Expert: Dr Eddy Cheong - 4/23/2010

Question
is sleeping in the same room with your fiancee  wrong? heres the scenario my fiance is a part time student in aforeign country and i went to visit him  after 4 mths of seperation .I am a virgin and we never do more than hugs and hold hands but on this  ten day visits because of the  flight expenses and  expensive hotel suite we ve been sleeping together in the same room no sex no kissing with him  sleeping on the   floor most times but i feel wierd given my views on sexual immorality and the fact that it  may  be giving  an apearance of  evil to unbelievers. we are both christans and he tries to console me on the matter  and really respects my chastity.but i just cant help feeling ashamed somehow  even though the holy spirit  has not convicted me but  i feel i may be g iving a wrong impression and offending GOD. what do you think/

Answer
There are two issues here. The first issue concerns exposing yourselves to temptation.

When we pray the Lord's prayer we are essentially asking God to protect us from falling into temptation...
Matt 6:13
13 Don't bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.
TLB

1 Cor 16:18 below specifically commands us "to flee sexual immorality". Notice the words "to flee" which means ESSENTIALLY MEANS to actively move away from areas where we can be tempted sexually.

1 Cor 6:18

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
NKJV

The second issue is the issue of causing a weaker brother to sin...
1 Cor 8:13
13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
NIV

A stronger and more mature Christian may be able to stand firm when tempted but a weaker brother under the same circumstances could easily fall (FROM the same temptation). Hence, we must not behave or act in such a manner such that when a weaker christian sees us doing a certain thing, he or she will fall rather than be able to stand and resist.

The Lord's Words sum this whole issue up..

Matt 18:6
6 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
NKJV

Since suicide is forbidden in the Bible, it follows that the Lord was speaking metaphorically in Matt 18:6 above. What the Lord meant was that causing a young Christian to stumble is even worse than the sin of suicide. Amen