True Love Waits

The Five Commitments of True Love Waits

Below are the five commitments of True Love Waits, as taken from the LifeWay web site.

  1. To God: Matthew 22:37 – “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'”
  2. To yourself: Matthew 22:39 – “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
  3. To family: Philippians 4:5 – “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
  4. To friends: John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
  5. To future mate and children: 2 Timothy 2:22 – “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

When I first learned of True Love Waits

Fear Not Joshua 1:9 - My True Love Waits Purity Ring

Fear Not Ring I used as my purity ring.

I remember about this purity covenant promise you make when I was a youth, in the mid 1990’s. I was at a Youth Evangelism  Conference in Nashville, TN. I even won a True Love Waits t-shirt, it was under the seat I was sitting at. I was wanting to sign this then, I was one of the one youth members at my church that wanted to sign this, so the church I was attending then decided not do it.

I committed before my church (Piedmont Baptist) publicly with this decision on April 7, 2013. I also announced a re-dedication to Christ publicly that day and asked for prayers as I study Theology. I want to help with the youth.

I also making this as a public confession before my readers of this Christian blog that I maintain as well. I even got a ring, a purity ring to wear as a covenant to God. My ring says “Fear Not” on the outside and “Josh 1:9” on the inside, meaning Joshua 1:9. Below is that verse from the New King James version

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

That verse will help me know God is always on my side and I have nothing to fear. I know a lot of other people their rings will say purity rings or even say true love waits like the first image of this blog post. However with mine, I liked it. Fear Not remind me that God is always with me.

Note: After watching this documentary, April 17, 2015, it was the Youth Evangelistic Conference of 1993 that I attended where I learned about True Love Waits and won the t-shirt, because the documentary we watched told us that they presented it to that conference. I remember as a youth in church we would go to that every year. 

(Click here to continue reading)

Part 1 (About & The Pledge)
Part 2 (Five Commitments of True Love Waits  & When I First Learned About True Love Waits)
Part 3 (Where to Wear the Ring, Those Who Commit Adultery & Those Who Don’t Want to Wait)
Part 4 (Stay in the Word, Why Abstain? & Becoming One)
Part 5 (The Closing, Bible Verses & The Challenge To You)

About the Author

Author: Steve Patterson

A Christian Blogger that enjoys blogging about the Bible, Theology, God, Jesus Christ, Christian Music, Family, Cats, Odd Holidays, sewing and much more. I have been blogging since 2004, however, I have been blogging on Courageous Christian Father since 2012. I enjoy listening to Christian Music. I am married with 1 daughter, 2 step-sons and a step daughter.

17 thoughts on “True Love Waits

  1. true love will do what is right for the one you love. Hopefully yourself included in that love

  2. Sad today people want to test drive before marriage as they call it. Don’t they understand that it’s a precious gift meant for your future spouse. More test driving more you can contact something or unwanted pregnancies and like you said you also become one with all other prior people. True love will make sex special when it’s based on a God centered relationship.

  3. I was 13 and knew nothing about sex. I’d not ever really kissed a boy with any sense of longing. But there I was in the Southern Baptist Church in which I grew up working through a program based on a handful of Bible verses extracted from context led by group leaders. And knowing nothing about what reality had in store, I signed a little card and got a little ring in front of my church.

    I’m a Christian. And don’t get me wrong; I think that waiting is good. But the whole “True Love Waits” concept needs to come with a nice dose of reality (not to mention science). You’re in 7th grade and forced to say that you’ll wait. But what if you’ve never been horny? You’ve never known what it feels like. And you weren’t ever taught that while waiting is ideal, how can you deal with things if something happens? And one day, a kid is alone with his/her boyfriend or girlfriend and groping on the couch goes farther. Clothes come off. And because you thought you were going to wait, you’re not prepared. You think one time won’t hurt.

    How many folks in the same Southern Baptist youth group had sex (and then many, a lot of guilt) in just this scenario? Of those I knew, it wasn’t a small number. And because kids weren’t prepared for reality, kids had babies (because abortion wasn’t an option and nobody went went adoption). Teenage lives were complicated far too early (affecting far too many family members adversely who then had to care for a kid that could have been prevented with a dose of science and a condom). Quick marriages between teens (who would have never gotten near engagement otherwise) happened. And then there was divorce later for some.

    I’m blessed and lucky. I waited because I wanted to know what I was getting into. I had sex of my own volition and choosing at 26. Was I married? No. I’m 33 now. Am I married? No. And I don’t think it’s something I want. Am I a whore? No? I don’t have wild, indiscriminate sex? I’ve gone years without it. And I have also had it for long periods of time consistently with a single partner (with birth control and disease testing/prevention). I’m healthy and happy. But I was lucky. I saw through the (short sighted) offerings of True Love Waits. I waited for me…and even if I hadn’t, I was always prepared (years before I had sex, even).

    Why kids aren’t taught a possible Biblical ideal, but then also how to be responsible is criminal to me…and a failure of Christians. I’ve seen many lives wrecked by the narrow view of True Love Waits and dreams cut short. I’m lucky (and still a Christian…just one that believes in a healthy dose of reality and responsibility as well).

  4. Wonderful post. I read a fiction novel where the teens were participating in a similar program that had a major impact on their lives. When we do things God’s way that is always the results. It’s funny, though, how the world doesn’t think twice about premarital sex. It’s just something you do like brushing your teeth. How sad that we have diminished something God gave as a gift has been diminished to “no big deal.”

  5. @grown up No one is forced to commit, you make the commit on your own to abstain based on the Biblical standards from God. True Love teaches these standards. People look at Christianity as too many to do’s or don’t. It is about wanting to follow the one who saved us. Jesus.

  6. @Concerned It is said that people today don’t see it as a precious gift from God. It will be very special when it is in the means of a Biblical Christ-Centered marriage and stays inside that marriage.

  7. After watching this documentary, April 17, 2015, it was the Youth Evangelistic Conference of 1993 that I attended where I learned about this and won the t-shirt, because the documentary we watched told us that they presented it to that conference. I remember as a youth in church we would go to that every year.

Feel free to share your comment! Thank you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.