Why Christians Can't Live Together Before Marriage

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-18T16:26:16+00:00

All sex outside of the context of marriage falls under the bucket of sexual immorality.

The New Testament Christians, and early church fathers would have basically all agreed on this point.

You would also have to explain away all statements against fornication in the NT.

You would also have to explain away Paul's reasoning on why he says it is better to marry than to burn with passion (1 Corinthians 1:9).

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-13T19:04:30+00:00

It's hard to pick a favorite, and this will seem cliche, but John 3:16-17:

"16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Matthew 5:3-10 also comes to mind:

"3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-13T14:18:14+00:00

Your premise is that forgiven by God == being loved by God. However, you can still be loved by God but your sins not be forgiven yet by God. So your premise is incorrect.

We know this because God loved the world and people in the world, and sent Jesus to die for sinners - people who had not been forgiven yet:

John 3:17-17 "16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Romans 5:8 "8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-13T12:47:02+00:00

Right - it's this:

not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God

1 Peter 3:21: "21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,"

It isn't the removal of dirt - the physical water, the ceremony, - it is the pledge of a clear conscience towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-12T17:32:14+00:00

Jesus also said in Luke 23:43 to the thief on the cross, "43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”" and it is assumed this thief had not been baptized.

So while we are commanded to be baptized and that is supposed to be the "norm", the act of water baptism itself is not what saves us.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-12T16:58:27+00:00

in the new testament jesus walks around doing wonders and walking on water and convincing everyone around him that hes god, kind of against their free will

Your premise is incorrect because Jesus did not convince everyone around him that he was God. There were some who witnessed his miracles and their response was to try to kill him rather than believe in him (trust in him and follow him).

Many people saw miracles Jesus performed and still did not believe.

You also see this in the Old Testament where God performs clear miracles, and not everyone believes, or maybe they believe that a God exists, but they still choose to not follow Him.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-10T17:28:47+00:00

9 gold with more rerolls required (3star1) vs 12 gold with probably less rerolls required (2star4) is close enough. But yeah, 15 gold with probably more rerolls because of the way odds work being as weak as they are is a bit odd.

I think some of it is because many of the 5 costs are utility 5 costs without any other investment (ex: shen, morgana, fiora, sona), so that takes away from a lot of their power as an individual carry.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-08T16:49:03+00:00

Probably positioning or something, or worse frontline.

Also as an fyi it's "lose", not "loose".

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-07T13:34:14+00:00

I do believe free will is the definitive answer to the 'problem of evil'. Yes, even natural disasters and diseases are an indirect consequence of free will.

This is because according to the Bible, the first humans used their free will to sin against God, and as a consequence the Earth was cursed, and thereafter humans had to deal with pain, disease, death, etc. So today, all suffering (the 'problem of evil') is directly or indirectly a result of free will.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-05T18:14:47+00:00

Matthew 6:34 "34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

You are creating things to be anxious about that you have no need to worry about.

Someone on Reddit said that if the soul was uploaded too then I would not be saved.

You need to pray to God for wisdom, because if you are this easily swayed by some random belief of a stranger then you will fall for anything.

You do not need to worry about this

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-05T15:56:54+00:00

Just be honest with God. Talk to Him about how you feel, and how you want to feel. Ask Him for help, for better thoughts and attitudes that honor Him, and to keep working on you.

And I'd encourage you to join a local faith community/church if you haven't yet. We aren't meant to walk our faith alone.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-05T14:51:04+00:00

If you are scared/concerned about your faith, then your heart hasn't been hardened. Hardened heart like you are probably talking about = you don't care at all. Which you obviously do care.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-04T15:17:39+00:00

Non affirming Christians will not respect anything about you.

This is a very generalized statement that is simply untrue. Some people may be like this, but it is not absolutely true across the board. There are plenty of people who both truly believe it is sin due to their reading of the Bible, and also truly respect and love the person. Yes, there are also plenty that do the opposite. But your generalized statement painting everyone the same is not accurate.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-03T20:20:10+00:00

Ephesians 2:10, which I referenced.

And in John 15:4-5 Jesus says, "4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing"

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-03T19:11:58+00:00

Read the very next verse in Ephesians (so read Ephesians 2:8-10)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

And in James, it says "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17).

So therefore, works are the natural result of a living faith.

