Genesis 2:18 "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.'" The Good News: Most of us are meant to live our lives with a partner by our side.
There is absolutely nothing to forbid dating or having boyfriends/girlfriends. It's a cultural thing, not a religious thing. God doesn't care how you find your partner so long as its within the bounds of the religion. The only stipulation is no sex outside of marriage.
Genesis 2:18 says God created woman as a suitable helper for man. Verse 24 adds that a man will leave his father and mother to be joined with his wife, and they shall become one—painting a beautiful picture of marriage. Proverbs 31:10-11 explains the high value of a good, trustworthy wife.
Principle #1: Spiritual unity
The Bible clearly says believers shouldn't date or marry someone who is not a fellow Christ-follower (2 Corinthians 6:14-15; 1 Corinthians 7:39). If you're in a dating relationship with someone who isn't a Christian, then you are outside of God's will for your life.
Among the forbidden couples are parent-child, sister-brother, grandparent-grandchild, uncle-niece, aunt-nephew, and between half siblings and certain close in-laws. This "Levitical law" is found in Leviticus 18:6-18, supplemented by Leviticus 20:17-21 and Deuteronomy 27:20-23.
It is a matter of the heart and the Christian couple's intentions. Kissing in and of itself is not sin, yet if it would lead one or both of the Christians to fall into temptation, it should not be practiced.
Genesis 2:18
"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.'" The Good News: Most of us are meant to live our lives with a partner by our side.
A Christian couple that is dating with the consideration of marriage or is engaged doesn't necessarily sin because they share a kiss in a manner that retains their purity. Yet some individuals and couples make a decision not to kiss until marriage as a matter of wisdom.
I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Paul tells us to honor God with the way that we live in our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20). We need to be listening to our conscience about how our intimacy is honoring to God. Our bodies are places where the Spirit has taken up residence and that should matter to the way that we engage physically with one another.
Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)
As you enter a relationship with another person, it's important to find someone who will lead you closer to Christ, rather than into sin. This Bible verse about relationships challenges us to find a significant other who influences us and encourages us to become a better Christian.
The Bible's Take On Relationships With Girlfriends
The book of Proverbs 18:22 states that “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” This verse suggests that God intends people to form committed, long-term relationships with their partners.
But how does God lead you to your spouse? One way God leads you to your spouse is by guiding you through prayer. Prayer allows us to connect with God on a deep level and ask Him for help in making decisions about who we should date or even marry.
No, it's not sinful, but it is unwise. The act that God deems sinful is sex before marriage, not kissing or cuddling. The problem is, we're wired on a physical level to desire sex, and kissing and cuddling triggers that desire.
Some pediatricians suggest that kids wait until they're 16 to start this kind of one-on-one dating. That's a good place to start the discussion, but every kid is different. Some are more emotionally mature than others. Some teens come from communities and families where one-on-one dating starts earlier or later.
The Church's teaching on cohabitation is not an “arbitrary” rule. Living together before marriage is a sin because it violates God's commandments and the law of the Church.
This might feel like taking things too far, but anyone who has ever given into the sin of premarital sex will caution you against spending the night with your significant other. There's nothing inherently evil about sharing a bed with a member of the opposite sex.
However, cuddling in itself is not a sin but can lead you into sin. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid it at all costs and wait until marriage. In reality, it's tough to wait to do certain kinds of stuff with your partner after marriage.
If you don't feel convicted, and you aren't kissing your boyfriend in a way that causes you to be tempted, then kissing may be okay for you. But if God does not convict you for kissing your boyfriend, but your boyfriend feels convicted or is more tempted, it's best to respect his desires not to kiss.
As Christians, we already know that we are to avoid sexual immorality and to avoid situations that would cause us to be tempted into sexual sin. Sleeping in the same bed would not be wise as it could easily cause sexual sin.
No, it's not sinful, but it is unwise. The act that God deems sinful is sex before marriage, not kissing or cuddling. The problem is, we're wired on a physical level to desire sex, and kissing and cuddling triggers that desire.
Is dating before you are 16 a sin that must be repented of? Modern prophets have counseled against dating before 16, so willfully disregarding this counsel should not be taken lightly.
Biblical dating tends to encourage time spent in group activities or with other people the couple knows well. Modern dating tends to assume that you need to get to know a person more deeply than anyone else in the world to figure out whether you should be with him or her.
The concept of romantic love as we understand it today isn't directly addressed in the Bible, partly because authors wrote and compiled it long before the Romantic era. We do have some racy love poetry in Song of Songs, and we have stories about loving relationships and marriages between people.