Christian dating purity
Though there christian dating purity many dating methods and rules suggested in Christian circles, the Bible does not explicitly discuss how a Christian should approach dating. Believers should place God first in their lives and seek to be pleasing to Him in all they do, including dating. Amid this overwhelming sea of methods and rules, many Christians wonder what the Bible says about chriztian overly discussed topic and how they should approach dating. Specifically, there is nothing in the Bible about dating. In fact, none of the people mentioned in the Bible ever dated purit rather participated in prearranged marriages and betrothals. The modern Western idea of dating rate your date did christlan exist in biblical times and even many cultures today do not practice dating either. Scripture, however, does provide a few general principles that can be applied to the modern practice of dating and courtship, including maintaining a proper perspective while dating and focusing on purity in romantic relationships.
Have you ever started a new dating relationship with every good intention to pursue sexual purity, yet within a few weeks you cross a line you promised you never would? My wife and I can definitely source. In the five years we dated before getting married, pursuing purity in our relationship was definitely a real struggle and constant battle. In the first half of our dating relationship, we definitely did it wrong. However, in the second half of our dating years, we pirity what was said to be the impossible — we went backwards.
3 Ways to Pursue Purity in Your Dating Relationship
This definition simplifies the conversation considerably. Every dating relationship ends in one of two ways: you get married, or you break up. Since no one dates someone hoping they will break up someday, the primary and practical purpose of Christian dating must be to determine whether the two of you smores dating app marry. Marshall Segal says christiah best:. Intimacy is safest in the context of marriage, and marriage is safest in the context of clarity.
First of all, remember that if you plant purity today, you will reap a rich harvest, free from shame and guilt. You can enjoy fun, positive friendships with people of the opposite sex and be involved in all sorts of activities without coupling up with one person. If you do choose to date, the following guidelines can help you maintain a walk with God and guard your purity. But the person you marry will be someone you dated. But do expect character and godliness.
Those seemingly insignificant moments have built our bond into what it is today and what it is becoming. If clarity about marriage is the goal of Christian dating, it makes sense to begin with clarity about dating. One way you can articulate your views and desires for a relationship is by writing a statement of purpose. You can do this individually or together, but either way, it helps to discuss your thoughts with each other at some point.
Use this sample statement of purpose and the purposes listed above as a guide, but feel free to explore other goals that fall within the ultimate purpose of glorifying God.
Get tips for surviving long-distance dating. Have you ever stopped to consider the purpose of Christian dating? What Makes Dating Worthwhile If clarity about marriage is the primary purpose of dating, why should we date at all? By Ruby Petersen. January 2, Sign up for emails. What's the biggest challenge in your long-distance relationship right now? Missing each other. Keeping Christ at the center. First of all, remember that if you plant purity today, you will reap a rich harvest, free from shame and guilt.
You can enjoy fun, positive friendships with people of the opposite sex and be involved in all sorts of activities without coupling up with one person.
If you do choose to date, the following guidelines can help you maintain a walk with God and guard your purity. But the person you marry will be someone you dated. But do expect character and godliness. This assumes that you yourself are a growing Christian.
When we judge people by their appearances, often we turn out to be dead wrong—and meanwhile we may have made foolish choices. Realize Christ is watching and is with you all evening—wherever you go and whatever you do. He is watching you because he is omniscient. When we put ourselves in a godly atmosphere with godly people, we are influenced toward godliness.
When we put ourselves in an ungodly atmosphere with ungodly people we are influenced toward ungodliness. If a Christ-centered, positive relationship develops, then you might move to cautious displays of affection such as hand-holding. But be alert to the difference between appropriate affection and intimacy. You must stay safely back from the line where either one is propelled toward sexual intimacy. Treat your date as a subject to listen to and understand and appreciate, not an object to experiment with, conquer or satisfy your desires.
Pace your relationship. However, in the second half of our dating years, we did what was said to be the impossible — we went backwards. We found a way to keep our hands off each other and honor God and each other with our bodies. Talk about a freedom and holy intimacy that brought to our relationship. So maybe you are a dating couple who constantly profess with your lips your commitment to sexual purity in your dating relationship, yet with your actions you repeatedly reject its possibility and reality.
Maybe you are doing good in your relationship so far and desire to keep the pursuit of purity strong. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but whatever season you find yourself in, here are three ways to pursue purity in a dating relationship:. If you have the right focus, then you get the right results! I think sometimes couples can be so focused and paranoid on staying pure that they draw too much attention to purity, which actually makes it easier for them to stumble.
If Jesus is truly front and center in the relationship, and both parties live each day to worship Him, the purity issue will often become an non-issue. The right focus is on Jesus! The lie of the world is that you have to be physically intimate to express your love to your partner.