Basic Principles for Conduct with the Opposite Sex (continued)
- What God planned in marriage.
A. In the beginning, God created man by himself, Gen. 2:18-20. What was missing? Read Genesis 2:21-24. Woman completed the surroundings. The coming together of man and woman in marriage created a powerful tool in creation. The family became the basic unit for the development of the race and the education of future generations.
B. Malachi 2:13-16 portrays the divine ideal of marriage.
1. The wife of thy youth: Marriage is to contain romance, courtship, excitement and emotion. Many marriages start and end here, according to divorce statistics. The Greek word for this kind of love is eros, meaning physical love.
2. The wife who is thy companion: This alludes to sharing together, trusting, solving problems and abiding friendship. This is a requisite element if a couple is to rightly raise a family. The Greek word for this kind of love is phileo love, or brotherly love.
3. The wife of thy covenant: This indicates a mutual commitment to God and to each other. Very, very few couples add this dimension. The Greek word for this kind of love is agape love.
4. This three-fold description forms a triangular structure, which is the strongest form in construction and building.
5. Dutiful attention to the spouse of one’s youth, to the needs of companionship and to covenant keeping can forge a union which can survive the wiles of the flesh and the onslaughts of the world.
Unshakeable Unbreakables
To put principles into practice, we need to develop a personal set of practices that we commit ourselves not to violate. To help us develop our own personalized set of unshakeable unbreakable’s we need to review the following ideas from a scriptural standpoint.
- Overcoming self.
A. What are the spiritual weapons which can be used in overcoming physical urges which need to be postponed until marriage.
1. Understanding, accepting and thinking about the divine ideal of marriage as God planned from the beginning.
2. Recognizing that physical desire is but one aspect of marriage and that the divine ideal has three important parts– the wife of your youth, the wife who is your companion and your wife by covenant.
3. Personal self discipline.
a. Discipline is training that produces self control and obedience.
b. A disciple is one who is in training, a pupil.
c. If we are disciples of Jesus, he expects us to discipline our minds to conform to his. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).
B. Considerations relating to self discipline.
1. There are rewards to self discipline.
a. We can have good feelings about ourselves for doing that which is right before God.
b. Our reputation is not tarnished. We grow in favor before God and man (cf. Lk. 2:41,52).
c. Self control makes goals achievable. Cite examples of goals both short-term and long-term.
2. Impediments to self control include:
a. Peer pressure. Why is it hard for teens to resist peer pressure?
b. Discuss the problem of laziness during the teen years.
c. Lack of clearly defined goals. - Defusing devices.
A. Activities to get the thinking right.
1. Bible study with the objective of learning the will of God.
2. Prayer which can take the form of meditation and singing Psalms.
B. Activities to occupy time in a positive manner.
1. Participation in all ecclesia-related activities.
2. Keep busy. Fill up your time with useful pursuits such as visiting the elderly or activities that do not conflict with what is right. - Unshakeable unbreakables.
A. Determine specific do’s and dont’s that will help you obey God’s commands for right behavior toward the opposite sex.
B. Write your unshakeable unbreakables down
1. On paper. God gave Israel laws written in stone. The stone tablets were permanently stored in the ark which was in the holy of holies.
2. On your hearts. The laws of God would be of no use to Israel unless they remembered them during their daily life (cf. Heb. 8:8-10).
C. The great enemy of our good resolutions is our frail nature which is highly inclined to sin (cf. Jer. 17:9; Rom. 7:15-20). To overcome our natures, we will need to do the right things we have been talking about– think on what is right, read the Bible, pray to God, exercise self discipline, others?
Conclusion for this lesson: Everyone needs to make firm commitments to God concerning behavior and character development. Young people stand at a crossroad with many decisions facing them.
This lesson concerns decisions about God’s laws regarding sexual behavior. To help each one remember commitments to our Heavenly Father, we suggest a personal notebook be kept m which the student writes down his personal unshakable unbreakables.
Remember that Jesus had to rely on God for help to do all things, “I can of mine own self do nothing.” If he did, we surely will. Each person’s resolves should become part of his daily prayers.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One