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... in, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud. We should not be rude, or self-seeking, or easily angered, or keep a record of wrongs. We should not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth.
We should always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere. HISTORY The foundations of dating were established in the 18 th century, during the Romance era. Basically, Romanticism emphasized passion over reason. Historically, Christianity has interpreted the scriptural commands to love your wife or husband by implying that love follows marriage, i. e. , you should love the one you marry. Romantics reversed this corollary and said you should marry the one you love.
With this reversal, we can understand why the divorce rate in this country is nearing 60 %. The 60 % divorce rate (same for both Christians and non-Christians) is indicative of our flawed understanding of love for one of love's greatest underpinnings is commitment, pure and simple. Emotional warm fuzziest vacillate and should never be relied upon as the foundational aspect of marriage or any relationship for that matter. Biblically speaking, there are no examples of dating in the Scriptures.
Marriage matters pertaining to the opposite sex were much more direct and, admittedly, utilitarian. Premarital activities in the Old Testament, although not having to do with dating, discuss the issue of betrothal. Betrothal differs from engagement in several key aspects. In scripture, there were three distinct relational categories: unmarried, betrothed, and married. Physical intimacy was prohibited between betrothed individuals, but in other respects they were considered married. If a man raped a betrothed woman, he was to be executed as an adulterer just as if he had done it to a married woman.
If the groom died during the betrothal period, his bride was classified as a widow even though the marriage had never been consummated. This two-tiered system was God's plan in the Old Testament, not just a sociological curiosity. The purpose of a legally binding betrothal was to give the young couple official sanction to develop and express their emotions of love toward one another. TODAY Conservatively speaking, betrothal has been translated into the Christian understanding of courtship and friendship. In courtship, older adults (frequently parents) chaperone and couple as they move towards marriage. The couple does not spend a lot of time alone together but instead participates in regular family activities.
Usually two people do not begin courting until they " ve somehow determined they should marry. Others have proposed moving directly from friendship to engagement without dating. Such friendships are forged in a group context, not one on one. Each of these systems: dating, betrothal, courtship, and friendship there is room to mess up and do the wrong thing with the wrong person. Certainly, it can be reasoned that one system could be more proprietors or noble or safe but I argue that it is the heart, godliness and attitude of the people involved not necessarily the relational system that we should be primarily concerned with.
To that end, it is not my aim to eliminate nor advocate friendship, courtship, betrothal, or dating as a valid means towards marriage but rather cement down the proper mindset we should adhere to as we relate to the opposite sex. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD This understanding relies heavily upon God's sovereignty ('For you have been my hope, O's over eign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you' Ps. 71: 5 - 6), his design for us ('In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will' Eph 1: 11) and our contentment in Him (Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths' Pr. 3: 5). If God truly is in control and nothing is too difficult for him ('For nothing is impossible with God' Luke 1: 37) and if all our days are ordained before one of them ever came to be (Ps. 139) then we don't need to sweat the relational details. We must apply ourselves to not only what God has called us to do (His will - 1 John 5: 3, and good pleasure - Eph 1: 5) but who He has called us to become (Christ-like - Gal 4: 19).
We must get on with the task of concerning ourselves with kingdom business ('But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own') for I am convinced that when we seek the King and his kingdom first and lay our relational worries at His feet, we glorify him through our trust and faith in him. It is in the pursuit of this vision that we allow God to place someone within our world who shares a common vision or who has very flexible goals. This system requires us to live what we believe. If we have in a deistic world view (a God who created everything but then refuses to get involved in the affairs of men and such) then we will need to concern ourselves with 'ourselves'.
That is, we will need to give undue concern to such issues as food, clothing and life mates. But, hopefully, most of us believe in a God who is intimately involved and concerned with us in a deeply personal way. If one of our greatest concerns / needs reside in the area of significant relationships, should this not also be a concern to God who loves us dearly like a Father? Or do we simply give lip service to our 'personal God' while living like he is a detached and unamused deity?
The very nature of a personal and sovereign God requires him to be concerned with us. If we believe in an awesome God who loves us 'to death, ' if we believe in a God who is in control, if we believe in a God who will not give us a rock when we need the sustenance of bread, and if we believe in a God who had ordained our days, then why should we not believe in a God who will divinely act within our relational needs without us having to manipulate our own paths? "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!' Matthew 7: 9 - 11 Certainly, many of us are getting older, and Christian society may attach negative stigmas to 'Singleness, ' but let us not concern ourselves...
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Research essay sample on Divorce Rate Opposite Sex
