Relationship with a Christian

Hi everyone, before I continue I’m going to state that I 100% respect their beliefs and would never suggest anything or do anything that I know they would regret and is against their religion. I am simply just trying to educate myself.

I was wondering what behaviours the bible restricts when it comes to a relationship before marriage? I know some Christian’s will not have sex before marriage but engage in other behaviours that can be interpreted to be sexual, and other Christians will not participate in any sexual activities whatsoever. I was wondering what if specifically restricted, and if anyone has any advice on how to approach this conversation with them? I would just like to know where they stand before I ask them out on date. Any answers/advice is really appreciated, thank you so much

It really depends on culture as well, as the lines can start to get blurred with relationships.
With the exception of one or two small groups of Christians who twist the Bible into something it's not, the overwhelming majority will take a stance against sex before marriage (1 Corinthians 7:2).
Many will (quite rightly imo) take a stance against other things which would be interpreted to be sexual, because we're all humans and once you start, who knows where you'll end up? Give the devil an inch and he'll take a mile.
Obviously I don't know them, so can't advise you if a direct approach or a more indirect approach would be best. You could ask about their views generally?

It really depends on culture as well, as the lines can start to get blurred with relationships.
With the exception of one or two small groups of Christians who twist the Bible into something it's not, the overwhelming majority will take a stance against sex before marriage (1 Corinthians 7:2).
Many will (quite rightly imo) take a stance against other things which would be interpreted to be sexual, because we're all humans and once you start, who knows where you'll end up? Give the devil an inch and he'll take a mile.
Obviously I don't know them, so can't advise you if a direct approach or a more indirect approach would be best. You could ask about their views generally?

Thanks alot for your reply, it is very educational. I understand sex before marriage is forbidden, and that many Christian’s do not participate in other behaviours that seem sexual (but is not actually sex), but I was wondering if this behaviour was specifically mentioned as forbidden in the bible? Many thanks

It depends on the Christian and their culture.
Making out to some could be fine, to others they could be very against it (for the reason I've said where it may kickstart the process of sex and, before you know it, it's all happened).
If one of you start getting sexually aroused, it may set off alarm bells for them to slow things down/bring it to a halt.
So to answer your question directly, there's no explicit verse saying "Don't participate in behaviours that seem sexual", but there's a real emphasis on purity and keeping away from sex before marriage. If said behaviours are going to lead to that, then it'll be frowned upon.
It's really down to the individual. Some things may be fine, others may not.
Hope this helps.

Thank you so much, yeah that absolutely makes sense and I really do understand the reasoning that by doing one thing, it may lead to another and so on. If you don’t mind me asking, just to educate myself further, why does the bible say that pre-marital sex is a sin? Is it simply to do with lust?

I think it is very much up to the conscience of the individual believer. In my experience controlling rules which defy credible justification are very often put to one side. Best to just to ask the person

Lust could be argued to be part of it, but it's really about the institute of marriage and the stability + benefits it brings.
God is not against sex, but it needs to be within the framework of marriage. Sex is for procreation and pleasure, but I'm sure you can also appreciate that it's a powerful mechanism. If this is abused then it can destroy your life. Marriage provides a safe, stable framework for you to enjoy yourselves. If you do then go on to have children, then they would be raised in a stable environment as well (having two present parents and both a male/female role model to look up to). This should mean healthy families are established, and healthy families are the fundamental building blocks of a good society.
There's also spiritual side effects/transactions that take place when you have sex (whether you want to believe that or not). I'll leave it there regarding that, but it's best in marriage since you and your spouse would have become one (Genesis 2:24).
Hopefully I've been able to provide a bit more clarity, and you can understand where I'm coming from with my first reason.

Hi, thanks for you reply! Could you expand upon what you mean by ‘rules which defy credible justification’ please? I’m just curious about what you mean by that

When religion seeks to impose restrictions that go against natural instinct and where there is little logic for them, they are often not complied with

There is logic behind it, though. The Bible was written before contraception was invented (and many Christians are against its use) so waiting until you're in a committed relationship protected by marriage makes sense as you don't want to get pregnant or contract anything unless you can be sure your partner will be there to support you.