Dear EHall65,

It is NEVER too late to do God's will. God's commandments are meant for our good. Have a good talk with him, explain to him that due to your new faith, you do not believe in living together anymore, you want to be pure from this point on and you still love him. If you find it hard to move out, start by using separate rooms, no more sex! Tell him sex is for marriage. Make good friends from church for accountability. A man who truly loves you would respect your decision. Should he gets angry, you may want counseling. It does not matter you had sex before, you do not have to continue with sin. A drug user does not say I've sinned, too late to stop? When Jesus met with the prostitute and the law teachers wanted to stone her, Jesus saw that she repented, forgave her and asked her to sin no more. You can continue to show him care without sex. True love is more than sex. Talk to your pastor/ leader who you trust about your decision, ok?

So I am a new Christian. My boyfriend and I have been together for 5 years, and live together. However, I now see that marriage is God's ultimate plan for us, and wish that we had lived apart until getting married...now we are having problems with not being able to afford a ring or wedding. I agree with this article, but we already live together...any advice?

I think people are going in the wrong direction. They have lost their values for life and what God expect of us. And that is to follow his word and decree. No where in the bible does it indicate that we should live together before marriage. Do you realize this is fornication and you will not make it in because of the choice to live together before marriage. Who has confirmed that you will live until you decide to marry that person if you say, "we will live together for six months to see if it will work out". If you leave here and don't repent, you will lift your eye in hell. When the children of Israel married, they didn't know one another, but trust God to have given them the right mate. They learned each other as they faced each and every day. We first have to seek God for the mate that he have for us and then ask him to direct our path each day to be the person that will be pleasing to him for our mates. We have to trust God and not believe we can do this on our on.

No man today living in America should ever get married under the no-fault divorce laws of the government. The no-fault divorce laws are unbiblical, thus any man who marries under the no-fault divorce laws today is practicing direct disobedience to God.

I agree with the author as well, but for another reason...

The Lord, in His infinite wisdom set marriage as the standard for man and woman. His first act after creation was man and woman in the marriage relationship. This was not a "plan B" step by God, but God's "plan A" to illustrate in the most tangible possible way several key tenets that we would need for life to exist.

Marriage demonstrates for us our true relationship with God -- the intimacy, the love, the satisfaction of needs, etc. Marriage also stabilizes the family around a head (man) a helper (woman) in order for man to fulfill God's mandate to humanity to steward His world. As we participate in the "goods" of marriage, we come as close as we can to the image of God built into us. This does not happen when we are rebellious and ignore God's design in any of a number of currently popular ways. Ultimately, marriage is God's greatest gift outside of Jesus Christ! To take it so lightly as to dismiss it is sin.

I agree, out of my boyfriend's and I 2 1/2 year relationship we were living together for almost 2 years. They were the best and the worst of times. I love him, but living together was the worst thing we could have done. I wanted out of the situation, but not out of the relationship. Which led me to do things I am not proud of. Not to mention, I got pregnant and my disappointment about him, the relationship, and the how we had presented ourselves before God was more than I could bare. He did ask me to marry him. We even got the marriage license, but he dragged his feet. Not even asking his father; a pastor, to marry us. And right before my daughter was born we broke up. I know that we made some serious mistakes. We are trying to rebuild, but it is very difficult and long process. I have been praying that we never get back there again. He wants us to move back in together, but I am still praying for the right answer. As all of the financial burden rested with me last time.