Steve Lyston | Common-law relationships: a threat to morality

"Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own." (I Corinthians 6: 18 - 20)

If a nation is going to achieve certain goals by 2030, then common-law relationships and children being born out of wedlock have to be addressed. Making efforts to achieve economic goals will not work unless we deal with this crisis. I know many within the society will quickly say abortion is the solution, but we cannot as a society negate the value of life and the importance of teaching families the dangers of sex outside of marriage and the value of getting a solid education.

Having children out of wedlock will negatively affect those children's future, emotionally and spiritually. Deuteronomy 23: 2 says the institution of marriage must be respected and its value held high. Marriage calls for real and deep commitment; common-law relationships do not. Children born out of wedlock bring a bastard curse on both individuals and nations. It opens the door to further poverty, crime, violence and termination of purpose. It also causes that person to struggle with rejection, fear, and opens doors to insecurity, incest, and abortion. Furthermore, the fathers often reject their children which result from those relationships and those children grow without their fathers and the vicious cycle begins.

COMMITMENT IS IMPORTANT

When we look through the communities, particularly but not only the inner-city communities, we see those problems manifesting in more than half of the families. A mother will live with a man for 20 or 30 years without being married to him. One woman will have three different fathers for her children. A man will live with one woman and have several in addition; and these issues have become a crisis that must be addressed. Ladies, if the man is not willing to make a commitment to you and solidify it with the ring, then move on. You are worth the commitment.

The gender issues that politicians and lobbyists should be focusing on are promoting abstinence and teaching the value of maintaining your virginity for the one who values you. We should not be marketing contraceptives to people and especially to our youth, encouraging sex outside of marriage.

Maintaining your virginity and sexual purity is more valuable than iPads, smartphones and pocket change. Exchanging your body for things from famous people is not worth it. Don't exchange sex for food. There are still institutions that will give you the help without requiring sexual favours from you.

I Corinthians 6: 16 tells us: "Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For 'the two', He says, 'shall become one flesh'. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him."

SEX, A SPIRITUAL ACT

Sex is as much a spiritual mystery as it is a physical fact. In sex, two people become one, so if a man sleeps with a harlot, he becomes that and if you have sex with him, so do you. If a married person commits adultery and then goes home to sleep with his/her spouse, they have now caused that spouse to be polluted spiritually. That is why when most people are struggling in a relationship they can tell that the other has strayed.

In biblical times, and it still happens today, if one is going to destroy a family or a nation they would do it through sex, by being yoked to the lineage of the ones they want to destroy. That is why you can't lie with everybody or marry just anyone or shack up with anyone.

There needs to be a united effort to go through the community and educate them on these issues, and pastors need to bless the people and break the curse from those in or out of common-law relationships, instead of blessings animals.

Have mass weddings for those in common-law relationships who desire to be married.

Have discounts on wedding rings.

Banks should open savings accounts for those newly-weds.

Christen/rechristen children who are born out of wedlock, regardless of their age.

- Steve Lyston is a biblical economics consultant and author of 'End Time Finance' and 'The New Millionaire'.