What The Bible Says

Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Leave a comment
Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Discover the Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems. Truthfully speaking, every family has disagreements. In other words, the couple that never has conflicts does not exist. Unfortunately, conflicts can lead to bad fights. Note here that a bad fight is one that seriously alienates husband and wife but never resolves the cause of the problem. Following such, couples build up bitterness, uncontrolled anger, quarreling, abuse, violence, hatred, and divorce thereby ending up in broken marriages. It is rather unfortunate that many couples lack the skills to discuss disagreements and resolve them. Couples need the ability to discuss serious problems, reach a plan to resolve them, and then put that plan into action. Behold, this is a skill that can be learned and mastered over time. In addition to revealing what the Bible says about marriage problems, we’ll also reveal what the Bible says about resolving marriage problems.

It is clear that no one sets out deliberately to damage his/her marriage. The truth is that we all want happy, satisfying marriages. But since we dwell in an evil world that subtly influences us more than we realize, a good number of sincere Christian couples drift into a number of dangers that damage, broke or destroy their marriages. Despite the fact that no marriage is perfect, when believer’s or Christians avoid the world’s ways and apply the wisdom of God’s Word in their marriages, they will enjoy healthy marriages. It is worth pointing out here that the main goal of marriage is not our happiness, but rather God’s glory. According to Ephesians 5:32, our marriages are a picture of Christ and His bride. It is our duty to display to the world the faithful, holy love that Christ has for His church.

Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

The dangers in this evil world that will damage your marriage if you are not careful

Behold, we live in evil times and as such, we must keep watch at all times not to fall into the deadly tricks of the evil one. It is in this light that Christians are to avoid the world’s dangers and apply God’s wisdom to their marriages. Remember that in the paragraph before he gives explicit commands to wives and husbands, Apostle Paul gives these general commands: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). It is with this in mind that we are calling on you to note that the evil world presents many dangers that will damage your marriage if you are not careful.

1) Poor communication will damage your marriage – Ephesians 4:15

Ephesians 4:15 says, “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” Truth be told, poor communication is one of the most prevalent causes of marital problems. As the head, Christ is to be the Lord of all our communication. Thus, before speaking, ask yourself “Will my words be pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ?” And  “Are my words both truthful and loving, with the aim of building up my mate in Christ?” To blast your mate because “that’s just how I feel,” maybe truthful, but it does not reflect love in any way. Likewise, to be dishonest about how you feel or not to say anything to avoid conflict may seem loving, but it’s not truthful and will likely lead to long-term distance in the relationship.

2) Anger and abusive speech will damage your marriage – James 1:19-20

James 1:19-20 says, “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” It is very important for Christians to understand that sinful anger is always destructive to relationships. With a good understanding of this, Apostle Paul commanded in Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no unwholesome [lit. ‘rotten’] word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”  In the same light, he added “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [yelling] and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31). Proverbs 15:1 adds “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Therefore, as Christians, we must exercise Self-Control.

3) Bitterness and lack of forgiveness will damage your marriage – Ephesians 4:31-32

Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [yelling] and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Amazingly, the antidote to anger and bitterness is forgiveness. It is without a doubt that as the years go by, married couples will invariably wrong one another. Failing to deal with these wrongs God’s way will slowly build a dividing wall of resentment and bitterness. With this in mind, it is important to keep short accounts with your mate. To deal with the sin of bitterness and lack of forgiveness, tell your partner, “God has convicted me of my sinful anger and I’ve asked His forgiveness. I will try to work to overcome that sin. I’m asking you, ‘Will you forgive me?’”

4) Sexual immorality (beginning on the thought level) will damage your marriage – Mark 7:21-23

Mark 7:21-23 says, “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” The reason why we emphasize, beginning on the thought level, is because Jesus Christ Himself said that all immorality begins in the heart (Mark 7:21-23; Matthew 5:27-28). This means, guys, that if you happen to be secretly lusting after women other than your wife or you are watching pornography, you are sabotaging your marriage. You should take this seriously and note that you are on the slippery slope that leads to physical immorality. And even more seriously, Christ said that by failing to take radical measures to cut mental lust out of your life (pluck out your eye, cut off your hand), you are headed for hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

5) Alcohol and drug abuse will damage your marriage – Galatians 5:21

Galatians 5:21 says, “Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Alcohol and drug abuse have torn apart several homes around the world. Several people argue that alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases. This is partly, but not totally, correct. Alcohol abuse, as well as drug abuse, are sins. Addicts usually have their bodies crave for it so much so that they tend to lie, steal, or do worse in order to obtain the substance. It is wrong to deny that alcohol and drug abuse are sins thinking that it absolves the person of responsibility for his actions. Note that no one ever became addicted to drugs or alcohol without choosing to take the first hit of a drug or first drink.

