Christian Couple moving in together, is this biblical?

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Hannah Oluwafunmilayo

I’m a very strong believer that although there are very few, true Godly relationships are possible.
This title was intended to get your attention the answer is very simple. There’s no biblical reference as to whether it’s right or wrong for a couple that is not married to move in together. Now, this post is not to offend anyone, I must stress this is only my opinion and everything that I would mention in this post is from my standard of Godliness and how I believe a woman of God should conduct herself.
I recently was challenged with this question on whether I believe it’s right or wrong for a couple that is not married to move in together. By my standards, I don’t condone this and I’d explain why.

The problem I have with this is very simple. This arrangement of cohabitation is an open window for a couple to play ‘house’. Let me explain what I mean by this. If I choose to move in with my boyfriend my natural maternal and domestic instincts would cause me to cook for him, clean-up after him, take care of the house, decorate it, I would make our house into a home. Everything a wife is meant to do for her Husband. This is one of the biblical roles of a woman to any feminist that may be reading this blog =D. As women we were built as homemakers it’s in our nature.

“The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” Titus 2:3-8 NKJV)

The arrangement of cohabitation allows for a couple to perform duties that should only be shared between a husband and wife in the absence of a marital covenant.
The other issue I have with cohabitation is “temptation”. I’m sure we can all admit that temptation is hard enough in a relationship in the absence of boundaries, lol even with them! But living together opens up another level of temptation. A Christian couple cohabiting puts themselves in a very vulnerable and dangerous situation where fornication and the desecration of their temples are more likely.

It’s no wonder why couples that move in together with the plan of ‘eventually’ getting married, end up procrastinating. This is usually how it plays itself out: The couples move in together and end up cohabiting for around 10-15 years. You see at this point in the relationship the woman is more likely to be the one pushing for marriage whilst the guys sort of putting it off. For several reasons, maybe he’s waiting for all conditions to be perfect or more likely he’s like, “we’ve been together for 15 years, aren’t we technically married?” And it’s no wonder why he feels that way, because you’ve given him all the benefits that only your Husband should have, free of charge.

What breaks my heart is that women are usually the one that are at more of a disadvantage in these situations. You see if I was with a guy for up to 2 years and there has been no sort of initiation of marriage, ???? I would fully leave. But now for a woman that has been with someone for 15 years, it’s not so easy. One reason being there’s more likely to be a child involved. I’m sorry you can’t live with someone for that long and not eventually give in to temptation, it happens we’re human. Secondly, this woman has invested 15 years of her life into this man, how could she leave? I know it would be hard for me too.

As a Christian is cohabitation wrong or right? It’s not my place to say. But for me? it’s not good, it’s just not my way of life, it compromises my principles and anything that comprises my principles is more than likely to go against my Covenant with my God.

For you maybe otherwise but I would say this if you are courting and are serious about protecting your partner’s purity cohabitation shouldn’t be an option. As women of God, there’s a standard of integrity which we must maintain. We can’t do things like the world does things and expect a different result. It’s no wonder why some Christians run away from relationships because the examples they see look nothing like God.

I’m a very strong believer that although there are very few, true Godly relationships are possible. But the only way to attain such a crown is to look to our creator. He created the institute of marriage so he knows exactly how it’s meant to be run.

My message to you today is to do things Gods way after all there’s nothing more important than Him. And when we entertain things like cohabitation we make it more about us and less about him for the sake of pleasing our desires.

Your marriage is about you, but it’s really nothing to do with you.

Author: Hannah Okuyemi

Blogger and contributor for Celestialweekly.com
Publisher for asmilethatholdsathousandwords.wordpress.com
Celestial Church of Christ
Covenant of God Parish UK

Comments: 4

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  1. This message was delivered with no equivocation. Cohabitation and the breakdown of it leads to many unintended financial and legal complications. Testing before purchasing or sale or return devalues the basis for marriage.

    1. Thank you for your comment sir. It is very encouraging that we have these type of comments. Please share this Celestial Weekly article with family and friends.. God bless

  2. While I agree with everything the writer said; I like to add that by biblical standard, it is wrong for christian couple courting to cohabilitate. Reason being that the bible clearly states that “a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife”. The only reason for leaving his parent is to move in with his wife not girl friend, not fiancee. So there for if the sacred bond of marriage has not been established, there is no need to live together, test the waters.

  3. The post on my Church’s facebook page on the subject matter above, seems to infer that there are no biblical references as to whether it is right or wrong for unmarried couples to move in together. I strongly disagree with such inference. The Bible is replete with admonishments against sexual immorality generally. The admonishments against sexual immorality in the Bible are applicable to all persons, whether the persons move in together or not. Therefore, it is an exercise in superfluity (a needless, excessive, or unnecessary exercise), to further seek specific admonishments for unmarried couples who move in together, even after God has already spoken against sexual immorality to all, in His word. Every right-thinking adult is aware of the natural reflexes of consenting adult couples, with respect to sex, if they move in together. If the couples who move in together vow not to ever have sex prior to marriage, for how long can they keep faith with the resolution. Even if the couples can keep faith with such resolution (which is extremely doubtful), it is still wrong to move in together, if they are unmarried. That is why the word of God says that we should abstain from every appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). Note the word “appearance”. This suggests that the mere appearance of evil should sufficiently deter us from certain actions.

    On the issue of admonishments against sexual immorality generally, the following are a few of the many applicable passages in the Bible;

    1. Romans 12:1-2

    2. I Corinthians 5:1a

    3. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

    4. 1 Corinthians 6:13

    5. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

    6. 1 Corinthians 7:2

    7. Galatians 5:19-21

    8. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

    9. Jude 7

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