I know Valentine’s Day just passed us by but I couldn’t help shedding some light on what true love is according to the Bible.

Love is not just physical affection. Love is not just satisfying sensual desires. Love is sacrificially caring for one another without expecting anything in return. Relationships built on sex alone do not satisfy and usually do not last and are anything but self sacrificing. It seems that those kind of self-centered relationships are the only kind that are promoted in movies, sitcoms, and the internet. Relationships built purely on the pursuit of physical pleasure are fake imitations that disappoint, and often destroy their participants.

Nothing in life ever gets accomplished or succeeds without commitment to its success. In the same way, marriage relationships without commitment do not succeed.

The Bible clearly teaches that sex outside of marriage is a sin. Living together without the commitment of marriage is wrong. Waiting until marriage for physical intimacy is a priceless treasure that you give to your future spouse.

The Bible does not say sex itself is wrong. It says sex outside of marriage is sinful. Sex within the committed relationship of marriage is right and brings joy and complete fulfillment. It combines the physical, emotional, and spiritual together with the bonds of a committed relationship in marriage. There is security in a marriage where a man and a woman sacrificially love each other, care for each other, raise children together, and worship together.

Marriage is not bondage, it is a beautiful gift that works. The greatest demonstration of love in all of history is God sending His son to die for us and provide forgiveness of the sin that seeks to destroy us. Marriage illustrates that great act of love as a man and woman commit to each other in holy matrimony and sacrificially love each other as Christ loved the church. Ephesians 5:25

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her. As the husband loves his wife sacrificially, then the wife will want to submit to him in the sense that she respects him and wants to support his desire to care for her and treat her like the princess that she is. Happy Belated Valentines Day.

Jerry Favor is pastor of Victory Baptist Church.