Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV)
We often use the word faithfulness to talk about our relationship with other people. I don't sleep around, so I am being faithful to my wife. Sometimes people will say the same thing about a boyfriend or girlfriend. The problem with this logic is that the word is not just referring to relationships between people. It also refers to our relationship with God. Sexual faithfulness to a spouse, then would follow God's design: only being intimate with your spouse. Sexual faithfulness to a friend would also follow God's design: remaining pure until marriage.
A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:39 NIV)
Even the selection of a spouse starts to bring God into the picture. It's not good enough to want to marry her because she's "hot" or because he's "cute and sweet to me." As we walk together with God, we should be looking for a partner who will walk together with God as well. This part of our relationship will build a lasting relationship. That is because God is always faithful.
No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord's people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. (1 Timothy 5:9-10 NIV)
In the earliest days of the church, people brought in money to make sure everyone in the church had food to eat. They wanted to support one another as they spread the Gospel message. Who should receive this financial support? One group of people were the widows...who had been faithful to God and their husbands. God was being faithful to them.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV)
Whether single or married, it becomes clear that we are called to be faithful to the One who knit us together in our mother's womb and breathed into us the breath of life. When we are faithful to God, we will be faithful and pure in our singleness. We will be faithful to our spouse in marriage. In all things, we will be faithful to God.
How about you? Are you faithful and pure in your singleness? Do you select a spouse based on his or her walk together with God? Are you faithful to your spouse in marriage? In all things, are you faithful to One?
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