Love’s Boundaries

By:  Dale Weckbacher

1 Corinthians 13:4-6

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;^[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

(ESV)

I see a picture like the one above and wonder why I believe traffic and the roads in Phoenix are dangerous.  What makes the road in this picture especially dangerous is the lack of guardrails to stop one from going over the edge to an almost certain death.  Such is the nature or eros love and why Scripture places boundaries or guardrails on it. 

Eros, the root of the English word erotic is the love between a man and a woman.  The biblical boundary for this love is marriage but secular culture has removed these boundaries and society as a whole is paying a great price for their removal.  This removal of sexual boundaries has resulted in unwanted pregnancies leading to the collateral damage of single moms and abortion on demand. 

2 Samuel 11 records the sordid account of David’s sin with Bathsheba.  It begins with lust in one’s heart which occurred when David saw Bathsheba bathing from his roof.  Instead of turning away out of respect for her, David continues to look and eventually calls for her.  Temptation and lust have now escalated to sin, resulting in an unwanted pregnancy. 

At this time in history, however, abortion was not an option, so David knew a scandal in the nation would ensue.  However, he could cover up the scandal by making it look like the baby belonged to Bathsheba’s husband Uriah.  This is why David calls for Uriah from the battlefield under the guise of wanting to know how the battle was going.  His real agenda, however, was to have Uriah go home with his wife and make it look like the baby was his.  Out of respect for his fellow soldiers, Uriah refuses to go home and sleep with his wife.  Now temptation and lust that have escalated to the sin of adultery will escalate to murder with David ordering Uriah’s death by placing him on the frontlines of battle.  This entire sordid situation was avoidable with David keeping the boundaries of eros love within the confines of marriage.  2 Samuel 12 records the consequences of David’s sin that go beyond himself and will affect the entire nation of Israel.  While David did repent and receive forgiveness from God (Psalm 51), the consequences of his sin had a lasting effect on him and the nation of Israel. 

While most reading this are not leaders with the authority to send someone into battle, the legalization of abortion and now even murdering an unwanted baby after birth equate to an escalation of sin to murder.  While society could make abortion illegal, drugs are also illegal, and we still have a drug problem meaning people will still seek abortion as an option to eliminate an unwanted pregnancy.  The long-term solution to abortion is not in reducing the supply of abortions through the law but reduction of demand for abortions through returning to the boundary of marriage in regard to eros love. 

Joseph and his encounter with Potiphar’s wife illustrate how someone can stop lust from becoming adultery and possible murder in one’s life.  The account is recorded in Genesis 39.  In contrast to David continuing to look at Bathsheba, allowing lust to escalate to sexual sin, Joseph runs away.  While no one believes Joseph due to his status as a slave, God uses Joseph through his situation to save Israel.  Had Joseph given in to the advances of Potiphar’s wife, Pharaoh would have had him executed. 

The battlefield of lust occurs in the mind (Matthew 5:28), requiring a mental transformation or separation from the lustful thoughts (Romans 12:2).  This mental transformation can only occur through one accepting Jesus as savior making it possible for the Holy Spirit to enter his or her life.  This begins with spreading the Gospel message and inviting those hearing the message to receive Jesus as their savior.  If you have not previously done so, I invite you to do so by praying with me now. 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

The Bible contains the boundaries necessary for living a Godly life.  The next step is therefore finding a church teaching from the Bible to learn these boundaries.  While those of you that prayed now have eternal life through God’s forgiveness of your sins, we still live in a dangerous world full of temptations and therefore must keep the guardrails up to keep us within biblical boundaries, so we do not fall over the edge.