"She is free to marry anyone
she wishes—but he must belong to the Lord." 1 Corinthians 7:39
Every year on June 4, Joseph gives a book of poetry to his
wife, Jane. They met in a poetry class in college when she had forgotten the
assigned book one day and he loaned her his copy. June 4 is their wedding
anniversary, and Joseph’s annual gift reminds them of how they met all those
years ago.
Take care now on you make marital connections. You profess
Christ as your Lord? You do well, therefore, don’t ever put yourself in a
position where you begin to date a non-believer hoping that your witness will
win him or her to Jesus!
Never consent to marry any one in opposition to the plain
teachings of God's holy Word. Remember it was unequally yoke marriages between
saints and sinners–which brought the Jews into such distress after their return
from the Babylonian captivity. It was such a marriage that brought all the
troubles of Samson upon him; and it was marrying with unconverted women that
led away Solomon's heart from God. The strongest and wisest of men were thus
overcome, and therefore you should also be on your guard.
Think of its effects on your own spirituality—of the
consequence to your children—of the bad impression it makes on the world—and
the mischief it introduces into the church. It is one of Satan's chief snares—one
of his most powerful engines; therefore beware of it. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
Settle it in your minds now; determine, in God's strength,
that you never will yield to this temptation—to be unequally yoked with an
unbeliever. A man must be intimately acquainted with the entire history of
God's church from the beginning, and then he would require the arm of an angel,
and the intellect of an archangel—to write down all the mischief, misery, and
sin, that has resulted from the mixed marriage of believers and unbelievers! If
such a volume were written, it would take more than a lifetime to read it. But
it is written, it will be read; for when time shall be no more—when it is too
late to correct the wrong or make amends for our mistakes—we shall see, in the
clearest light, what have been the fearful consequences of such unhallowed
connections.
I know you think that you will be the exception! But don’t
fool yourself – no one is. To be the exception would mean that God’s Word has
cease being alive, powerful and predictable (2 Cor. 6:14-18). When the last breath is taken and history
stands no more, these words will forever stand, “God is
true and every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4).
If you are living with a boyfriend or girlfriend who is not
a believer, you are already in deep bondage and heading for real time disaster.
Getting out of such a relationship especially if sex has already been occurring
is next to impossible. Your only hope is a miracle from God. You need to be
delivered. Pray that God steps in and awakens you of your situation and then
comes to your aid. By yourself, you will continue to do what you are doing
until you are broken beyond belief.
If you like someone who is a non-believer, then pray for the
person salvation and wait patiently on God to show you His will regarding the
person. Remember, as long as such a person remains unsaved, that person is
NEVER the will of God for your life. Don’t rush a head of God thinking that you
can work out your own happy and successful destiny. If you think that, the
devil has you right where he wants you.
You may know someone who married a person who wasn’t a
Christian who later became one and their marriage has turned out wonderful. This
may be true, but you do not know the hidden repercussions that occurred. The
end never justifies the means. Just the fact that you are thinking of such and
using it as an example that there are exceptions proves my point. Many will try and many will fail over one
example.
As a single believer, remember, you are free to marry
whomever you choose, as long as he or she also is a committed believer. And do
not settle for a mere profession of faith. Be doubly sure that the person you
marry loves God with all his or her heart and is truly saved. Look for the
fruit of the Spirit – a change life and heart, and don’t settle for anything
less, like hearing the right words in a person’s profession of faith.
Now go and with God’s help, find your soul-mate! Just be
sure that before you attach yourself to a person as a soul-mate, you know for
certain that such a person already has his or her soul attached to the Lord. This way, you too can look forward to celebrating
your wedding anniversaries in creative and thankful ways, since you did it
right in the beginning!
