Living in Sin or just roommates who love each other?

[Ferris Bueller]

No sin occurred other than in your mind....and that does not count.
What Ted and Alice did was as God designed and it was done that way all through the Old Testament and around 1500 years into Christianity. You are thinking you have the authority to label millions and millions of marriages as sinful.

OMGosh, grail, you're just not getting it, lol!
We already know the couple is not sinning, simply because they're not having sex, lol!
So that's not the sin issue at stake here.
The issue is they are giving the appearance that they are having sex without being legally married, and so a less knowledgeable believer, who thinks that's a sin, may be emboldened to do what it looks like to him they are doing. And so Ted and Alice sin that way.
Understand?

 

[Grailhunter]

OMGosh, grail, you're just not getting it, lol!
We already know the couple is not sinning, simply because they're not having sex, lol!
So that's not the sin issue at stake here.
The issue is they are giving the appearance that they are having sex without being legally married, and so a less knowledgeable believer, who thinks that's a sin, may be emboldened to do what it looks like to him they are doing. And so Ted and Alice sin that way.
Understand?

Appearances mean nothing. Find a scripture that we should be concerned about appearances. And....and it is the option of the uninformed that rules the lives of Christians. Oh! Oh! I have some....
John 7:24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.
2nd Corinthians 19:7 You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.

No sin occurred in this story given. No lack of consideration occurred in this story.
People need to be given the truth to begin with.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

Appearances mean nothing. Find a scripture that we should be concerned about appearances. And....and it is the option of the uninformed that rules the lives of Christians.

OMGosh, it's apparent you haven't read anything I've posted, lol.

 

[Grailhunter]

OMGosh, it's apparent you haven't read anything I've posted, lol.

I have addressed every part of it.....Ted and Alice have not sinned or been inconsiderate or irresponsible.
And any negative affects are a function of being uninformed. Which would be the only problem....
How do you trace that down?

 

[Ferris Bueller]

Ted and Alice have not...been inconsiderate or irresponsible.

You just don't get it.

 

[Grailhunter]

You just don't get it.

Either way not constructive. Better topic, what are we going to do if a couple shows up at our church that are not wedded? What are your suggestions?

Friendly church....welcome them in and enjoy their fellowship, make them feel at home. Just part of the congregation....after they get to know everybody....a year or so down the road....offer the church's services to celebrate their marriage.

Maybe they don't know they are married? Make sure they know....and now might as well do the last hurrah! Drop a hint....give them time....influence by association. But they got to feel comfortable or they will just walk off.....

Some one that is a member of a church should have a relatively cheap wedding. The question is, the reception, are we going to serve beer or wine in the Church's cafeteria?

So what do you think?

 

[Ferris Bueller]

Either way not constructive. Better topic, what are we going to do if a couple shows up at our church that are not wedded? What are your suggestions?

Here in America?
Get married or leave.
In a country and culture where being married has meant getting a marriage license it's just plain rebellion to not do that and call yourself married.
If there was no established cultural practice to rebel against they wouldn't be guilty of rebellion.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

they got to feel comfortable or they will just walk off.....

I'll hold the door for them.
Rebellion is an extremely communicable disease.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

The question is, the reception, are we going to serve beer or wine in the Church's cafeteria?

In our culture of celebrated drunkenness.....neither.
That's just stupid to bring that into the church.
Keep that in your own home, and any where out of your home where people don't know you're a Christian.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

You're reminding me why I probably won't attend a traditional church service ever again.
The church is going down the toilet fast. Morally and theologically.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

Welcome, sinner, to the First Church of the Whatever.
No, you drunken fool, you do not have to stop drinking to fellowship with us.
And, yes, you can continue to live with your girlfriend unmarried and fellowship with us.
Welcome to the seeker friendly church where saint and sinner alike fellowship together in perfect harmony!
What about 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, you ask? That's called 'judging'. We don't do that here.

 

[Taken]

John Q. Christian sees Ted and Alice, the fictitious couple in the OP, living together like man and wife without actually getting married.

I didn’t see the scenario indicating they were living in the same house,
“As a Married couple”...

 

[Angelina]

Two seniors in their 70's one widowed one divorced love each other. They decide to move in together. They have no desire to get married this late in life. They have separate bedrooms, no sexual relations, no joint bank accounts but truly love each other and for the most part are viewed as in a relationship.

Are they living in sin?

No! They are family....

 

[Ferris Bueller]

I didn’t see the scenario indicating they were living in the same house,
“As a Married couple”...

↓↓↓

They decide to move in together.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

No! They are family....

What does that mean????

 

[TEXBOW]

You just don't get it.

In the OP nothing they are doing is remotely considered sinful. What makes it sinful for you is "the love" they have for each other. They love each other but not enough so to get married. That could be for a multitude of reasons (in this scenario they are old and not doing the things most married couples do). If it was a boarding house and a man and women lived in that same boarding house, no problem. They could be almost strangers but when love happens BANG they are living in sin and stumbling Church members.

 

[Angelina]

They are not living like a married couple. They are living like they are members of a family. Where is this sin you speak of? Love? is loving someone from the opposite sex sinful? Is living under the same roof as another sinful because they love each other? I think not!

 

[Taken]

↓↓↓

Yes occupied the same house.
I’ve occupied the same house with a sibling of the opposite gender. That didn’t mean I was subject to what others thought, that may have been what they thought was a sin.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

Yes occupied the same house.
I’ve occupied the same house with a sibling of the opposite gender. That didn’t mean I was subject to what others thought, that may have been what they thought was a sin.

Then there would be no occasion for stumbling.
If John Q. Christian learns enough to know Ted and Alice are not married he surely would also know if they're just brother and sister, lol.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

I see no one has 'heard' a word I've said here.
It's good for me to know this.
I needed to know if this was the case or not.