We would have no business calling ourselves a Christian singles ministry if we did not search the scriptures to see what God has to say on the subject, and maybe seek the opinions of a few learned Godly people who have diligently studied the scriptures.
It would be great if there were scriptures saying:
Thou shalt not date
Thou shalt surely date
or
Thou shalt date according to these statutes
but I have not found them. You can look it up in your concordance or favorite Bible software too, it just is not there.
The thing is that dating was not the custom throughout much of history. In Bible times most marriages were prearranged by the families to forge alliances that benefited both families. The women especially had little or no say in who they would marry. Therefore the Bible has no advise for us regarding how to date.
Well, that is not exactly true. There are certain life principles taught throughout The Bible that do give us guidance in how we should relate to and interact with the opposite sex.
2 Corinthians 6:14
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness."
In view of what this scripture says, why would you ever consider a dating relationship with a non-believer? You would be unequally yoked. Spiritually you would be the one pulling the entire load. You would eventually tire out and give up. If you yoke up a strong ox with a weaker one, basically the stronger ox is pulling the load. No, I did not just call you an ox.
This concept also applies to other areas as well. You can be unequally yoked in many ways, spiritually being a very important one.
Proverbs 4:23
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
That is a pretty strong statement – “above all else.” I have found that people are way too quick to entrust their heart to someone else. Just because someone is physically attractive, or is doing well financially, or seems interested in you, does not mean that they deserve to be given as precious a treasure as your heart. You probably did not think that the last person you gave it to would break it. Guard it.
1 Peter 1:15-16
"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
If you cannot be holy on a date, maybe you should not date. Why is it that some people fail to see how their Christianity is relevant to their personal life? For a Christian, dating should not be about finding a dark corner and doing what comes naturally. If you are a Christian, it should affect every area of your life, nothing should be off limits.
And, there are practical benefits too. We will get into that more in a later post.
1 Corinthians 10:31
"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God"
Therefore, whether you date or do not date, marry or remain single, do all to the glory of God. Can you date to the glory of God? If you cannot, then do not date.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
“It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality”
This scripture is very plain. There is no wiggle room. I have heard too many excuses and too many single people who claim to be Christians explain to me why this is impossible.
If you avoid opportunities, make yourself accountable to a few trustworthy persons of your own gender, guard your heart, and genuinely ask God for His strength in this area, you can avoid sexual immorality, even in this sexually permeated society. With God all things are possible.
1 Timothy 5:1b-2
“Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity”
This is the scripture we quote a lot at events and put on most of our communications. If you ever need the short answer on how you should treat members of the opposite sex, there is your answer.
Actually all of these have practical benefits as well. We will get into those more in later posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment