
The first command given to mankind from God was one that many people are willing and able to follow: "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number.'" (Genesis 1:28) So, God's plan is clear on the fact that men and women are to 1) Reproduce. Secondly, we are told that Christian married couples have a certain obligation to engage in sexual relations with one another for a purpose beyond just reproduction: "The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband... so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." (I Cor. 7:3,5) So, the Bible is clear that mankind is to reproduce (note: this does not mean that a child-less couple is out of God's will any more than a single person is out of God's will. If reproduction was an individual requirement, as some Christians try to proclaim, then Jesus would have been out of God's will) and that Christian couples are to engage in sexual relations with one another in order to help their partners avoid the temptation to seek sexual fulfillment outside of marriage. So, that part of marriage is clear from the Bible.
What is not clear, though, is whether or not Christian couples have some sort of obligation to sleep in the same bed together. In other words, is it okay for a Christian couple to sleep in separate beds or even separate bedrooms? Obviously Ozzie and Harriet were able to get away with sleeping in separate beds, but Mike and Carol Brady decided that they needed to be in the same bed. But what if one partner snores really loudly? Is it then okay to sleep in separate bedrooms? Or what if one partner likes the ceiling fan on Cessna speed while the other partner needs the air movement in the room to be a little less than 75MPH? What if, only hypothetically now, one partner is pregnant, likes the temperature in the room to be only slightly above freezing, cannot get comfortable so she's constantly rolling over, and wakes up in the middle of the night to watch television, while the other partner is a light sleeper? If that purely hypothetical situation were to take place, does the Bible prohibit that pretend couple (who really do love each other a whole lot, but one of them just isn't any good without his necessary sack time...) to hypothetically sleep in separate, but hypothetical bedrooms? Is there a moral obligation on that couple to always sleep in the same bedroom? And, is it justifying behavior to say that one of the hypothetical partners may perhaps be a lot nicer after getting the proper amount of sleep, thus being a better husband and making for a better marriage? Is there any kind of Christian rule on this matter? And, is it okay for just a period of time (like during the last trimester of a pregnancy)?
I'm just asking, you know, just in case the hypothetical ever becomes reality...
good one preacher!!
ReplyDeletei'll forward it to those who it may apply....HEE!!