There have been a lot of relationships starting in our community lately. This is a good thing… but this can also be a bad thing. Over the years, I have seen a few relationships that have fueled and deepened the couple’s passion for God—but sadly—many relationships where the end result is idolatry. Idolatry is worshiping anything but God.
Here is how you can know the difference: if the relationship is leading you closer to Christ and your passion for his mission grows, then the relationship is a good thing. If your relationship with God suffers and your passion for His mission dies, it is a bad thing.
In the latter case, the person you are dating becomes your “functional savior”, someone who saves you from your own personal hell; the hell of loneliness or insignificance. The person you date becomes the place where you derive your identity and fulfillment—this is of utmost danger.
“Savior” is a role reserved for Jesus alone. If Jesus is not your savior—and someone else is—your relationship is idolatry and your mission ceases to be the mission of God but becomes the mission of relationship.
In a healthy relationship, the person of choice is not your savior but rather your partner in the Gospel. Your love for each other only stokes the flames of your live for God. Your mission is not each other but God’s mission.
If you are in a relationship that is leading you away from God—GET OUT!
