Chapter 1
The Beloveds
Who Is a Beloved?
My beloved is mine, and I am his...Song of Solomon 2:A “beloved” is a person with whom you have a relationship, which is intended to end up in
marriage. In other words, he or she is the man or woman you have officially agreed to marry.
Some use the terms fiance(e), boyfriend,or girlfriendto describe the relationship, but in this book
we are adopting the term “beloved”.
We do not advise young men and women to have close relationships with the opposite sex,
which are not intended for marriage, as these boyfriends and girlfriends commonly involve
themselves in immoral vices such as fornication. Hence, we caution that such relationships
should be entered into solely for the purpose of marriage, and that the period for developing the
relationship before the marriage (traditionally referred to as courtship) should not be too long.
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every
woman have her own husband.1 Corinthians 7:Are You Sure You Want to Marry This Person?Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.1 Thessalonians 5:And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And
she said, I will go.Genesis 24: