What the Bible says about
dating
The word "dating" never appears in the Bible, since the custom as we know it is recent. But Scripture says a great deal about what dating is made of: love, purity, wisdom in choosing, and God leading a couple toward marriage. These are the principles that have carried across the centuries.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 · read the chapter →
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?”
2 Corinthians 6:14 · read the chapter →
“Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.”
Proverbs 4:23 · read the chapter →
“For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,”
1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 · read the chapter →
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 · read the chapter →
What to look for in a relationship
The love the Bible describes is patient, kind, and does not insist on its own way (1 Corinthians 13). A healthy relationship looks like that. It builds the other person up, it respects them, and it points toward commitment instead of toward using someone.
The unequal yoke
Paul warns against binding yourself closely to someone who does not share the same faith (2 Corinthians 6:14). This is not contempt for anyone. It is the recognition that a relationship moving toward marriage needs common ground on what matters most.
Purity and wisdom
"Guard your heart" (Proverbs 4:23) and the call to honor God with your body (1 Thessalonians 4) treat dating as a season for knowing someone and deciding wisely, not for taking early what belongs to marriage. Faithful Christians apply this with different details. The principle is the same.
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