Keeping the Bed Undefiled
Scripture Anchor
Hebrews 13:4 (KJV)
“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
This single verse carries God’s full standard for marriage, sexuality, fidelity, and accountability. It tells us what God celebrates, what God protects, and what God judges.
1. What Does the Bible Mean by “Honourable”?
Concordance Insight
The Greek word translated “honourable” in Hebrews 13:4 is timios.
Timios means:
Precious Of great price Held in high esteem Valuable and costly
It is the same word used to describe:
Precious stones The precious blood of Christ Things that are not common or disposable
📖 1 Peter 1:19 (KJV)
“But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
👉 Marriage is not casual in God’s eyes.
It is sacred, weighty, costly, and valuable.
An honourable marriage is one:
Treated with reverence Guarded intentionally Handled with fear of God
2. Marriage Is Honourable “In All”
📖 Hebrews 13:4 (AMP)
“Marriage is to be held in honor among all [that is, regarded as something of great value], and the marriage bed undefiled…”
The phrase “in all” means:
In every culture In every generation In every season Among believers and unbelievers
Marriage does not become dishonourable because:
Society redefines it Culture mocks it Personal feelings change
👉 God’s standard does not bend to culture.
3. What Is “the Bed” in Biblical Terms?
Bible Dictionary Insight
The phrase “the bed” is a Hebrew and Greek euphemism for sexual intimacy within marriage.
It represents:
Sexual purity Exclusive covenant intimacy God-approved sexual expression
📖 Genesis 2:24–25 (KJV)
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”
👉 Sexual intimacy is holy when it is covenantal.
4. What Does “Undefiled” Mean?
Concordance Insight
The Greek word “undefiled” is amiantos.
It means:
Unstained Unpolluted Not contaminated Free from moral corruption
📖 James 1:27 (KJV)
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this…”
The same word is used to describe:
Pure worship True faith Acceptable devotion
👉 God expects the same purity in marriage intimacy as He does in worship.
5. How Is the Marriage Bed Defiled?
📖 Hebrews 13:4 (KJV)
“…but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
Definitions:
Whoremongers: sexual immorality outside marriage Adulterers: sexual unfaithfulness within marriage
The bed is defiled by:
Adultery Pornography Fornication Emotional affairs Sexual perversion Lust entertained in the heart
📖 Matthew 5:28 (KJV)
“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
👉 Defilement begins before the act — it begins in the heart.
6. An Honourable Marriage Is a Covenant, Not a Contract
📖 Malachi 2:14 (KJV)
“Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth… yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.”
A contract is based on performance.
A covenant is based on commitment.
👉 Honourable marriages:
Fear God as Witness Stay faithful under pressure Protect intimacy with discipline Refuse alternatives
7. Why God Takes This Seriously
📖 Hebrews 13:4 (MSG)
“Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex.”
📖 1 Corinthians 6:18–20 (KJV)
“Flee fornication… Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost… therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
👉 Sexual sin is spiritual, not private.
👉 Marriage honour reflects God’s holiness.
8. What Does an Honourable Marriage Look Like Practically?
An honourable marriage:
– Respects sexual boundaries
– Practices exclusivity
– Protects privacy
– Maintains mutual honour
– Submits intimacy to God
📖 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4 (KJV)
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.”
Applications
1. Applications for Singles
📖 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4 (KJV)
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.”
For singles, keeping the marriage bed undefiled begins before marriage exists.
Practical Applications:
Honour a bed you have not yet entered. Sexual purity before marriage is training for faithfulness in marriage.
If you dishonour sexual boundaries now, marriage will not automatically correct it. Refuse sexual substitutes Pornography, lustful fantasies, emotional entanglements, and casual intimacy all pollute your future covenant before it begins.
Guard your body as a sacred vessel. Your body is not a testing ground; it is a temple in preparation.
Choose partners who fear God’s standard. Chemistry cannot sustain covenant. Only shared reverence for God can.
📖 Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
👉 Purity is not punishment — it is preparation.
2. Applications for Married Couples
📖 Hebrews 13:4 (AMP)
“Marriage is to be held in honor among all… and the marriage bed undefiled.”
Marriage does not stay honourable automatically — it must be intentionally guarded.
Practical Applications:
Protect exclusivity fiercely. Emotional closeness with someone outside your spouse is often the first step toward defilement.
Sanctify intimacy with love and mutual respect. Sexual intimacy is not a tool for control, punishment, or manipulation. It is an act of covenant honour.
Eliminate defilements aggressively. Pornography, secret messaging, inappropriate entertainment, and flirtation contaminate the bed even when no physical act occurs.
Invite God into your intimacy. A praying couple is a protected couple. Holiness does not reduce intimacy — it deepens it.
📖 1 Corinthians 7:3–5 (KJV)
“Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband… that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.”
👉 A guarded marriage bed frustrates Satan’s access.
3. Applications for Leaders (Pastors, Ministers, Workers, Influencers)
📖 1 Timothy 3:2 (KJV)
“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…”
Leadership raises visibility but also intensifies accountability. A leader’s private life eventually affects public authority.
Practical Applications:
Model what you preach. Teaching purity while practising compromise destroys moral authority.
Establish clear boundaries. Private counselling, social media interactions, travel arrangements, and communication must all be structured to avoid temptation and accusation.
Refuse secrecy Hidden relationships, secret conversations, and private indulgences are the breeding ground for defilement.
Remember: gifting does not replace holiness God may still use a gifted vessel, but He will judge defilement if repentance is refused.
📖 1 Corinthians 9:27 (KJV)
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
👉 Public anointing never cancels private discipline.
Closing Charge
Singles: Prepare the covenant with purity. Married couples: Guard the covenant with honour. Leaders: Protect the covenant with fear of God.
📖 Psalm 24:3–4 (KJV)
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart…”
An honourable marriage glorifies God.
An undefiled bed sustains authority.
Holiness remains God’s standard — yesterday, today, and forever.
Final Reflection
Marriage is not merely legal — it is spiritual.
Sex is not merely physical — it is covenantal.
Faithfulness is not optional — it is required.
👉 Where marriage is honoured, God’s presence is sustained.
👉 Where the bed is kept undefiled, blessing flows freely.
The Message Bearer (SmilingPreacher), Cornelius Bella
corneliusbella 