Mangune: Hello, Brother Joe. Dear viewers, did you know, according to the Journal of Psychology and Christianity, as many as “65% of men and 55% of women will have an extramarital affair by the time they’re 40.”That number is totally alarming.
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Brother Marvin
Minister of the Gospel
What makes marriage sacred?
Brother Joe: That’s true Brother Marvin, and you know, those who get involved in extramarital affairs or adultery, which is sexual relations between one who’s married, and one who’s not their spouse. Well, they’re not people who are single looking for love. They’re married people and perhaps even have children. They agree to enter into marriage with a spouse whom they chose. So why is their disrespect for marriage particularly troubling? What makes marriage sacred? Who was the one who instituted marriage?
Brother Marvin: This is what we can read here, Brother Joe, in the Bible here in Genesis 1:27 to 28. This is what it says:
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
[Genesis 1:27-28 New King James Version]
Brother Marvin: Our Almighty God is the one who instituted marriage when He blessed the first couple, Adam and Eve. Thus marriage is not a man-made institution as others might mistakenly believe, but rather one instituted by God Himself. So how should marriage Brother Joe be regarded, especially by those who are married?
Brother Joe: Well, this is what the Bible states in Hebrew 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.
[Hebrews 13:4 English Standard Version]
Brother Joe: According to the Bible, marriage should be held in honor among all. Those who commit adultery or who are involved in extramarital affairs— well, they’re dishonoring marriage which God Himself instituted.
Brother Marvin: That’s right. And not only marriage, but even their spouse [to] whom they’re married, and God who instituted marriage. And since disobeying the commandment of God to honor marriage is a sin, the pronouncement of the Bible also is clear. God will judge the sexually immoral and even adulterous.
Brother Joe: Oh, Brother Marvin, perhaps there may be those who think that committing adultery isn’t a big deal since well, there are many who are doing so. They may even say, “Well, I’m prepared to deal with the consequences.” Maybe they’re only thinking about the emotional, perhaps financial fallout resulting from their infidelity. But how severe is the judgment of God against those who commit adultery, which is proof that it is a grievous sin against Him?
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ADULTERY AND THE SACREDNESS OF MARRIAGE
Brother Marvin: We could read the answer here, Brother Joe in I Corinthians 6:9-10:
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanders nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
[I Corinthians 6:9-10 New International Version]
Brother Marvin: God’s judgment upon those who commit adultery is not something to be taken lightly. It should not be taken for granted as well. The Bible teaches that adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God, or in other words, they will not be saved.
Brother Joe: Thus, Brother Marvin one should give serious thought as to what the negative consequences will be of committing adultery, not only emotionally or financially or physically, but more importantly, spiritually.
Brother Marvin: But Brother Joe, is it only those who have adulterous relationships while married that are guilty of adultery? Who else is committing the sin of adultery?
Brother Joe: Well, let’s read here what the Bible says in Luke 16:18 and this is what we can read:
“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
[Luke 16:18 New International Version]
Brother Joe: So there are those who divorce their spouse and marry another who are also committing the sin of adultery.
Brother Marvin: But isn’t divorce and remarrying is common nowadays? It’s even legal in other countries.
Brother Joe: That’s true Brother Marvin. But even if man-made laws permit the force and remarrying. How does God, who instituted marriage, feel about divorce?
Brother Marvin: Here’s the declaration of God in Malachi 2: 14-16.
“Why has God abandoned us?” you cry. I’ll tell you why; it is because the Lord has seen your treachery in divorcing your wives who have been faithful to you through the years, the companions you promised to care for and keep. You were united to your wife by the Lord. In God’s wise plan, when you married, the two of you became one person in his sight. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. Therefore, guard your passions! Keep faith with the wife of your youth. For the Lord, the God of Israel, says he hates divorce and cruel men. Therefore, control your passions–let there be no divorcing of your wives.
[Malachi 2:14-16 The Living Bible]
Brother Marvin: God hates divorce. This goes against His will for married couples, that the husband and the wife should be as one and remain faithful to each other. That is why those who divorced their spouses and [then] remarry are still guilty of committing the sin of adultery, and they too, will also not be saved.
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Brother Marvin
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Joe: Oh maybe Brother Marvin, others are reasoning out that they’re just driven to commit adultery because of the marital problems that they are dealing with. Whether this is due to their spouse’s flaws, or their own, or both. They say that they’re just seeking comfort elsewhere since they’re not getting it from their spouse.
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Brother Joe
Minister of the Gospel
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ADULTERY AND THE SACREDNESS OF MARRIAGE
Brother Marvin: Right. That could be the reasoning of many people. But why should seeking for emotional and physical satisfaction outside of marriage and committing adultery never cross the mind of one who is married?
Brother Joe: Brother Marvin, this is what the Bible teaches in Romans 7 and 2 and this is what is stated:
For example, by law, a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.