6) Selfishness will damage your marriage – Matthew 22:39

Matthew 22:39 says, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Jesus Christ taught that the second greatest commandment is for you to love our neighbor as you love yourself. And behold, your spouse is your closest “neighbor.” To love him/her requires killing your selfishness every day. Note that selfishness takes many forms and it is the root cause of anger. A selfish husband insists that he is right and won’t listen to or yield to any other views. Such a man does not think, talk less of caring about his wife’s needs or how she may feel, but only thinks about his needs and how he feels about the matters at hand. In marriage, it is wrong to think just about yourself. If both spouses work for the happiness of each other, they’ll enjoy their marriage.

7) Competition instead of cooperation will damage your marriage – Ephesians 5:28-30

Ephesians 5:28-30 says, “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.” It is rather unfortunate that many Christian couples are striving for dominance and power in their marriage. This is often portrayed in the way they exchange barbed comments or make use of humor to try to put one another down. And if you were to confront them, they’d protest, “we’re just joking!” Whatever the case, it is important to understand that competition, whether in marriage or in church, goes against the truth that we are members of one another and our main aim should be to buildup one another as written in the Scriptures.

8) Financial irresponsibility will damage your marriage – Proverbs 21:20

Proverbs 21:20 – “In the House of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” Today, it is without a doubt that disagreements over money matters are a major cause of divorce. It can happen that a freewheeling, impulsive spender will marry a cheapskate who won’t buy anything that isn’t on sale, in a thrift store, or absolutely necessary at the moment. A couple like this will have to work overtime to live in harmony. A good starting point is to study what God’s Word says about financial stewardship. Likewise, instead of competing, couples should cooperate. This will spare them from the spending war.

9) Wrong expectations and goals will damage your marriage – 1 Timothy 6:7-10

1 Timothy 6:7-10 says, “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Unfortunately, many couples enter marriage with unstated expectations. Clearly knowing each other’s expectations in marriage is a great step to experiencing a joyous marriage. If a man’s expectation is that his wife stays home, keeps the house, and cares for the children, but her expectation is to have a successful career, severe conflict lays ahead.

10) Mismanaging your time will damage your marriage – Ephesians 5:15-17

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Likewise, Colossians 4:5 says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” Apostle Paul clearly tells us that if we are wise, we’ll make the most of our time. Sadly, it is easy to fall into the workaholic trap, where you neglect your family. Or, many families get overloaded with too many activities. Or, a husband and wife are going in different directions and not spending enough time together. As couples, it is vital to regularly spend quality time together so as to strengthen your marriage bond. Being busy round the clock could break your marriage.

11) Moving away from the Lord will damage your marriage – 2 Chronicles 7:14

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” It is important to understand that marriage is like a triangle with God at the top and the couples at both lower corners. And as the couples both move closer to God, they equally grow closer to one another. On the other hand, if they move away from God, they equally move away from each other. Thus, couples aiming for a happy and long-lasting marriage should humble themselves and seek God’s face. By so doing, God will bless and strengthen your marriage. In addition, as each partner grows in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), they will grow closer to God and to each other.

12) Worldliness will break your marriage – 1 John 2:15-18

1 John 2:15-18 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” Worldliness has broken several marriages and will continue if we don’t pay attention and take precautions. Being worldly is to adopt the world’s values, goals, and ways as opposed to the ways, values, and goals of God Almighty.

What Are The Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems?

It is no surprise that marriage is the most intimate relationship that two human beings can experience, second only to a relationship with God. Amazingly, marriage brings out the best and worst in most people, as two separate individuals struggle to live as “one flesh” (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:8). It is worth noting here that at the root of most marriage problems is selfishness. In other words, when one or both partners choose to live as though his or her needs deserve top consideration, conflicts result. There are specific Bible verses that address the behavior of both husbands and wives. Some of which are 1 Peter 3:1-8, Colossians 3:18-19, and Titus 2:3-5. Even though not addressing marriage directly,  Philippians 2:3-13 has proven to be an excellent recipe for resolving marriage problems.

Philippians 2:3-13 tells us to adopt the attitude Christ demonstrated when He set aside His rights, and privileges as the Son of God and came to earth as a humble servant. Verse 3 and 4 say, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” When this is applied to marriage, almost any obstacle can be overcome. Likewise, seeking counsel from a pastor or Christian marriage counselor is a Biblical thing to do (Proverbs 19:20). Behold, getting counseling is an excellent way to clear misconceptions about marriage roles, to see a situation from another viewpoint, and to distinguish between God’s standards and those of the world.

