“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” Matthew 1:18-19
In Greek and Roman mythology, gods–likely stories of fallen angel exploits [Genesis 6:4]–had physical relations with men and women all the time. And they did so for their own corrupt pleasure. God Almighty, however, is holy. He treats human beings with the respect for which He created us. He did not create women to sate some physical lust of His own. He created woman for man alone [Genesis 2:18-24].
So when His Holy Spirit overshadows her, God is respecting Mary’s person and her future marriage union. The babe, Jesus, is miraculously conceived without any physical union [Luke 1:35].
In those days, even engagement was considered a part of marriage [Deuteronomy 22:24]. Once you were engaged, that was it. That was your spouse for life even though you weren’t yet permitted to live and sleep with them until the official wedding.
Mary and Joseph were both God-fearing people who honored the marriage covenant. Because of this, Joseph knew it was wrong to marry someone who was having another man’s child. No matter how much he himself loved Mary, living a holy and upright life was most important to him. Before God intervened, Joseph decided to protect Mary with a private divorce–the only way to break an official engagement in his day–so that she would come to no harm [Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:23-24].
Wow! Look at how important guy-girl relationships are to God. It isn’t just because we’re reading about how Jesus’ holy birth came about. God desires such holiness and righteousness in all of our dating, engagement and marriage relationships. He desires people to honor His design for us–one man and one woman for life.
So much of TV and media teaches us to experiment with physical pleasure seeking. The world says just do whatever feels good and don’t worry about God’s standard. They’ve redefined everything about everything when it comes to a Godly marriage and intimate relationship–time frames, people involved, longevity–everything! But God transcends all cultural corruptions of couplehood. He is constantly good and holy and sets a moral right that continually imparts goodness and holiness to its adherents–aka BLESSINGS!
It’s like playing with fire. If you start a fire in a hearth, then it will burn and give warmth to the house without danger. But start the fire in the middle of the living room floor and you’re going to have a problem. Physical relationships belong only in a marriage between one man and one woman for life. That’s God’s moral standard, the intention with which He designed us.
Are you treating your future marriage with the goodness and holiness that God intended? Are you keeping your body pure and waiting for the blessings that God has for your marriage?
KCS
Generation Heroes 