What if one partner is not a believer in a marriage?
It’s still a holy marriage in the eyes of God. Marriage is for all humanity
both believers and non-believers. It’s a way of God’s teachings to demonstrate what
life really is. It’s is a significant instrument in our human lives. It’s
also a divine provision from heaven not only for our happiness and joy but for
the revelation of God on the mystery of marriage.
“To the rest I say this (I, not
the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing
to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is
not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.” (1
Corinthians 7:12-13)
These days divorce is so
rampant and widespread that families fall apart. God hates divorce, Prophet
Malachi says. “The man who hates and divorces his wife," says the LORD,
the God of Israel, "does violence to the one he should protect," says
the LORD Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.” (Malachi
2:16)
The Scripture also tells not to
be yoked with unbelievers. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what
do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light
have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) It means a believer shall not marry
with an unbeliever. There is no commonality between righteousness and
wickedness which diabolically oppose each other. Christians live by a
different drum bit, following Christ Jesus, not the world. The world is the
object of love and mercy as the Bible says, “God so loved the world that He
gave His begotten Son.” (John 3:16) But the world is not the friend of
believers because there is no fellowship between light and darkness.
These are not the cases here
Paul is telling. The cases are what if one side became a believer after the
marriage. Both might not be believers at the time of marriage but later either
husband or wife converted by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord. In these cases, they
must not separate or divorce.
What does it mean by the saying
of Paul, “I, not the Lord.” It does not mean that it is something we can ignore
completely. No. Apostle Paul was an authorized spokesperson for our Lord Jesus
Christ. He was not one of the Twelve but received the revelations from none
other than the Lord Jesus Himself. “I did not receive it from any man, nor was
I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Galatians
1:12) He wasn’t taught by any other Apostles like Peter or John, but by Jesus
Christ the Lord. When he says “I, not the Lord,” it means the revelation was
not taught by Christ Jesus Himself but out of his mind and heart and then the
Holy Spirit approved it.
Suppose one is a believer and
the other is not it is not allowed to divorce as long as the
unbeliever is willing to live with the believing partner. It’s still a legitimate
and holy marriage before God. Paul is saying this because some believers in
Corinth thought that having sexual relations with unbelieving partner would
cause defilement. Paul further explains why.
“For the unbelieving husband
has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been
sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be
unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” (1 Corinthians 7:14)
In such cases, divorce must not
happen because the unbeliever has been sanctified (by God) through the
believing partner. Sanctification means putting things to the right use. God
declares this marriage is holy and undefiled through the believer. So do the
children. It doesn’t mean the salvation of the unbeliever and children. It
means God permits such marriages as acceptable and holy before Him. Because of the
believing partner, the unbeliever may be closer to the salvation of God.
“But if the unbeliever leaves,
let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God
has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save
your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” (1
Corinthians 7:15-16)
But if the unbeliever wishes to
leave, then separation or divorce is permitted. The believing husband or wife is
not bound in such circumstances. They are free from the bond of marriage in
such cases. God has called us to live in peace. In such circumstances it would
be chaotic and destructive and even dangerously harmful if the unbeliever opposes
violently and catastrophically the believer who practices the faith in Christ. It
is acceptable and permissible for the believer to let the unbeliever go.
What does it mean by saying, “How
do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know,
husband, whether you will save your wife?” It doesn’t mean to say that the
believer shall endure until the unbeliever is saved. Instead, it supports the
previous argument that since the believer does not know whether they will save
the unbeliever let them go. In such cases God sees the marriage has been broken
and thus let it be so.
Prayer: Father in heaven, Thank
you for teaching us a significant truth that God is behind in every marriage. Even
the unbeliever is sanctified by the believer in marriage and so do the
children. Thus, such marriage beds are not defiled. Help us Lord to take
careful heed on the revelations of truth. In Christ’s name. Amen.
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