Matthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
This passage of scripture reiterates the sacred institution of marriage between one man and one "Female" wife, as the fundamental building block for all society, and as Jesus emphasized, what God Has joined together, no man, woman or state should put asunder. In the passage Christ says that "leaving" must lead to "cleaving", meaning that once two people decide to spend their lives together, they should enter into holy matrimony to seal the deal, so that no open door is left for any party to just walk away, for when the going gets tough, the tough should never get "going".
But in our day a very unstable kind of relationship between man and woman has emerged, in which couples live together for many years without tying the knot, and as a result children are born into such a situation where the father or mother retains the liberty to leave whenever unresolvable issues arise, and thus the relationship is built on loop holes that can be accessed at the whims and fancies of each other, since no formal commitment was ever made before God and man. Thus the children and the couple live their lives in limbo, not knowing for certain if one day the other partner may get up and leave for another person of interest. This is not God's arrangement, and even though it may be acceptable in modern society, it constitutes a sin in God's sight.
Sexual relations and intimate physical interactions should be left only for those who are willing to go the extra mile in getting married, for in this way the blessing of God may rest upon such a household, and the safeguards He has put in place to protect the marriage and the children can be implemented. Furthermore, statistics have shown that in the overwhelming majority of cases, those who venture to shack up are far less likely to get married in a formal manner, for they usually reason that if cohabitation was entered into without a commitment up front, then why would it be necessary as the years roll by.
Now, we are fully aware that this teaching may be a tough cookie to swallow, for there are many, even amongst Christians who find themselves currently in such a situation. God is not saying that the relationship should be now broken up suddenly without due consideration, especially if children are involved, but what He is saying is that the two parties should come together to correct the situation by getting married, so that His seal of approval may rest upon the home. In other words, we should be willing to put our money where our mouth is, and do the right thing by committing ourselves to each other for life, so that the stability, and love which God originally intended can now be sealed and implemented over the long haul.
Doing this will cause a person to think twice about giving up when problems arise in the relationship, and it will also serve as a constant barrier against male and female intruders who go hunting for uncommitted persons.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates God's ideal for man and woman, and it is His will that wheresoever corrections need to be made urgently, that we do so without delay, asking Him for guidance and direction in implementing that which is right and pleasing in His sight. Let's read:
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. 8 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!