Living Together

The Bible provides a set of principles which can help us and empower us to live the life that God intends for us.  The enemy is working to tempt and derail Christian believers, but the Bible holds up clear standards. For instance, in 1st Thessalonians 4, we can read:
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God...

We recognize that God's way is best - in every area of our lives, and we can go to the Word and find timeless principles that can be applied as we seek to please Him.  Not only does He provide the principles, but He supplies the power we need in order to honor Him.  We can resist temptation in the power of God and commit to rejecting the lure of the enemy to distract and deceive us, so that we might be pure in thoughts, words, and action.

+++++

The value of marriage in our society cannot be underestimated; God ordained marriage in the book of Genesis, and marriage, according to Ephesians 5, reflects the relationship of Christ and His Church.
Hebrews 13 offers perspective on marriage, and we can read about God's heart for marriage here:
4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
6 So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

It's not everyday that you read a headline about an upcoming wedding that says it will "focus on God." But, apparently, that's the intent of the upcoming nuptials from someone who has become known in Christian media for talking about God.

That would be Chris Pratt of Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World.  You see, he is newly engaged, and his bride-to-be is the daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Her name is Katherine Schwarzenegger, and according to FoxNews.com, a so-called "insider" says, "They’re going to want a religious wedding,” adding, “I know that Chris does, and I assume that she does, too. God is going to be a part of this marriage."

The story also says that Chris "loves the fact" that Katherine "doesn’t shy away from discussing her beliefs openly with others." The source has said, “He’s constantly around other people who have no faith or are apologetic about it, but not her,” adding, “She is willing to talk about it to anyone who will listen.”

There are reports that the couple has attended church together, most likely at Hillsong Church in L.A. or Zoe Church.

After she accepted his proposal, according to the article, he posted on Instagram:

“Sweet Katherine, so happy you said yes!” he captioned with a diamond ring emoji. “I’m thrilled to be marrying you. Proud to live boldly in faith with you. Here we go!”

As we know, the engagement is such a critical time in not merely planning for a wedding, but getting prepared for marriage.  And, while there is great celebration and anticipation, there are some danger zones that the couple have in front of them.

One is that Pratt is coming off a high-profile divorce, from a marriage that has produced a son.  That's not a dealbreaker for the many couples who are not in their first marriage, but it is a condition that must be navigated.

And, the most pressing, which is certainly an unforced error, was proclaimed on the OK Magazine website:

Chris Pratt and his fiancé, Katherine Schwarzenegger, took a major step in their relationship — they are living together! On January 15, the couple announced their engagement and received so much support from family, friends, fans, and Chris’ ex-wife Anna Faris.

That is certainly not the Biblical model, which teaches purity before marriage and fidelity in marriage.  A couple who cohabits opens themselves up to a number of harmful effects; it's not merely a harmless "test drive" or "playing house."

Glenn Stanton of Focus on the Family writes:

Even when couples are similar in socio-economic indicators, cohabitants — compared with their married peers — tend to have:

• Less healthy, more volatile relationships.
• Breakup rates five times higher.
• Two to five times higher levels of serious physical violence and emotional abuse.
• A decreased sense of ongoing happiness and fairness in their relationships.
• Two to eight times higher levels of sexual infidelity.
• Less equitable sharing of finances.
• Much higher rates of risk-taking behaviors such as dangerous driving and drug and alcohol abuse.

This piece, on the ministry website, also says:

Seldom have social scientists come to a more definitive and consistent conclusion than that cohabitation is intimately linked to greater likelihood of divorce. Those who marry with cohabiting experience in their past can have a 50 to 80 percent higher likelihood of divorcing than married couples who never cohabited.

But, it's becoming more accepted, unfortunately.  Stanton says:

The last two decades have seen explosive growth, with the percentage of cohabiting couples increasing about 50 percent since the mid 1990s and more than doubling in real numbers over these years. Today more than 60 percent of marriages are formed by people who have cohabited with their spouse or someone else at some time in their lives.

It's commendable that the Pratts-to-be want to have a wedding dedicated to the Lord; and the couple does seem to have a commitment to church and speaking out about spiritual things.  But, to have a lasting marriage that honors God, it's important to consider how cohabitation is not God's best and fails to prepare a future husband and wife for a strong marriage.

We can remember in our own lives that in order to bring glory to God in His desired outcome, it's important that we walk in His ways.  In whatever endeavor, take the necessary steps to increase the chance of success by following God's principles.  We may have a goal in mind, perhaps something that God has called us to do - but, we are not fully obeying Him if we are not following His steps.  And, in pursuing God's will, we can lessen the potential effects of the risk factors.

Finally, there is rhetoric out there that is decrying what is termed "purity culture."  But, we recognize that sexual purity is a teaching of Scripture.  The Bible teaches us to pursue a path of purity, in thoughts, words, and action.  The culture offers a weak alternative, and we can be faithful to speak out in accordance with His truth.