Thank you Pr Wolfmueller for those questions about living together and chastity. Those are very helpful and a great analytical tool. Have you ever read the book "I Married You" by Walter Trobisch? I had heard about it first from Pr Dave Pederson on Issues Etc. I really appreciate how Trobisch describes entering the marital estate based on the text from Gen 2. In Gen 2, Adam says that man should leave his parents, cleave to his wife, and become one flesh with her. So, there are three points of entry: wedding (leaving parents), love (cleaving), sex (one flesh). Trobisch argues that a wedding and sex are irrevocable acts and should (by God's design) be taken very carefully and deliberately. In the book he is dealing with marriage counseling in Africa, so one ditch he fights against is arranged marriages (or at least the danger of the parents not being thoughtful concerning the children they are setting up). Obviously, in our times the great danger is sex before marriage. The image that Trobisch sets up (and I think very useful for couples who are dating/engaged) is seeking to enter the marital estate through love, steadily growing in faithfulness (working towards the one-time event of a wedding) and in intimacy (working towards the becoming one flesh). This diagram from the book is helpful: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Cq19CQVU90TWxNYWhJlqXOdTDO35eD6/view?usp=sharing. Anyways, I found it to be a really good book and would recommend it for your reading, if you haven't yet. Thanks again for your insights!
Thank you Pr Wolfmueller for those questions about living together and chastity. Those are very helpful and a great analytical tool. Have you ever read the book "I Married You" by Walter Trobisch? I had heard about it first from Pr Dave Pederson on Issues Etc. I really appreciate how Trobisch describes entering the marital estate based on the text from Gen 2. In Gen 2, Adam says that man should leave his parents, cleave to his wife, and become one flesh with her. So, there are three points of entry: wedding (leaving parents), love (cleaving), sex (one flesh). Trobisch argues that a wedding and sex are irrevocable acts and should (by God's design) be taken very carefully and deliberately. In the book he is dealing with marriage counseling in Africa, so one ditch he fights against is arranged marriages (or at least the danger of the parents not being thoughtful concerning the children they are setting up). Obviously, in our times the great danger is sex before marriage. The image that Trobisch sets up (and I think very useful for couples who are dating/engaged) is seeking to enter the marital estate through love, steadily growing in faithfulness (working towards the one-time event of a wedding) and in intimacy (working towards the becoming one flesh). This diagram from the book is helpful: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Cq19CQVU90TWxNYWhJlqXOdTDO35eD6/view?usp=sharing. Anyways, I found it to be a really good book and would recommend it for your reading, if you haven't yet. Thanks again for your insights!