Is Living Together Before Marriage Or
Co-habitation A Sin?
“All wrong
doing is sin…” (1John 5:17a NIV)
Let me start
this article by recalling an exciting experience I had with my second and last
born (by His grace), a boy of 7years old plus. This encounter happened about a fortnight
ago.
He is an
avid reader of the Bible, particularly King James Version and once in a while
comes up with amazing questions and understanding that belies is age. My wife
and I have been pleasantly surprised and keep giving all the glory to God.
A fortnight
ago, he engaged his elder brother of 10years and his mother my wife, and had
this to say…
Godspraise
(my son): ‘’ Mummy, although there’s nowhere in the Bible that says that smoking
is a sin, BUT I KNOW it is a sin because the Bible says that our body is the
temple of God.”
He was
invariably saying that people that smoke cigarrates are actively defiling their
body which is supposed to be the temple of God.(1 Corinthians 6:19). And that
makes it a SIN!
Is Co-habitation
or Living Together Before Marriage A Sin?
In
attempting to answer this question, there is a need for us to define what
co-habitation is.
What is Co-habitation?
According to
an on-line definition enabled by Google, it says co-habitation is “the state of
living together and having a sexual relationship without being married. It further
states that to co-habit means “to live together as if married, usually without
legal or religious sanction.”(www.dictionary.com)
What does the Bible have to say about Co-habitation?
The truth is
that the Bible does not categorically state it is wrong for an adult man and
woman who are not related to live together, it does condemn in clear terms
sexual intimacy before marriage. The only acceptable plan for sexual intimacy
is on the platform of marriage. That is God’s standard, and quite agree the
world has her own standard!
Living together
before marriage between an adult man and woman is bound to foster sexual
intimacy, which in plain term is called fornication.
The Bible
enjoins the youth or singles to flee youthful lust that leads to fornication. “Flee
fornication. Every sin a man may practice is without the body, but he that
commits fornication sins against his own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18 Darby Bible
Translation)
If God says
we should flee or run away from something it means that is harmful and detrimental
to our well-being. Fornication is a sexual sin, which makes living together
before marriage a sin in the sight of God.
The
Bible says in Genesis 2:24 that, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and
his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.’’ The man,
not boy, leaves house of his parent to fashion out a home with his wife. It means
husbands and wives are to live together, which portrays it being the original
plan of God for marriage.
Watch out for the concluding part...
Your friend,
LAWRENCE, SOLOMON
BAMIDELE
courtshipguide@gmail.com
