So sex is reserved for the marriage bed, but what does the Bible say about how much physicality is permissible outside of marriage? Honor God with your bodies God loves sex, designed us as sexual beings, and established this guideline of keeping sex within marriage to protect us in our dating relationships and to bless us in our marriage relationships.
Our sense of true intimacy is bent and warped-this is not what God wants for us. When this fails to happen, we feel used and broken. When we become one flesh, we are supposed to leave others and cleave in commitment to our spouse (Genesis 2:24). Sex outside of a committed relationship is harmful to us and leaves us hurting because physical intimacy was designed for permanent relationships that are also emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually connected permanently. Sexually active relationships carry the same gravity as a marriage because they bring two people into an intimacy that God intends to be permanent. Scripture is clear that becoming one flesh is the same as being married.