2 Corinthians 1-7: Marrying a Non-Christian

We know it's not a SIN to be married to a non-Christian, because Paul gives instruction on that subject in 1 Corinthians 7. But towards the end of the chapter (1 Corinthians 7:39), Paul said widows could remarry - but "only in the Lord." A widow should only marry a Christian. Perhaps 1 Corinthians 7 is concerned with men and women who obey the gospel but their spouses don't. Perhaps they became Christians only AFTER choosing a mate.

A passage in today's reading (2 Corinthians 6:14-15) has been used to say Christians should ONLY marry Christians. Here is the passage:

14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

I believe the immediate context of these verses indicate God is calling Christians to come out of the world. We are not to associate ourselves with worldly practices. We are not to run in worldly circles or extend the hand of fellowship to the world in the sense of participating in worldly matters.

So, can that apply to marrying a non-Christian? Think about it: what are we saying when we decide to marry someone who does not hold our faith? WHY are we marrying a non-Christian? Here are a few reasons.

1. He / She is really cute, fun, exciting, and makes me feel good. Isn't this a reason why we end up liking people? But these are external attractions, which may have nothing to do with the heart of the individual.

2. He / She makes a lot of money. Here is a reason based upon financial security. Again, it has nothing to do with the person's heart.

3. He / She has a great heart. A great heart for what? Does the person love other people? Does the person love God? If he or she loved God, don't you think there would be obedience rendered?

And we could list many other reasons...

We TRADE our faith for something else we like. We TRADE Jesus for a cute girl. We TRADE our faith for financial security. We TRADE God's picture of a good heart for our own picture. Is that really worth it? More importantly, is that spiritual thinking or carnal desire?

Of course, we can cite many stories of non-Christians who later became Christians because of their spouse's influence. But I'll bet we can cite many MORE stories of Christians who have fallen away because of unbelieving husbands and wives. Marriage is a big deal. We bind ourselves together FOR LIFE to another person. ONE person will have more influence over our decisions for the rest of our lives. Who should that be? If we are a single Christian, we have the opportunity to make a great decision on a spouse...who shall we choose?

Let me know what YOU think.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: 2 Corinthians 8-13