Nuggets from An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith by Dave Hunt - "Freedom" Isn't Free

Nuggets from An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith by Dave Hunt – "Freedom" Isn’t Free

Why should husband and wife be faithful to one another? Why not so-called free sex? For one thing, sex is never “free,” but always carries obligations and consequences that cannot be escaped. Of course it is possible for a husband or wife to “tire” of each other and to “fall in love” with someone else – but that’s not real love. God’s Word tells us that “love” is more than sexual passion or pleasure. The God-ordained relationship between male and female (like our relationship to Him) involves total commitment. The man who cheats on his wife or divorces her to marry a “more attractive” or “compatible” woman may enjoy what seems to be pleasure and fulfillment for a time. Eventually, however, the remorse for having broken his marriage vows and having dishonored the God who created him will turn illicit pleasure into great pain. Obedience to God’s Word gives joy now and eternally. Exchanging that deep and lasting satisfaction for temporary pleasure is a bad bargain indeed.

Psychology, however, allows one to say, “I can’t love my wife or husband or parent.” Yet, as we have seen, we are commanded to love: first of all God, then our neighbor as ourselves, and finally even our enemies. True love comes from obedience to God’s Word and is thus based upon commitment to sound doctrine. Nor is there any excuse under any circumstances for not loving spouse or parent, friend or foe, whether or not they mistreat or even hate us. The same is true of all of the ingredients of a happy, productive, fruitful, victorious life: they come from obedience to sound doctrine. Far from being divisive as some complain, doctrine is our very life. Those who will not endure it delude themselves with a false “Christianity” that will be severely judged for its fundamental disobedience.