“Can I ______; can I ______? What’s ok, what isn’t? I can agree sex should be kept for marriage, but I still want to show physical affection while dating.” It is unavoidable that this tension will come up in a dating relationship. In this message we consider again what tension-causers in our thinking might exist regarding these questions. Then we look at some explicit commands in scripture regarding affection and sex. Finally, we observe a handful of biblical principles which urge us to make thoughtful, careful, humble decisions in this area. As always with ‘grey area’ issues, we need to take what is clear in scripture to grow in wisdom for what is less clear. Such intentional thought in this area of discernment is necessary in a culture which equates sex with love and sinfully promotes the unreserved gratification of our sexual desires.
Jared is pastor over the College Ministry at Faith Bible Church. He and his wife, Claire, have one son and one daughter. He recently received his M.Div from The Master's Seminary and desires to serve as missionary in the future!
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This message finishes where last week’s left off: Biblical principles for addressing the tension some feel about Christians putting too much pressure on dating for marriage. The two principles proposed here are (1) The believer’s first respons...
It is a common claim in Christian circles that ‘dating should be for the purpose of marriage.’ And yet, what is also a common claim among believers is that there can be ‘too much pressure for marriage’ in dating. Do you feel the tension? W...
In this message, we pick up where we left off from the previous message. We address yet another tension in the dating conversation. The goal is to evaluate potential causes of these tensions, address them with Biblical principles, and then propose...