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The act of physical love is expressed by the Hebrew word dod. We’ll talk more about dod later. My purpose in this week’s devos is to show why living together before marriage is not a part of God’s design. I pray that you will use this information to make godly decisions and give godly counsel.

So far this week, we have considered reasons why couples choose to live together and some statistics proving that living together doesn’t set marriages up for success. We’ve already looked at the first two parts of the Biblical Love Package: Friendship (Spirit Love) and Commitment (Heart Love). Here’s part three—the act of oneness that holds friendship and commitment together.

Today let’s talk about physical love. Here’s how it is poetically described in the Song of Solomon.

Song of Solomon 4:16
Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow.

CONSUMMATION: Physical Love

The act of physical love is expressed with the Hebrew word dod. It means to “caress, rock, fondle, and embrace.” Dod is the act of sexual intimacy. It is the experience of oneness reserved for marriage.

The Biblical Love Package consists of friendship, commitment, and sexual intimacy. These three components, working together, form a relationship bond that nothing will tear apart. So, why does living together not work? Because it does not contain all the elements of the Biblical Love Package. It is an attempt at friendship focused on sex without commitment. One has described living together as having a ready and available sex partner who will share the rent and housekeeping without making long-term promises. For a relationship to thrive, friendship, commitment, and intimacy must be wrapped in God’s design of marriage.

Father, forgive us for exchanging your design for our desires. Help us follow your instructions for marriage. In Jesus’ name. Amen.