Is Flirting Cheating?

Is flirting cheating? This is a question from a friend’s Facebook post and I’d like to share my response and related thoughts here in this article.

My response.

“When you’re single, flirting is a way of showing interest in the potential for intimacy with another. When you’re married, or even dating, flirting is for your partner. It is a form of verbal intimacy shared within a couple that expresses the physical intimacy they’ve shared or wish to share. Flirting with someone then is really an outward expression of an inward desire, so if you ARE flirting with someone else and you’re NOT single then what does that say about what you REALLY want?”

My thoughts.

This is the same principle that Jesus spoke of when He said that to even look at another lustfully has already adultery committed in the heart (Matthew 5:27-28). Flirting is merely a coy verbal expression of that desire. It’s actually one step closer to physically consummating it. So if you, or your partner do this then I suggest seeking God’s wisdom and grace in this matter for this is an issue much more dire than the casual insignificance many attribute to it.