Pulpit & P
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Valentine and Soulmate
Valentine’s Day, popular for love and romance, may be traced to an ancient Roman fertility event called Lupercali. Later, about AD 500, Pope Gelasius I officially claimed Feb. 14 to honor Christian martyrs named Valentine executed on that date.
By legend, St. Valentine had defied Emperor Claudius II’s third century AD ban on marriage, secretly marrying couples, and while imprisoned, St. Valentine was said to have healed his jailer’s daughter and written her a letter signed “Your Valentine.”
Valentine’s Day evolved into a romantic observance in the Middle Ages, popularized by authors like Geoffrey Chaucer, who referred to it as the start of spring, when birds choose their mates. Valentine’s Day demonstrates that God places in the human heart the desire to seek out our “true love,” our soulmate, and will bless those who do so in accordance with his will.
Christianity introduced lifetime loyalty to one’s soulmate. It was certainly not from the ancient Greeks. The orator Demosthenes wrote: “Mistresses we have for pleasure, concubines for daily service to our bodies, and wives for the procreation of legitimate children.” Polygamy was widely practiced, even in religions worshipping just one God: Both David the Jewish king and Mohammed the Islamic prophet are documented as having households of nine concurrent wives.
Jesus referred to the example of Adam and Eve as the first couple (Matt. 13:4; Mark 10:6), and he is the Bridegroom of the church, symbolized by every man and wife in Christian marriages (Eph. 5:21-33). A Christian should marry another berliever (2 Cor, 6:14), and demonstrate a lifetime loyalty both to the Lord and spouse. Only by faith in Jesus are we granted eternal life (John 14:6), which is God’s will for every person (2 Peter 3:9), and he has a zero tolerance policy of sexual intimacy outsde of marriage (Hebrews 13:4). So first, when selecting a spouse, the Christian believer should do so very carefully and prayerfully! Certainly have many friends, but refuse sexual intimacy (and possible children) until you are prepared to promise “for better or for worse, until death do us part!”
Just say “No!” Don’t sell yourself cheaply, as the world does. And second, for those whose marriage history has not been in accordance with God’s will, God knows that we cannot change the past. But his business is salvaging the sincere. Certainly, extramarital sex must end.
Steps (including prayer and Christian counseling) should be taken to strengthen troubled marriages (remember your vows before God — he does). For guidance, I recommend a thorough reading of 1 Corinthians, chapter 7. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your spouse as yourself. (Mark 12:30)
— Dr. Tom Phelan, Chaplain
