# Bible verses about purity in dating > Bible verses about purity in dating from the World English Bible: Paul on holiness and honor, not wronging others, wise company, and love that is sincere. Canonical: https://lucernel.com/guides/bible-verses/dating-and-purity Last updated: 2026-11-01 Dating raises real questions about desire, honor and what you owe the other person. The Bible gives no dating manual, but it says a lot about how to treat people and how to care for your own heart. These verses come from the World English Bible. Pray the short prayer at the end. **1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 is the central passage on sexual purity and honor.** Paul tells the church that God's will is their holiness, that each person control his own body in honor, and that no one should take advantage of or wrong a brother or sister. The passage cares about the other person as much as about your own conduct. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7) ## Holiness and honor Paul writes to a young church. He says God's will is their sanctification, that they abstain from sexual immorality, and that each one know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor, not in the passion of lust. Then he adds that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter. The Lord, he says, is an avenger in all these things, and God called us not for uncleanness but in sanctification. In dating, the second half matters most. Your partner is a brother or sister whom God loves, and not someone to be used for your comfort. The same is true of you. Paul's warning is a reason to take the other person seriously. > For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor, not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God, that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. > (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7) ## Love that waits for its time The Song of Solomon is a book of love poems. The refrain in 2:7 is spoken by the bride to the daughters of Jerusalem: do not stir up or awaken love until it so desires. The plain words say that love has its own timing and should not be pushed or pressured. Romans 12:9-10 asks that love be without hypocrisy, that believers abhor evil and cling to what is good, be tenderly affectionate to one another, and prefer one another in honor. Sincere love puts the other person first. > I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires. > (Song of Solomon 2:7) > Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor prefer one another, > (Romans 12:9-10) ## Choose your company Proverbs 13:20 says that one who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. In 2 Corinthians 6:14 Paul tells believers not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, asking what fellowship light has with darkness. He writes about partnerships in general, and Christians weigh the verse carefully when they think about a close relationship. A pastor can help you think it through. Whatever you decide, closeness shapes people, so it is fair to ask what a relationship is shaping in you. Paul prays in Philippians 1:9-10 that love abound in knowledge and discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent. > One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. > (Proverbs 13:20) > Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? > (2 Corinthians 6:14) > This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ, > (Philippians 1:9-10) ## A way of life, not a list Paul tells Timothy not to let anyone despise his youth but to be an example in word, way of life, love, spirit, faith and purity. Purity stands in a list of ordinary virtues here. Ephesians 5:3 says sexual immorality and all uncleanness should not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting for saints. Both describe a way of life more than a list of limits. If you have crossed lines in a past relationship, you are not disqualified. 1 John 1:9 promises forgiveness to those who confess, and nothing here asks you to hide. > Let no man despise your youth; but be an example to those who believe, in word, in your way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. > (1 Timothy 4:12) > But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; > (Ephesians 5:3) - Talk about your limits early and out loud, and ask for the other person's. - Tell a mentor or a friend what you are working on, so you are not alone in it. - Renounce keeps the apps you chose locked until you have prayed, and the SOS button is there for the moment a text or a feed becomes a temptation. ## A prayer for a relationship Lord, teach me to honor the person I am with as someone you love. Keep me from using anyone or being used. Give me wisdom about my limits and the courage to keep them. Where I have failed, forgive me and begin again with me. Amen. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does the Bible say about purity in dating? It does not use the word dating. It speaks of honor and holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7), love without hypocrisy (Romans 12:9-10) and being an example in purity (1 Timothy 4:12). ### How far is too far? The Bible gives no list. 1 Thessalonians 4:6 says not to take advantage of or wrong a brother or sister in this matter. Talk it through with a pastor or mentor, and agree on limits together before the moment. ### Can I date someone who is not a Christian? 2 Corinthians 6:14 speaks of being unequally yoked with unbelievers. Christians read it with care in this context, so talk it over with a pastor. ### I have already fallen in a past relationship. Is there hope? Yes. 1 John 1:9 promises forgiveness to those who confess, and Lamentations 3:22-23 speaks of mercies that are new every morning. ### How can I keep purity when we text all day? Decide in advance when the phone goes down, and use the Screen Time lock in Renounce for the apps that pull you. If an urge comes, SOS opens a stop screen, a breath and a prayer. ## Sources (checked 2026-10-01) - [World English Bible (public domain), eBible.org](https://ebible.org/find/details.php?id=engwebp)