Q. I am a Christian and I have sex with my girlfriend. I believe I'm going to marry her, but I want to know where in the Bible it says not to have sex before marriage.


A. The Bible is filled with lots of info about sex, and believe it or not, God thinks it's a great idea! And why shouldn't He, He invented it. (See also, "Is it OK to kiss my girlfriend?") But, just as it would be unwise to ice skate on a lake in the middle of summer, it's also unwise to have sex with anyone who's not your wife.

Why? There are tons of practical, common sense reasons that have significant consequences. Some consequences include dealing with the possibility of pregnancy, acquiring or sharing a sexually transmitted disease, and the most underrated -- but possibly most impacting -- are the emotional issues that sexually active teens struggle with and take into their marriage.

But you asked for biblical evidence, so let's look at the following verses, along with some questions to consider:

Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage should be honored by everyone, and husband and wife should keep their marriage pure. God will judge as guilty those who take part in sexual sins."

• What are some ways marriage can be honored by everyone?
  
• What are some ways a husband and wife can keep their marriage pure?
  
• What is meant by sexual sins?

1 Thessalonians 4:3,4,7 says, "God wants you to be holy and to stay away from sexual sins. He wants each of you to learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable ... God called us to be holy and does not want us to live in sin."

• What does it mean to be holy?
  
• What sexual sins does God want us to stay away from?
  
• What are practical ways we can control our bodies?
  
• What does it mean to not live in sin?

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 encourages us to "Run away from sexual sin. Every
other sin people do is outside their bodies, but those who sin sexually sin against their own bodies. You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit who is in you. You have received the Holy Spirit from God. So you do not belong to yourselves, because you were bought by God for a price. So honor God with your bodies."

• What's it mean to run from sexual sin?
  
• What does it mean that our body is God's temple and how should that affect us?
  
• What does it mean to be bought by God for a price? How should that truth affect us?

Pretty heavy stuff! But remember, God is not down on fun, and He's not down on sex. Instead, He's down on pain. And He knows that if we pursue anything outside of His guidelines, we will suffer consequences. Here's the good part. Because of God's love for us, He has established sexual guidelines that will increase our sexual pleasure. Yup, when a husband and wife do things God's way, they can enjoy some great sex!

And so until you're married, God wants you to pursue and love Him, and to honor and love your current girlfriend and your future spouse by waiting to have sex until you're married.

Sure, you've already had sex, but you can begin waiting today. And sure, maybe sexual sin is something you've struggled with for a long time and don't think you can just stop. So how about taking a first step and asking for God's help? Are you willing to do that?

And then how about taking the next step and asking a friend to pray with you and encourage you. You might even need to break up with your girlfriend. I don't know. And because I don't know the specifics of your situation, that's why you need to be encouraged and supported by friends.

I do know, however, that God is crazy about you and will walk with you
through this. He's just waiting for you. Will you take God's hand and walk with Him? Please e-mail me back and let me know.

Listen to your favorite Christian music while you surf!