READ: 1Thessalonians 4:1-7
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” – 1 Timothy 4:12
As a Christian, you must only enter into relationships with the opposite sex that lead to marriage. The only intimate relationship between men and women that God approves of is marriage. A Christian man and woman must move towards God’s plan, and God’s plan is marriage.
I remember asking a young man who had been in a relationship with a sister in church for two years, “Are you getting married?” His response was, “I don’t think we will. We are just in a relationship.” I think a lady must be foolish to be in such a relationship. The man is just using you, and will throw you away one day. The relationships that God approves of are relationships that are headed towards His will; and His will is marriage!
If you know that your relationship is not going towards marriage, then it is just going towards fornication. Stop right there! The Bible says there is a time to “refrain from embracing…” (Ecclesiastes 3:5). If you are in a relationship, there is a time to refrain from embracing. I can hold my wife, I can hug her and I will not be doing anything wrong. But those of you who are not married are not expected to do so. Even when you touch your fiancee’s hand, “osmosis” begins to occur!
In my church we have a few rules for counselling young people in relationships. We do not just tell you to live a holy and a pure life, but you are specifically told what living holy entails. You must only have holy relationships!