“LIVING TOGETHER”

By Dr. Hoyt W. Allen, Jr.

    It is God's Plan for man and woman to share under one roof (physically, emotionally, sexually, etc. - Genesis 1:27,28; 2:21-24). However, man and woman are to be committed to one another in matrimony (marriage). To share one's body with another apart from being married to each other is sin and will condemn a person to hell unless forgiveness is extended by God (I Corinthians 6:9-20).
    Often a girl will say, "But, he loves me and we will someday marry and so all is okay", or an elderly woman will say "we would get married, but he or I would lose our pension check - so it is okay!"
    When one allows emotions to overshadow the Scriptures, he/she is in trouble. Living together outside of marriage tramples underfoot all of the Sunday School lessons and sermons they ever heard. They do not care if they are bringing shame on their parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters or their church. They do not even care if the church disfellowships them.
    Sin will do this to a person. They make themselves their God. Rules, commandments and regulations are for others. They seemingly cannot see the hurt which will come from illegitimate children, venereal diseases and one being labeled as a whore or a whoremonger. Surveys have revealed that if a couple "lives together", they have done so previously with others and will do likewise with others in the future! That is, of course, unless they accept God as their Creator and His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord. By doing so, they can be forgiven and be "born again" and start anew. Some of God's most profitable servants have once lived apart from His Will, but have turned to God's ways.
    In the past, a female who was of the above character was termed in the slang as; worldly, loose, easy, a bag, or a slut. All of the terms indicated that she was "of the flesh" and not "of the Spirit". She was seen as one who was immoral and destined for the fires of eternal hell. A parent's nightmare has always been that their daughter would grow up and end up; unlawfully pregnant, or as a stripper, a porno star, a lesbian, a call girl, or a resident in a house of prostitution.
However, in today's world where seemingly mankind wants to ignore God's teachings about immorality (sin) and make one's own rules about life, the familiar terminology of "living together" has been accepted by many.
    The key word to those living together is "REPENT"! This means that one must turn from known sin in one's life if eternal salvation is desired here and now as well as in eternity. If one is not walking with God here in this life there is no promise of spending eternity with Him in heaven. Accepting Jesus Christ as Savior also calls for one to not only be baptized in water, but to repent and to be faithful to God's ways (Acts 14:22; Revelation 2:10).

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