Sexual relations outside of the marriage vows have caused grief and disease and brokenness

Published 8:17 am Wednesday, June 28, 2023

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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: I’m a product of the turbulent ’60s and understand the grief I put my parents through, now that I hear my children claim they can practice safe sex outside of marriage. My wife and I would give anything to redo our past but thankfully we were saved just before the 21st century exploded. We’re grieved to watch the massive destruction of the culture. How can we get through to the younger generations that are unknowingly destroying their futures? – S.I.

Dear S.I.: The problems of sexual relations outside of the marriage vows have caused grief and disease and brokenness. Our sins catch up with us, and they magnify the capacity to cause suffering.
After the tumultuous ’60s and ’70s of free love, some said that the revolution was slowing down. We’ve seen how untrue that is; sexual immorality will always be rebellion against God’s holy laws, and it brings death, judgment, and Hell. Yet the culture is offended because a loving God ordained monogamous marriage and the sanctity of what we call the traditional family. These are precious gifts from God that society has abused.
Pop culture tells on itself. Hollywood movies celebrate immoral living. Indulging in what is unholy is risky business. What was meant by God to be sacred within the bounds of marriage between a man and woman is degraded in everything from advertisements for perfume to comic strips. There’s no such thing as “safe sex”; there’s no safety from the pain of heartbreak.
Human sexuality was given to a husband and wife to express the unity that binds them together. We find ourselves in emotional quicksand if we go outside those rules of marriage, frequently resulting in depression, despair, and possibly disease. Such darkness can be turned into light by believing God’s truth, repenting of sin, and living for Him in every facet of life.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

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