SUPPLEMENTAL SCRIPTURES
- Deuteronomy 7:2-3
- Matthew 19:3-12
Relationships with those of the opposite sex can only be blessed by God if the parties involved stay within the guidelines of God’s Word. The outcome of such a relationship may be marriage. In the beginning God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone,” and He created Eve to be the companion of Adam. If it is ultimately a marriage blessed by God that we wish, the steps we take to get that mate must also be blessed by God and in accordance with His will. With this in mind, it would be well to lay out a formula that would lead us from a place of unattachment to a union God can bless.
QUESTIONS
- What is implied by the words “walk together” in Amos 3:3?
- What is the meaning or implication of the word yoked in 2 Corinthians 6:14? In what way is this verse in harmony with the Scripture in Amos?
- What should be the criterion used for making a decision as to whom we will date?
- In Ephesians 4:1, Paul exhorts us to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” Tell briefly what you think that means.
- To guard against getting out of God’s will in a dating relationship, what is the man’s responsibility? What is the woman’s?
- What happens to the relationship of a dating couple when they each draw closer to the Lord?
- In the context of a dating couple, what might it mean to “defile the temple of God”? See 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.
- In light of the above Scripture, what allowance is given for the current trend toward having a sexual relationship outside of marriage?
- Dangerous stress is added to a relationship if self-love or self-interest enters in, and one presses for an immediate marriage. If we are within God’s will in the development of a relationship, occasionally God may signal, “Wait.” What might be some of the indicators that point to the fact that postponing a marriage would be wise?
- What is the key requirement for the development of any relationship as given in Matthew 6:33?
THEME THOUGHTS
The purpose of this quarter is to focus on the meaning of complete consecration. Keeping this in mind, we started this quarter with a lesson on the heart, “for out of it are the issues of life.” We continued with various members of the physical body, showing that each member can be consecrated and can be used in the service of the Lord. In order to be totally committed to Christ, we should not only consecrate the parts of our physical body, but also our will, time, money, relationships, and future. As you study these lessons, you will find that in many cases they overlap. For instance, the lesson which deals with the tongue relates closely to the lesson on the heart, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” We are not suggesting that each part can be consecrated as a segment, or in a certain progression, but rather endeavoring to stress that total commitment to Christ involves all of these aspects. Consecration begins with salvation when one dedicates his life to God, but total commitment to Him involves day-to-day decisions. You might say that we have taken one lesson on total consecration and divided it into thirteen sections in order to give an in-depth coverage.