What Does the Bible Say about Living Together before Marriage?

The world likes to promote the idea that living together before the covenant of marriage occurs is smart. Wise, even. After all, our culture suggests taking a “test drive” before “purchasing”—which, in my opinion, is an incredibly unflattering and crude way to reference God’s gift of intimacy between a husband and wife.

But what if you aren’t compatible, people argue. They say that living together before getting married can open your eyes to the idiosyncrasies of your future spouse. It can show you your fiancé’s quirks and bad habits and give you the opportunity to decide if you can deal with them or not. The problem with that is, we all have quirks and bad habits, and no one, outside of the security of covenant, is going to endure those irritations long-term. The question isn’t “do they do things that bother you” but rather, “will I stay committed and faithful even though they do”?

Other arguments for co-inhabiting include monetary gain. If you combine incomes and share the bills, you’re setting your marriage up to be stronger financially. Maybe on paper that’s true, but the flip side is that this combining of resources and responsibility before things are legal just makes it harder to disengage once you break up—which couples who live together before marriage are likely to do.

Regardless, for believers, it comes down to not what the world says or what makes sense logically, but rather, what the Bible instructs. There are certainly a few gray areas in the Bible on various topics—but Christians living together before marriage is not one of them. This issue, referenced multiple times through the word of God, is incredibly clear.

Here are 8 Scriptures that clearly outline God’s plan for His children on sexual purity.

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