Question: I’m engaged to be married in a few months. My future husband wants to go “all the way” before our wedding night. Do I need to wait? We are so committed to each other.
Answer: It’s a wonderful blessing to find someone that you can share the rest of your life with. And it’s with the rest of your lives together in mind that you should consider saving the wonderful gift of sexual intimacy until your wedding night.
What I mean by this is that during your hopefully many years together, there will possibly be times when suspicion and/or jealousy might rear its ugly head. Questions of unfaithfulness might arise on either side. In the midst of such a challenging situation, there will be great value in knowing that you both walked with integrity during these days leading up to your wedding.
You can really bless each other by showing restraint and commitment to your personal convictions. If you are both believers (which I hope you are), then remember that Jesus wants His bride to be pure. In Ephesians 5:27 we are told that the church, also referred to as the Bride of Christ, should have no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless.
So why should we settle for anything less? And if need be, you might even need to consider the advice of the popular marriage counselor Jimmy Evans, who suggests that if couples can’t refrain from being intimate, then maybe they should move the wedding date up ASAP! You will never go wrong by honoring God and seeking His best for your lives.
Best wishes to both of you in this matter and in every aspect of joining your lives together.
Dr. Steve Rahter
Pastor
Praise Tabernacle, Egg Harbor Township
