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When will God give you and your boo His grace?
By Madison Kerth — Written on Dec 06, 2019
Are you ready for marriage? Christians who are dating seriously approach love and commitment from a biblical worldview. It's good to look to the Bible and verses about love to explore where you stand as a couple.
So many of us are fortunate enough to reach that point in a relationship where you can honestly ask yourself if this is the person you are supposed to spend the rest of your life. It can be the most exciting and scariest moment of the relationship.
You start to imagine a future with this person. You can’t think of a time where you wouldn’t want them to be right next to you, experiencing it all in real-time together. You think you might be ready to make a sacred commitment to this person and vow to be with them for the rest of your life.
Naturally, if your relationship has gotten to that point, you have likely been with this person for a while. At least long enough to have seen the good and bad sides of them, and to not care about their flaws or imperfections.
It goes without saying that you should love this person unconditionally before thinking about getting married. But there is no manual on the timeline of Christian relationships.
For questions regarding guidance, we turn back to the Bible for a helping hand. Scripture continuously upholds the limits of time in the matter of relevance to our walk through life. As we come to crossroads, the best thing we can do is pray hard and long and turn to the word of the Lord to help us choose the right plan.
Luckily, there are many verses in the Bible about marriage and the bond between man and woman.
So, if you are feeling those butterflies come up at the thought of you walking down the aisle in a white gown surrounded by all of your friends and family, make sure to run your relationship by these biblical standards.
This way you’ll know for certain that this is the right path that God has set for you and your partner. No two relationships look the exact same. There are no deadlines for two people to reach regarding their relationship milestones.
When you begin to question whether or not you should marry the person you have been dating, it is likely that the relationship has reached an appropriate time to consider the option.
First and foremost, you should have honest and open conversations with your partner regarding their expectations and aspirations in life. You should be clear about your vision for the future and respect theirs as well. Should you both align in future planning, take a look at your value sets.
Ask about, and respectfully tread lightly on, the personal subjects of children, parenting styles, discipline, etc. Make sure that this person’s values are something you can support and stand by as you continue on your own path of life.
Next, be sure that your relationship follows the guidelines of marriage outlined by the verses of the bible. For example, many Christians believe in abstinence until marriage.
In modern faith, this isn’t as highly sought as in previous generations, but some still do hold that value.
1. Marriage and sexuality.
If you intend on marrying as a virgin in the eyes of the church, turn to the few Bible verses as a guideline.
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.” — Hebrews 13:4 (WEB)
(It's important to note that not every person will wait for marriage, but those types of decisions are between that person and God, not a place for anyone to judge.)
Understand your purpose in the relationship. In the Old Testament, we are told the creation story of the world and its inhabitants. God created Eve as a companion of Adam. He was not suitable to be alone.
As a woman, that gives you a true purpose to commit yourself to someone. We are all incomplete halves of a whole in a relationship.
2. Marriage and companionship
"It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’” — Genesis 2:18 (WEB)
Modern women can have trouble fulfilling a personal purpose that extends further than submitting to her husband. It’s 2019, we don’t think that way anymore. So treat this verse as changing with the times. You are made to help and guide your husband; is this a role you feel equipped to handle?
Lastly, take a look at your bond of love. Is it a superficial attraction, or has it permeated into your entire being? What are the things you expect out of this person you love?
Before binding yourself through marriage, you will want to be sure that your definition of love aligns with what the Bible says.
3. The Bible's definition of love.
“Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud, doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (WEB)
Be sure that the person you love has the same expectations. If your connection is truly rooted in your connection to each other through Christ, this analysis should only yield positive results.
The Bible can guide us through every questionable time on our walk with faith.
You should never feel worried or scared to go back to the text and reassess where you are. As you question your commitment through marriage, be sure to check back in with these passages. God has a path for you and wants you to succeed in every step!
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Madison Kerth is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture, and relationship topics.