QUESTION:
During courtship, what is the acceptable association between the man and woman?
ANSWER:
“Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” [I Corinthians 7:1-2]
“Neither give place to the devil.” [Ephesians 4:27]
“Fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.” [Ephesians 5:3]
“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” [Hebrews 13:4]
“But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” All right. That's for just dirty living. Instead of a man, a boy, girl, or something or another when they're going together and--and they know that they should be married, go ahead and get married. I think you—you understand what I mean, don't you? See? Don't just live a dirty little life there, 'cause it's not right. You see? That's your sister in one sense, where if you're a Christian. Now, if it's the world, it's the world: dog eat dog. But this girl that you're going with, that's your sister too. That will be the mother of your--your children that will come. Don't live a dirty little life around her, show that you're a real Christian gentleman. Live like a Christian gentleman ought to. See? And treat her like your sister, and when you get married, still treat her that way.” [Questions And Answers, Jeffersonville, IN 64-0830M]
“Did you know any man that kisses a woman is morally obligated to marry her? Potentially it's a sex act. Sure, it is. Yes, sir. What is it? It's the male glands in a man's lip and the female glands. When male and female glands comes together, it's sex.” [God's Provided Place Of Worship, Los Angeles, CA 65-0425]
“Remember, the body. I'm going to speak double now, so that you older people will understand. It's a mixed group, but I'm your brother, and this was the question. See? Each human being male and female have a different type of gland. A female has a female gland, sex gland. A male has a male gland, sex gland. And those glands lay in the human lips. That's right.” [Questions And Answers, Jeffersonville, IN 61-1015M]
“I want to name three things here that she must not get away from. Now, I'm speaking, keep the church in mind while I'm speaking this to the natural woman, as Paul is here, in 7th chapter of Romans. She has a sacred trust of virtue committed to her by her Lord, a certain virtue. Nothing else holds it but a woman. Right. That's committed to her by God. She must not defile that virtue. If she even does something wrong, she must confess that to her husband before he takes her, and make it right. The same as the church that was married to the law, has to come also before Christ, before the second marriage. She has to confess that. If she doesn't, and she lives with her husband for ten years and then confess it, he has a right to put her away and marry another woman. That's the Scripture. Fornication is unclean living.” [The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ, Shreveport, LA 65-1125] [Romans 7:1-6] [Leviticus 5:5] [Proverbs 28:13] [I Thessalonians 4:3-4] [I Corinthians 7:2] [Matthew 19:9]
“Joseph, fear not, take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." He was minded to put her away privately, see, after he'd already engaged to her. When you’re engaged to her, as far as God is concerned, you're married to her. Notice now. She has a sacred trust of virtue that's been given her, trusted to her by the Lord. God gave her that virtue. Just as it was in the garden of Eden, she can say "yes" or "no." She has a sacred trust of womanhood committed to her, that she must not break. The womanhood I'm speaking of here is her conduct, her character around men. Not letting every man... Looks on these screens and see these movie stars kissing, and hugging, and slopping, around, over these women. A woman does that, is of a bad character. She might be virtuous, otherwise. But, see, in her heart…When, those glands, sex glands, are in the lips. The man kisses a woman, he's actually, potentially, committed adultery. Sex glands are in the woman's lips and in the man's lips. He could kiss her on the hand, it wouldn't mix through their sex glands. But the sex glands are in the lips. And see all this nonsense in the--the Hollywood today, of all this slopping and loving around with women, and so forth; and little girls looking at all that. No wonder our morals are rotten and decayed, and filthy, see, because it's put before the children. That's right. It has to be that way for the last day.” [The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ, Shreveport, LA 65-1125] [Matthew 1:20; 5:27-28, 32; 19:9] [Mark 10:11-12, 19] [Luke 16:18] [I Timothy 2:9-15]
“No wonder that men act around women the way they do. Is because women act around men the way they do. She characters herself out here with a pair of shorts on, and skin-tight, and men's clothing and things, out on the street, twisting around. No matter what she says, she might be as virtuous to her husband as she can be, but, in the sight of God, “She is an adulterous.” "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." And she presented herself to be that.” [The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ, Shreveport, LA 65-1125]
“A young woman run up there, one of the most beautiful women, and she just threw her arms around me, and said, "Precious Brother." And when she passed by... Now, she was a woman. So... But in there, there'll never be sin. See, our glands are changed there. They won't raise children no more there. See? See, all the same. What makes the difference, the sensation. That's the reason I don't believe in dancing on the floor. No man... I, before God and my Bible, I've lived clean, as that way through my life when I was a little boy, all through my young manhood. Any girl I ever went out with, I can walk right back to the Judgment with her. See? But there's no man; I don't care who you are, can let a woman (in the make of a woman) hug herself up close to you; if you're a true healthy man, there's a sensation. But it wasn't there; there's no glands; they're all the same gland. See? Just pure, unadulterated sisterly and brotherly love, more than it would be for your--even for your--hug your own little daughter. See? Your own daughter, yet she's made... She's female and you're a male. See, it could create something, but there it can't. Sin is done; it's all over: real, just real, holy Love.” [God's Only Provided Place Of Worship, Los Angeles, CA 65-1128M]
Bible References: I Corinthians 7:1-2; Ephesians 4:27, 5:3; Hebrews 13:4; Romans 7:1-6; Leviticus 5:5; Proverbs 28:13; I Thessalonians 4:3-4; Matthew 1:20; 5:27-28, 32; 19:9; Mark 10:11-12, 19; Luke 16:18; I Timothy 2:9-15
[Answer provided by Bro. Ken Andes, Minister, Lynden, Washington]