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Sixth Commandment Treasure Marriage and Your Spouse In the sixth commandment, God focuses on the person closest to our neighbor, his spouse. Here, too, is a great treasure God has given to our neighbor, and He does not want us to separate what He has joined together (Matthew 19:6). The statistics on marriage are not as bad as some make them look. Some distort the picture because they want people to think that marriage is outdated and “alternative lifestyles” are O.K. Although many marriages are still going strong, all is not well. Divorce is certainly common and couples often have an intimate sexual relationship without getting married. A common attitude is that as long as they love each other the marriage certificate is unnecessary. Some even see the certificate as a hindrance to love. Commitment is a vital part of marriage, but we should not think that this is all that there is to it. The most important thing in marriage is something that is public. During the wedding ceremony, the couple makes a statement of their commitment to one another. And then they make a promise. All of this is done in front of witness. At this point, the pastor pronounces that the couple is now husband and wife. And quotes Jesus’ words: What God has joined together let no one put asunder. What has taken place is that God has brought these two people together. He has joined them together as “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:3-6). The couple and all people in the community should keep this in mind and act accordingly. They should remember what God has done and work toward the goal of keeping the couple together. The marriage ceremony can take many different forms, but it is not something that Christians should discard. Through this public ceremony, they are giving a witness to others. They are showing that marriage as a great gift from God and something to be treasured. In addition, Christians should not discard marriage because God uses the government as an instrument in blessing them. The civil laws that govern marriage have been given by God for their protection. The government is certainly not perfect, but we should take advantage of the protection that is there. The Bible reveals that marriage is not a human invention, but something established by God. God highly values marriage for He even compares the relationship between Christ and the Church to the relationship between a groom and his bride (Ephesians 5:22-33). God places His blessing upon married life and passes on many good things to us through it. Therefore, we should not bypass what God has established. If we try to, it will only lead to loss and heartache. Especially with this commandment it is important to say that God has not given us His commandments to spoil our fun. He knows us better than we know ourselves and tells us to avoid sexual sins to protect us from harm. As Paul points out, “All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). When we treat others and even ourselves as sex objects it devalues the person. People are not things. Unlike things, they have likes and dislikes, desires and dreams. Therefore, dealing with a real person is much more work than dealing with a thing. If we habitually treat one another as things, lasting relationships become much more difficult to maintain. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne had to wear the letter “A” for the rest of her life to mark her as an adulteress. In many modern novels, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. In them, adultery is normal, and something is wrong with those who are still virgins. We should avoid both of these extremes. Adultery is certainly a sin, yet it is not the unforgivable sin. Christ also won forgiveness for sins against the sixth commandment. And we all need this forgiveness for who has lead a sexually pure and decent life in everything he thinks, says and does. However, the fact that there is forgiveness for sins does not mean that we can discard this commandment. The Holy Spirit leads Christians to see that God’s will is always for our good. If we think we know better than He does, we are sadly mistaken. Under the sixth commandment, the particular agent God has established to bless us is a spouse, and we are to treasure what God has given. Yet saying this is not enough to change our hearts and our behavior. It is confidence in God’s generosity and kindness that enables us to follow the path God has set before us. This confidence comes from knowing what Christ has done for us and knowing that our sins are forgiven. For if our sins are forgiven and we are covered in the righteousness of Christ, then surely nothing will get in God’s way when He comes to bless us. We can, therefore, trust God to use our spouse in blessing us. |
