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, Chapter 7, verses
13-16.
God
gives His approval for staying in a good marriage with a
non-Christian spouse, because you might be able to lead your spouse
to Christianity through your relationship with God. On the other
hand, I think it says that if you’re in an unhealthy relationship,
whether the person does or doesn’t profess to be a Christian, God
absolves us from our marital commitment.
Now,
some may think this passage doesn’t apply to them because God only
absolves them if their partner is a non-Christian. Do you really
think a person is a Christian just because they say they are? Don’t
you think they are supposed to be a “Put Their Money Where Their
Mouth Is Christian,” by really living a life that reflects their
belief in Jesus?
So,
if a spouse drinks up all the money in the house and there’s no
money to pay for food or clothes for the children, do you really
think God considers this person a Christian? If a spouse is so
involved in drugs or other vices and causes constant turmoil in the
family, do you really think God considers this person a Christian?
If a spouse has a hard day at work and hits the kids or you, do you
really think God considers this person a Christian just because they
profess to be one?
I
think that God is saying the “till death do you part” portion of
your marriage vow doesn’t apply because God said, “A
brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases.”
Sure, God would like all marriages to work out and doesn’t want
people to leave just because they feel they may have missed out on
all the fun that they think their single friends are having. That
isn’t what this is discussing.
God
loves the non-Christian, the alcoholic, the drug addict and the
abusive person, all of which can turn their lives around and become
Christian. This would have to be more than just saying they are a
Christian. They would have to really live their lives as a
Christian.
Sometimes
we just aren’t the ones who can bring these people to God. Male or
female, we have to be able to assess whether we are in a healthy
environment for ourselves and our children. If we aren’t, we are
absolved from the “till death do you part” commitment, because
being in an unhealthy or life-threatening environment isn’t what
God would want for any of us.
Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.
