Mixed marriage

But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? – 1 Corinthians 7.12-16

One of the huge question in the church at Corinth must have been a common one. Paul had made it clear that Christians should only marry Christians.

But what happens when someone gets saved, but their spouse does not get saved? Should you divorce them or should you stay married? How do we handle this ‘unequal’ relationship?

Paul is pretty clear. If you get saved and your spouse doesn’t you are to stay with them. If they leave you because you got saved let them go. If not, stay where you are.

We have a friend who is a wonderful example of this. She got saved many years ago but her husband didn’t. It caused issues from the very start. He wanted to continue they way they lived, but her life was changing as she drew closer to Christ and grew in Him. Obvious conflicts arose. How did she stay with him and still live by God’s word.

They worked things out as time went by. Key though was her realisation that her husband had not changed, but she was a new creation in Christ. He was the same, but she had changed. She prayed and asked God for guidance as to how she could reconcile the differences. God gave her clear direction. At first she told him when she was asked to do things that violated her faith, but she would do them because he was her husband. Eventually he stopped asking her to do those things.

Here Paul says that we don’t that our testimony may win a spouse to Christ. In the case of our friend her husband still is not saved, but she stays faithful.

Who knows what God might do?