Marriage Bed To Be Undefiled

June 10th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 13:4b …and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Marriage, a holy creation of God to be “honored” by man (Heb. 13:4a), demands that the marriage “bed” (Gr. koita) be “undefiled.” Though a “bed” can obviously refer to a piece of furniture for sleeping, it is also used as a euphemism for sexual intercourse (cf. Rom 13:13) and in the sense of conception (Rom. 9:10). In Hebrews 13:4 it refers to the sexual relationship between a husband and wife, specifically in the marriage between two Christians. Their sexual union must be “undefiled” (Gr. amiantos)—a word used in 7:26 for Jesus Christ as the great High Priest who is “holy, innocent, and amiantos.” It is also used in James 1:27 to describe the eternal “undefiled” inheritance Christians will receive upon their entry into heaven. Thus, the sexual relationship between a Christian husband and wife is to be the most pure relationship two human beings can have, for it is compared not only with heaven but with Christ Himself.

Though divinely honorable, marriage is one of mankind’s most abused God-given institutions. Yet no matter how man tries to redefine marriage, God’s definition is immutable. Those who defile the marriage bed are called pornos and moichos— “fornicators” and “adulterers” respectively. Adultery is the sin that married people commit when they have sex with one who is not their spouse; fornication, is the act of engaging in any sexual activity outside of marriage. When the Apostle Paul told the church in Corinth not to associate with sexually immoral (pornos) people (1 Cor. 5.9), he was warning them not to even associate with professed Christians who were fornicating. They were to be expelled from the church gatherings.

Elsewhere in the NT, the Apostle Paul warns of pornos (immorality), saying “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6). Paul thus told Timothy to “flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man (Gr. pornos) sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18). Therefore, “Do not let immorality (pornos) or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Eph. 5:3).

God is a God who judges sinners. Since He has lovingly mapped out His requirements for those who call upon Him for salvation, there are no excuses for those who ignore His teachings. Hebrews 13:4 plainly teaches that God will judge sexual sin; He will evaluate, decide, and condemn. Now since He will pass the final judgment on sinners, it is the task of other Christians to warn of God’s judgment. Sadly, this is sometimes seen as unbiblical since it is often mistaken as judging others (Matt. 7:1). In reality, warnings of God’s impending judgment are true acts of brotherly love (v. 1) since they warn God’s people to avoid God’s harsh discipline for sin.

Marriages and families have been butchered by sexual sin for millennia. Though people move on with their lives afterward, they are never quite the same. Sexual diseases and emotional problems, violence, and even murder follow on the heels of unfaithful spouses. When these sins are found among Christians, the same consequences follow, but worse, the gospel is hindered. God made sex to be beautiful within marriage but destructive outside of it. Stay within it!

Food For Thought
You may have sinned sexually at some point in your life, or you may have made a habit of it throughout your life. But sexual purity must begin to take root when we come to Christ, no matter how sexually perverted we once were. God demands purity and holiness among His people, and He judges those who are impure. Lest you think sexual purity is unattainable, God’s Spirit says otherwise, for He grants it in full measure to all who trust in Christ.