Getting Dating RightSample

Why This Matters

As we close out this Bible Plan, let’s remember why this matters.

Maybe you searched for a Plan about dating because you aren’t in a relationship, but you want to be. Maybe you just got out of a relationship and wanted to figure out what went wrong. Maybe you were just curious about what God has to say about this area of your life. Regardless of what brought you here, if you’re reading this, that’s a big deal. God has been speaking to you, through His Word, about His will for your life and relationships.

And remember, His will is for you to be holy. He wants this for you because He desires closeness with you. He wants you to be what He already is. You were made for communion with Him and with others.

We see this all the way back in the Garden of Eden. Creator God, who is love, made human beings in His image to walk with Him and work with Him, partnering together to continue the work of creating and cultivating that He started.

But, people rejected that plan. We distrusted the Father’s heart. That’s when sin entered our story.

Sin is a disease of self-centeredness that infects all of us and blinds us to the image of God in ourselves and others. It ravages us—body, mind, and soul—and it wreaks havoc in our world. This is why there’s so much brokenness surrounding relationships. When sin runs the show, what was meant to be the best part of life becomes deeply distorted.

Selfless love is replaced by lust—viewing other people as objects to be used for our own pleasure, instead of people made in God’s image. Our desire for intimate relationships is twisted into sexual addictions. The naked and unashamed freedom about their sexuality that Adam and Eve once enjoyed is so far from our experience it’s hard to even understand.

Why does this matter? Everything we’ve talked about matters so much because, through Jesus, God has made a way for us to come back to the Garden. Through our lives and relationships, we can tell a better story than one that’s dominated by sin. We aren’t doomed to continue the pattern of brokenness because Jesus has rescued us!

How do we live this better story?

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT

We embrace God’s grace and we live holy lives.

Grace is a gift that we cannot earn and don’t deserve. It’s salvation. Jesus didn’t have to rescue us, but He chose to because of His love. That’s grace. No matter what you’ve done or what’s been done to you, no matter how messy your sexual history is—God’s grace is available to you and it’s powerful enough to save you. Jesus proved it when He walked out of His own grave. His grace is more powerful than your sin.

If you haven’t truly embraced the gift of salvation, it’s time. Salvation is the starting line, the opening credits, to living a life that tells a different and better story.

And living a life that tells a different story is what it means to be holy. The word “holy” means different, set apart, and special.

This is what God has called us to. And it will be hard, because living counter to our culture is hard. Especially in the realm of relationships. But, Jesus’ vision for relationships is worth pursuing, because it’s marked by freedom, wholeness, and real love—a return to the Garden. And we get to follow His lead and depend on His Spirit every step of the way.

There’s more for you than relationships marred by sin. It’s time to step into the greatest calling of your life—becoming someone who loves God and loves others just like Jesus does.

Challenge: Don’t stop here. God has been speaking to you this week! Let that momentum drive you further into a relationship with Him. He’s called you to be holy, so be holy in all that you do. For more on what that looks like, check out the Bible Plan Habits of Holiness. Continuing to study God’s Word daily will help you identify opportunities to become more of who you were created to be!