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Christian, is your boyfriend or girlfriend a Christian?
Is your boyfriend or girlfriend even interested in becoming a Christian?
If the answer to both of these questions is "no," then you are not doing
God's will. Not following God's will or Word is a sin, and you will undoubtedly
miss out on many of God's blessings as a result.
In
2
Corinthians 6:14, Paul tells us we are not to be yoked with
non-believers. The phrase "yoked together" is from the Greek verb "heterozugeo"
which means "to have fellowship with one who is not an equal" or "to be
unequally bound together." Paul continues to instruct in that verse that
righteousness and wickedness do not have anything in common nor does light
have fellowship with darkness. Being a Christian and choosing a non-believer
for a spouse is the same as not choosing God.
This passage, however, does not mean that if someone
is already married and they then become a Christian that they are to leave
their non-believing spouse, nor does it indicate that a Christian who marries
a non-believer, contrary to this scripture, can then turn around and leave
the non-believing spouse. In
1
Corinthians 7:12-14, Paul instructs that the Christian is
to remain married to the non-believer. The unbeliever is sanctified by
the believer which makes their children clean and set aside for God's purposes.
The unbeliever is sanctified (which does not mean saved) so that the marriage
bed and the children are clean in God's eyes. The Christian is to remain
with the non-believer in the hope that he or she will become a believer
(1
Corinthians 7:16). In 1
Corinthians 7:15, Paul does state, "But if the unbeliever
leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances;
God has called us to live in peace." Notice that Paul does not say the
believer can divorce or remarry; he says they are to allow the spouse to
leave and are not bound in that circumstance. Later, in that same passage,
Paul teaches that when one's spouse dies, he or she may remarry but only
someone who is a Christian (1
Corinthians 7:39). When a spouse dies, the bond of
that marriage is broken and the living believer is considered single again.
As you can see from the above-mentioned scriptures,
when choosing a spouse, the Bible sets rules for the Christian. Not following
these rules is a sin and it causes believers to forfeit many of God's blessings.
An unbelieving spouse can limit or damage the spiritual life of a Christian
and can also have a harmful effect on the children.
God's Word "draws a line in the sand" for the Christian
who is seeking a spouse. You are of righteousness and light. Why would
you choose to be yoked together with someone of wickedness and darkness?
God gives these guidelines for choosing a spouse so that you can have His
best spiritual blessings in your home, for your children, and for you.
It's your choice. Choose the righteous or the wicked. Choose carefully
before you are yoked together.
Copyright © 2003 Timothy A. Southall.
All rights reserved.
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