O christian relationshipA Christian relationship, especially dating, should be a brief phase of a relationship between two people who have the intention of getting married. However, there are many doubts among Christians about how to have a healthy Christian relationship.
Most of the time, it's during the courtship period that love emerges. This feeling is paramount between a couple, but always keeping love for God first. This is how a healthy Christian courtship should be conducted.
It's a time to get to know your partner, love him or her and aim for marriage. You need to love others as you love yourself. In other words, you need to have deep self-knowledge and maturity in order to love yourself, beyond your faults.
Then you have to be committed to loving another person exactly as they are, with the aim of making a marriage forever.
Relationships in the Bible
Knowing what a healthy Christian relationship should look like based on the teachings of the Bible is not an easy task. This is because the Bible was written in the Ancient Middle East.
In this sense, dating was not part of the culture at the time the Bible was written. Marriages, on the other hand, are mentioned in the sacred texts. Unlike our Western culture, marriages were arranged by the parents of the bride and groom.
Then there was a ceremony for the members of the couple to be promised to each other. After a certain period, the actual wedding took place.
However, it is very wrong (and common) to bring passages from the Bible that talk about marriage into the context of dating. However, there are three principles that can be applied in the current context of Christian dating, following biblical principles.
1. The importance of purity
Maintaining chastity and sexual purity is fundamental to a healthy Christian relationship. This is clearly taught in the Bible. The problem is that our country's culture is not exactly chaste.
In a Christian relationship, there is no need for sex or even other types of intimate relations. This is taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8: the body must be kept holy and honorable.
2. Don't idolize your partner
Idolatry is a characteristic of placing your boyfriend or girlfriend as the central factor in your life, leaving God aside, whether it's prayer, biblical learning, attending mass/worship and other practices appropriate to a practicing Christian.
There is a huge obsession among couples today with always being in touch, leaving all other areas of life aside, including the spiritual area.
In Proverbs 3:6, you are taught to let God be above all things in your life. Only in this way will you and your partner be guided along the right and proper path to a healthy marriage.
3. Don't delay getting married
Nowadays, it's normal to see couples who take years to get married. This can lead to unhealthy sexual acts in a Christian relationship. That's why marriage should take place as soon as possible.
This is very clear in Corinthians 7:9: it's better to get married soon than to risk living with your own desires or even falling into temptation.
Healthy behaviors for a true Christian relationship
Now that you've learned the three most important principles for having a healthy Christian relationship, it's time to learn some behaviors that can make your relationship better according to Christian principles. Learn about the best habits for cultivating a true Christian relationship:
- Make plans for the future: The purpose of dating is nothing more than a short period of time before marriage (which should be short-lived). If there is no intention of marriage on the part of the couple, dating should not be established.
- Mutual respect: Your partner was created in the image of God, just like you. No one should be used to satisfy any selfish desires, especially sexual ones. In a Christian relationship, mutual respect is required.
- Be honest: According to the Bible, you should be honest with everyone, especially in a relationship as close as dating (in marriage too).
- Don't be selfish: The Bible teaches us not to be selfish in order for a future marriage to be healthy.
Don't fall into immorality: A marriage should not be a commitment just to satisfy the couple's sexual desires. That is to fall into immorality, a danger exposed by the Bible. The couple must share mutual and good feelings.
With a lot of faith and positivity, she writes for Pray and Faith, bringing messages and Divine teachings to everyone.