Dating has become increasingly chaotic in modern culture. A 2020 Pew Research study found that 30% of Americans have used dating apps, yet 45% of users say the experience leaves them feeling more frustrated than hopeful. We swipe endlessly, date casually, and treat relationships as something to try on and discard if they don’t immediately feel perfect.
Author Timothy Keller once wrote,
“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God.”
This captures what’s missing in modern dating: the depth, intentionality, and purpose that come from pursuing relationships with eternal significance in mind.
The Bible doesn’t use the word “dating,” but it has plenty to say about relationships, marriage, and how we should conduct ourselves when looking for a spouse. Dating with purpose means approaching relationships with clarity, integrity, and the understanding that this isn’t just about finding someone who makes you happy. It’s about finding someone you can serve God with for a lifetime.
These verses reveal biblical principles for purposeful dating and relationships that honor God.
Bible Verses About Dating With Purpose
1. 2 Corinthians 6:14 – Do Not Be Yoked Together With Unbelievers
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
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2. Proverbs 4:23 – Guard Your Heart
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
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3. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
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4. Proverbs 31:30 – A Woman Who Fears the Lord
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
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5. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – Avoid Sexual Immorality
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God.
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6. Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord With All Your Heart
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
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7. 1 Timothy 5:2 – Treat Younger Women as Sisters, With Absolute Purity
Older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
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8. Hebrews 13:4 – Marriage Should Be Honored by All
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
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9. Matthew 6:33 – Seek First His Kingdom
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
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10. Proverbs 19:14 – A Prudent Wife Is From the Lord
Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
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11. Ephesians 5:3 – There Must Not Be Even a Hint of Sexual Immorality
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
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12. 1 Corinthians 6:18 – Flee From Sexual Immorality
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
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13. Proverbs 13:20 – Walk With the Wise
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
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14. Song of Solomon 8:4 – Do Not Arouse or Awaken Love
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.
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15. Philippians 4:8 – Whatever Is Pure, Think About Such Things
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
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16. 1 Corinthians 7:9 – It Is Better to Marry Than to Burn With Passion
But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
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17. Proverbs 18:22 – He Who Finds a Wife Finds What Is Good
He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
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18. Colossians 3:18-19 – Wives, Submit; Husbands, Love
Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
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19. Genesis 2:18 – It Is Not Good for the Man to Be Alone
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
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20. 1 Peter 3:3-4 – Unfading Beauty of a Gentle Spirit
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
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21. Proverbs 22:29 – Skilled Workers Will Serve Before Kings
Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.
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22. Romans 12:2 – Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
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23. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – Do It All for the Glory of God
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
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24. Psalm 37:4 – Take Delight in the Lord
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
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25. Amos 3:3 – Do Two Walk Together Unless They Have Agreed?
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
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26. Ephesians 5:25 – Husbands, Love Your Wives
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
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27. 1 Timothy 4:12 – Set an Example in Purity
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
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28. Proverbs 12:4 – A Wife of Noble Character
A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.
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29. James 1:5 – If Any of You Lacks Wisdom
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
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30. Genesis 24:12-14 – Let Her Be the One You Have Chosen
Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”
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31. 1 Corinthians 7:39 – She Must Marry Only in the Lord
A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
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32. Proverbs 27:17 – Iron Sharpens Iron
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
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33. 1 John 4:18 – Perfect Love Drives Out Fear
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
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34. Matthew 19:6 – What God Has Joined Together
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.
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35. Ruth 3:11 – A Woman of Noble Character
And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.
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Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Dating With Purpose
Dating with purpose means approaching relationships with marriage in mind from the beginning. That doesn’t mean proposing on the first date, but it does mean not wasting time in relationships that are going nowhere. If you know someone isn’t marriage material, don’t string them along or play house while you keep your options open.
Scripture is clear about not being unequally yoked with unbelievers. This isn’t religious snobbery. It’s practical wisdom. Shared faith is the foundation that determines whether you can truly walk together in the same direction for a lifetime. Attraction matters, compatibility matters, but if you’re not aligned spiritually, you’re building on sand.
Purposeful dating also means maintaining purity. Sexual intimacy outside marriage doesn’t just break God’s commands. It clouds your judgment and creates false intimacy that can keep you in relationships you should leave. When you remove physical compromise from the equation, you can see people more clearly.
The goal isn’t just finding someone who makes you happy. It’s finding someone you can serve God with, someone who sharpens you, and someone whose character reflects Christ. That requires intentionality, patience, and wisdom.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, I want to date with purpose and honor You in how I pursue relationships. Forgive me for the times I’ve treated dating casually, compromised my purity, or pursued relationships that weren’t aligned with Your will.
Give me clarity about what I’m looking for in a spouse. Help me to prioritize character over chemistry, spiritual maturity over surface-level attraction. Guard my heart and help me not to awaken love until the right time.
If I’m currently in a relationship, show me whether this is someone I should continue pursuing or whether I need to end it. Give me the courage to make hard decisions and the wisdom to see people clearly. Help me to maintain purity and honor You in how I conduct myself.
While I wait for the right person, continue to grow me into someone ready for marriage. Work on my character, deepen my faith, and prepare me for the responsibilities of a covenant relationship.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.