What guidelines does the Bible offer for male-female friendships?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Paul’s timeless description of Christian love becomes the standard of respect and conduct that should mark all our relationships.

Acts 16:14-15One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.

Acts 18:18Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.

1 Timothy 5:1-2Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.

Friendships with people of the opposite sex are valuable, especially since our spouse should be a good friend. As Christians, we have the responsibility to encourage our friends to grow closer to Christ regardless of their gender. The best way to keep our friendships pure is to treat our friends like our brothers and sisters. Paul gave women such as Lydia and Priscilla this kind of respect. We can do the same by training ourselves to focus on each friend’s heart—who that person really is.

Matthew 5:28“But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Ephesians 5:3, 18Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. . . . Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.

In dramatic contrast to much that we see in our culture, Jesus calls us to a standard of sexual purity in thought as well as in action.