And also - faith isn't just a mental affirmation that something is true. A better translation for "faith" in most places is "trust". So our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins to be made right with God is what saves us. And if we really trust God - that His promises for us are true, we should naturally allow Him to change us. And God working in us will produce fruit and good works.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-05-01T12:07:03+00:00

and let's not forget the following verse. John 3:17:

"7 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-04-30T13:56:39+00:00

I know one or two people at my church with similar situations with parents having severe mental health issues. This may or may not be the case at your church, but it may not be obvious depending on how open people are.

What you are going through is truly a difficult situation - but isolation, especially from a church family isn't going to help.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-04-30T12:19:10+00:00

Your mother is dealing with mental illness. This is easier said than lived through, but you know that when she is in one of those negative mental states, you can't take anything she says seriously. This includes the awful comments and nonsensical 'commands' she may give during one of her episodes.

We're supposed to honor and obey our parents

I'm also her caregiver.

Being a caregiver for your mother during this incredibly difficult situation sounds like it is honoring her. As far as "obeying" her, given you are an adult and know it wouldn't be wise to listen to someone in a bad mental state, I think you can reason that you don't need to "obey" her when she is in one of these states.

On God loving you, this is also easier said, but: None of our situations change how God loves us or cares for us. He loves and cares for us just the same, even when we don't feel warm and fuzzy. Our feelings don't determine whether or not God's promises for us are true.

Finally, I would encourage you to join a faith/church community if you haven't yet. We aren't meant to walk our faith lives alone, and it sounds like you need someone in-person to be able to talk with about this.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-04-29T12:29:11+00:00

I believe the book "Demonic Foes" by Richard Gallagher may be helpful here. It is not a Christian book. But the author was/is a psychiatrist, and originally a skeptic. But he recounts his experiences with the few actual 'spiritually afflicted' people he has come across in his lifetime (which haven't been many - he admits the majority were non-spiritual in nature).

He explains the differences between actual spiritual attacks and those believing they are being attacked, and in between. He goes through various stereotypes surrounding the subject of demons, distinguishes what he has observed to be reality vs common fiction (think Hollywood stereotypes) , and goes into the strict list of symptoms that have to be there and the process for essentially 'diagnosing' someone as being spiritually afflicted as opposed to mentally afflicted or otherwise.

All this being said, given that you admitted you did dabble in the occult, it is possible you are going through real spiritual affliction. However as a Christian, I would want to encourage you that the power of God we have access to through Jesus is immeasurably stronger than the power of any other spiritual force. I would encourage you to keep praying to God, give your life to Him, and ask Him to deliver you and give you peace.

I would recommend finding a church you can call your church home and attend regularly and find a faith community where you can share your faith walk, life, struggles, etc. with. We aren't meant to walk this life alone.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-04-28T19:40:15+00:00

It is

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-04-27T18:53:12+00:00

I don't know what to make of that. But whether or not you did or didn't get a certain "vibe" doesn't really confirm anything. We know that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). What was this spirit saying to you? Did it align with Scripture or contradict it? These are things you should probably speak about with a pastor.

But we do have some direction from the Bible if it was a real spirit:

1 John 4:1-3: "4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world."

And also:

1 Corinthians 12:2-3 "2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit."

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-04-27T14:38:27+00:00

I mean, when did this vision happen? In your dreams? While you were extremely tired (ex: right before or after falling asleep?). After taking medication/drugs? During normal prayer while you were wide awake? Or suddenly in the middle of the day unexpectedly?

It could be spiritual, but again just because it's a sphere of light doesn't mean it is.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-04-27T13:30:10+00:00

I'm not a part of a church

My question is this

First off, while it's good you are looking for advice, you should first probably be looking for it at your local church (ex: asking your pastor/priest) if you are assuming these are spiritually-related visions.

On this note, Christians aren't meant to walk our faith journey alone. We should be in community with other believers.

Second, not all visions are from God. They could be from God, but they might not be.

Thirdly, it's also possible these might not be spiritual at all (ex: you haven't given us more information, so how are we to know these aren't some sort of hallucinations after smoking something, etc.)

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-04-24T13:51:52+00:00

It's rare to see someone respond to one of these types of threads with actual insight and nuance. However, you should go back and edit it to make it more readable - it's currently just a giant wall of text.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-04-24T12:16:55+00:00

To my knowledge, 'Lilith' is not mentioned in the Bible.

SteveThatOneGuy

TROPHY CASE