Churchgoers have joined the ranks of cohabitating couples

Why do you think this is, Brother? Even in my church, I know of a co-habitating couple. But I have always been at a loss of what to do, since I am not in any kind of position of authority.

If "living together” means living in the same house, that is perhaps a different issue. Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with a man and a woman living in the same house, if there is nothing immoral taking place. The problem is that there is still the appearance of immorality and it could be a temptation for immorality. The Bible tells us to flee immorality, not expose ourselves to constant temptations to immorality.

Then there is the issue of appearances, a couple who is living together is assumed to be sleeping together, that is just the nature of things. Even though living in the same house is not sinful in and of itself, the appearance of sin is there. The Bible tells us to avoid the appearance of evil, to flee from immorality, and not to cause anyone to stumble or be offended. As a result, it is not honoring to God for a man and a woman to live together outside of marriage.

I think it is far deeper than that. Let's say a couple decides to live together but not sleep together. What is their motivation for that decision? It certainly isn't Jesus Christ. It certainly isn't to be godly examples to anyone.

The issue is not that it looks bad. They are dishonoring their parents by living together. A girl belongs to her dad and he is responsible for her according to the Scriptures. She has absolutely no business submitting herself to or placing herself under the protection of someone else. Same for the boy.

Ahemmmmmm.....a couple living alone in a house and not get involved sexually? If anyone would tell me they are not sexually involved I would call them a liar in a heartbeat! So they do not sleep together but have sex otherwise - is this it? Sleeping together and having sex are not the one and same.

I had a client one time who told me she and her boyfriend read the Bible together before they go to bed together ...SIGH

I get uptight when this issue is discussed - it seems to happen to folks who have worked in a crises pregnancy center who were required to do chastity counseling.

Sandra

If you lay down with dogs you get up with fleas. If you live with a gal that you aren't related to or married to you may not have sexual relations --- she may just not be that into you as they say --- but it is at the very least a snare for the heart. Plus it just makes no sense as a general rule. Not to say few unusual exceptions may exist. They probably do. But the exception can't define the rule and as a rule it is bad news.

I'm not ashamed to admit, my wife and I lived together for 6 months before we got married,was in right? of course not. At that time we were not living for the Lord, or had not invited Christ into our lives. During our 40 year marriage we both accepted Christ into our lives, and went on to live for Christ, she passed in 2012. I don't regret for a moment what we did, why? because we were forgiven. We loved each other, and I still love her although she's gone home, I think about her all the time. My guess is I don't have any patent of what I did, there is probably a couple more Christians out there that did the same. I might have laid down with the dogs and woke up with the fleas, but God cleansed me of the fleas. I'll say it again, you haven't been beat up until you've been beat up by a Christian.

Brother Greg I understand, but the sensitivity level we sometimes see here for folks and what they did before inviting Christ into their lives, is sometimes off the charts. Yes! you're right, we are all sinners, but if we have invited Christ into our lives, no one should be keeping score now, right? You know when I was a child I was raised up in the baptist churches, and the pastors preach on fornication and adultery many times, but I made a bad decision, but as long as God forgave me, it really don't matter what the world thinks, unless they hold the keys to Hell and Heaven.

I lived with my husband (as husband and wife) for about 8 months before I married him because... well, never mind because, it's just an excuse. I visit churches with my grandma and one Sunday we went to "one" church and the woman preacher preached on Christians living in sin, all types of sin, it crushed my heart and we were married within two weeks!! :)

God bless,
Lisa

Well Ms. Lysa, guess you're the second one, I said probably a couple Christians did, I guess were it, pull the curtain. :-)

mrbillpro
Well Ms. Lysa, guess you're the second one, I said probably a couple Christians did, I guess were it, pull the curtain. :-)

Now we are "sanctifying" immorality in the church. Many Christians and leaders are silent on this sin. It shows they don't have a spiritual vision of God's holiness and don't tremble at his Word.

I know why these is happening brothers, the presence of the Lord has departed from the evangelical church in america except the faithful remnant and people go to church for a selfish sense of eternal security or because they feel emotionally good even when they are living in sin. Spiritual deception and the counterfeit spirit of the devil is an expert at faking spiritual blessings.

We want the benefits of the cross and the benefits of the flesh at the same time. We want heaven while we are living in sin. What we still call church, God often sees as a place of abomination and spiritual adultery and his voice still echoes to his chosen people to come out of the harlot of Babylon and keep themselves pure and holy for Christ.

May God baptise us with a holy indignation. I don't say these things as a hypocrite or holier than thou, I have backslided for years and lived a sinful lifestyle but at least I was afraid of going to church because my conscience condemned my lifestyle and it is all because of repentance granted me that I turned from my evil ways. God is merciful but we need to pray for backsliders to come back to Him and for His Church to be purified and sanctified.

Hearing stories like these makes me jealous for the glory of God and I got to do something in prayer about it and in action too. I'm thinking about street evangelism and go from there and see where the Lord will lead.

Although Elected has highlighted a couple of larger issues that most definitely contribute to the growing immorality within Christianity in America and all over the 1st world, I think it is also important to recognize that couples living together prior to marriage is a direct result of a rejection of a Biblical family model.

Where in the Bible does it say you should kick your son out of your house at 18? Where does it say you should let your daughter move 500 miles away and live by herself? I haven't read those things. I most certainly don't see that as an example. But yet we follow this standard practice and let them go off to college only to be influenced by the most liberal professors AND learn how to be adults from children who never learned to be adults themselves. Do any of us expect a result different than what we are seeing today?

I am 29 years old and left my house when I was 18. I wish I had a godly father who would have taught me how to be a man and prepared me for the crud that I face today. I wish my younger sisters had a godly father to look up to instead of having an older brother (me) as the only father figure in their lives. They would be far better off had our family been set according to the Scriptures. 2 of them are believers, but they have childish insecurities (very much like me! Go figure) that they will have to grapple with as adults that really should have been addressed early on. One of my sisters longs so desperately to be loved that if any old boy comes along and asks her out, she will say yes.