‘Let marriage be had in honour among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.'
Thirdly they were all to honour marriage, such marriages being between couples who themselves were pure and had not previously indulged in sex. And even more importantly, marriage was to be honoured by continually restraining from fornication and adultery. They were to be perfect examples of true love. Sexual relations were to be retained for enjoyment within marriage, for God would severely judge those who failed in this respect. This mention of God's intervention stresses how serious a matter this was seen to be (compare 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 5:5; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:15). Here the love of the brethren has pinpointed the love between a Christian husband and wife.
This was not only giving marriage the Lord's approval and blessing, but probably had in mind some who thought that abstinence from marriage made them spiritually superior. It should not be so. All were to honour marriage. The honouring of marriage also meant that divorce would be unthinkable, except on the grounds of unfaithfulness. It would be to dishonour God. It may be that some were following the teaching of the Rabbi Hillel which allowed easy divorce. This idea is here rejected. Under God he clearly saw stable marriages as vital in upholding the witness of the church.