2 Cents

Principle #1 is placed first for a reason. The first thing you need to be concerned with before you start dating is giving your life over to Jesus Christ and living for God's glory. Consequently it would logically follow that the person you should be looking for to date needs to have done the same.

Again we must not apply this principle as a one-size-fits-all, always-applicable rule for dating. God can, and does, bring couples to Christ who were together long before each knew the Lord. However this is the exception, not the rule, and it should never be your goal to be with someone who could pull you away from your most important relationship - the one with God. More often than not the unbeliever brings the believer down, not the other way around.

In 1 Corinthians 6:14 Paul writes, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness." In context this statement should be taken to apply to relationships in general and fellowship. The primary meaning of this passage is not dating or marriage as many would have you believe. However a very proper application of the passage is dating. If the passage applies to fellowship among believers (such as church small groups) how much more should it apply to the most intimate human relationship (marriage)! And as we said in pt. 2, the point of dating should always be marriage.