[Romans 7:2 New International Version]
Brother Joe: And so a husband and wife are bound to each other for as long as they live by the laws of God. And since God does not permit divorce, marriage is a lifelong commitment.
Brother Marvin: A lifetime is a long time Brother Joe. But others might say that a lot could happen in that time. And that since we’re only human beings, that it’s only normal that we might butt heads and even have disagreements.
Brother Joe: So Brother Marvin, what biblical instruction should guide married couples, and how they treat one another and in resolving marriage issues so that they can be certain of having a successful and lasting marriage?
Brother Marvin: Here’s the teaching Brother Joe in Ephesians 5:33. This is what the Holy Scriptures tell us, please this in here, beloved viewers:
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
[Ephesians 5:33 New International Version]
Brother Marvin: Husbands and wives must love and respect each other. That is a basic biblical teaching that should guide every married couple so that their marriage will stand the test of time. The love and respect that husbands and wives have for each other shouldn’t be given to another man or even another woman. But how deeply Brother Joe must husbands and wives love one another?
Brother Joe: Brother Marvin, we can read the answer here in the Holy Bible, in Ephesians 5:25 28 to 29. And this is what the Bible says:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,… So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
[Ephesians 5:25, 28-29 New King James Version]
Brother Joe: So the love that husbands have for their wives and wives, for their husbands should be as deep as the love that Christ has for His church. According to the Bible, Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her. Well, if this is the love that married couples have for one another, that they would even be willing to give their lives for each other, that no one would ever hurt or hate his or her spouse, but rather, would nourish and cherish him or her like what Christ did for the sake of His church.
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Brother Joe
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Marvin: But Brother Joe, isn’t it normal that even true Christians are members of the Church of Christ, that we might experience conflict with their spouse at some point in their married life?
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Brother Marvin
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Joe: It might happen. Brother Marvin, you know, especially with the pressures that married couples are facing today; from managing their finances to raising their children, dealing with sickness, and many others. But in finding solutions to the shared problems that they are facing, what should never be considered as an option in resolving conflicts in a Christian marriage?
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ADULTERY AND THE SACREDNESS OF MARRIAGE
Brother Marvin: This is the commandment of God here to the married couples, in Mark 10:7-9. This is what the Bible says:
‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
[Mark 10:7-9 New Revised Standard Version]
Brother Marvin: According to the Bible, “what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Who are the ones being referred to here, a man and wife joined together by our Lord God, or have entered into marriage? Thus, married couples who are quarreling or maybe might have misunderstandings, [should] never consider separating from one another, much less divorce, which is also prohibited by our Lord God. Separating is not a solution or even a viable option, but rather, would only worsen the situation. Because this is against the will and the commandment of God.
Brother Joe: That’s right. You know, married Christian couples facing marital problems should learn to work it out, of course, through the guidance of God’s teaching so that they can honor their marriage and be counted among His righteous people who will receive His blessings.
Brother Marvin: What can a married couple and their family then hope to receive from our Lord God, if they fulfill God’s will in their lives, that they honor their marriage?
Brother Joe: Well, here’s what the Bible says in Psalm 5:12. And this is what we can read:
You bless righteous people, O LORD. Like a large shield, you surround them with your favor.
[Psalm 5:12 God’s Word Translation]
Brother Joe: Married couples who are righteous or who obey faithfully the commands of God can expect that God will bless them and grant them His favor. Now, isn’t this what every married couple wants? Doesn’t every husband and wife want God to bless their family, their means of livelihood and even their health?
If a married couple [follows] God’s will in upholding their marriage—are loving and respecting one another, not divorcing or separating from one another, honoring their marriage by not committing adultery, and remaining bound to each other by God’s laws for as long as they live—then they will certainly be together and reaping God’s blessings in this life and most importantly, receiving salvation come the day of judgment.
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ADULTERY AND THE SACREDNESS OF MARRIAGE
Brother Joe: On behalf of all of us here at The Message, we would like to thank you for joining us today in our study of God’s words. We invite you to continue watching this and other programs of the Iglesia Ni Cristo or Church Of Christ. Before we go though, please do join us for a short prayer.
Brother Marvin: Dear, merciful and loving Father in heaven, we thank You so much that You allowed us to hear Your words today. Concerning the married couples, the husbands and the wives, we praise and we worship Your most holy name. Father, please bless us with humble hearts. Allow us to be able to fulfill these things in our life, because we know that this would also be for our own good and for you to continue to bless our relationships, and even our family. Lord Jesus, we praise and we also worship You. Lord Jesus, please mediate our prayers unto our Father, and please, Lord, continue to increase our faith. Father in heaven, please always bless the spiritual leaders that you have placed. Bless always the Church Administration, for the sake of your nation in these last days. We asked for all of these things in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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