The age when a Christian should start dating for marriage depends on the age of maturity. While different people mature at different ages, most people in our western society are not ready for marriage until their mid-20s. The average age for most first marriages in the United States is now somewhere between age 25 and 28. During this age group, there is a greater level of maturity that helps couples be more responsible and qualified for the long life commitment.
Waiting for that age group allows couples to finish their education before they are ready for marriage. Those who marry prior to finishing their education may find more challenges like raising children and greater financial burdens. Proverbs 24:27 says, “Prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house.” Before a young man could hope to win a wife from her parents he had to be in a position to demonstrate his ability to support her (Gen. 24:35, 53). And in order to do this he would need to establish himself by cultivating a means of supporting the needs of a family.
There is “a time to love” (Ecclesiastes 3:8) and there is a time not to “awaken love” (Song of Solomon 8:4). Young people should wait on dating until they are ready for marriage. Until then, the young may fellowship with each other in groups with less temptation to sin (premarital sex).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