Biblical solutions for solving marriage problems

  • Understand that every family has disagreements/challenges that must be resolved in the light of God’s Word.
  • As a Christian couple, you must have faith that God will guide you into successfully resolving the challenges that you are facing in your marriage (Philippians 4:13).
  • Hatred, jealousy, competition, bitterness, and/or an unforgiving mind in a marriage union reveals that someone is disobeying God.
  • Do not allow your partner’s unwillingness to improve the marriage to affect your determination to make things work.
  • As a Christian couple, you should always pray for God’s strength to face the challenges that come up in your marriage (Philippians 4:6,7).
  • A Christian man and a Christian woman that have made up their minds to come together as one through the union of marriage should respect the Bible pattern for authority at home (Ephesians 5:22-24).
  • Christian couples should always act in love (Ephesians 5:25,28,29 and Titus 2:4).
  • It is important to understand that love is concerned about the wellbeing of others, expressed through actions, as well as giving and self-sacrifice.
  • Christian couples should always maintain and show commitment to the marriage.
  • It is important to understand that marriage is a lifetime commitment thereby canceling divorce as an option (Romans 7:2,3; Matthew 5:31,32; 19:3-9; 1 Corinthians 7:10,11).
  • Christian couples should grow the habit of expressing appreciation and praise for what is good (Philippians 4:6,7).
  • A husband should regularly express appreciation to his wife as much as a wife should regularly express appreciation to her husband.
  • Christian couples should be willing to discuss the problem so as to figure out a long-lasting solution.
  • Christian couples should be willing and ready to forgive each other just as God forgives us.
  • Believing couples should be willing to seek help from the right source if need be.

Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

1 Corinthians 7:2-5 – “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.“

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Hebrews 13:4 – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.“

Proverbs 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.“

Group 1 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …“

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,”

Matthew 19:4-6 – He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 2 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Romans 14:1-23 – “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. …“

Group 3 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Matthew 5:32 – “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.“

Ephesians 5:22-24 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.”

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.“

Acts 8:22 – “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.”

Romans 7:2 – “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.“

Group 4 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

Hebrews 13:1-25 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” …“

Group 5 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Malachi 2:16 – “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

Ephesians 5:22-33 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, …“

Ecclesiastes 9:9 – “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.”

Acts 5:29 – But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Group 6 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Ephesians 5:22 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

Matthew 19:1-12 – “Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? …“

Matthew 19:3-9 – And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” …

Group 7 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Matthew 5:28 – “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.“

Psalm 1:1-6 – “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; …“

Acts 17:30 – “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,“

Group 8 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Colossians 3:13 – “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Proverbs 16:1-10 – “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. ...”

Group 9 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Proverbs 21:20 – “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.“

John 12:48 – “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.“

Genesis 2:18 – Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Romans 8:13 – “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.“

Romans 7:3 – “Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.“

Group 10 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Matthew 7:3-5 – “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Ephesians 5:21 – “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.“

1 Corinthians 7:12-15 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Matthew 5:31 – “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’“

Group 11 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Titus 2:3-5 – “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?“

Acts 26:20 – “But declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.“

Proverbs 13:22 – “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

Group 12 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Ephesians 6:18 – “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Ephesians 5:31 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,“

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,“

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.“

1 Timothy 2:1 – “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,”

Group 13 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

1 Timothy 5:14 – “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.“

2 Thessalonians 3:6 – “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.”

Romans 5:3-4 – “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,”

Romans 15:1-3 – We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

Group 14 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Colossians 3:19 – “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.“

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Group 15 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.“

Matthew 18:15-17 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.“

Proverbs 19:11 – “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”

Proverbs 28:23 – “Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.“

1 John 5:16 – “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.”

Hebrews 13:6 – So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Group 16 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Isaiah 62:5 – “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”

Acts 5:9 – But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

1 Timothy 1:20 – “Among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

Acts 16:7 – “And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 – “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.“

Group 17 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Colossians 3:18-19 – “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.”

Ephesians 4:26-27 – “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”

Group 18 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 5:3-5 – “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

1 Corinthians 6:7-8 – “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!“

Luke 22:25-27 – And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”

Group 19 – Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems

Luke 15:21-24 – “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.“

Mark 10:4-5 – They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.

Proverbs 19:14 – “House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

1 Samuel 25:32-33 – And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from avenging myself with my own hand!”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Also Read
Bible Verses

Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Leave a comment
Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Discover the Bible Verses About Marriage Problems. Truthfully speaking, every family has disagreements. In other words, the couple that never has conflicts does not exist. Unfortunately, conflicts can lead to bad fights. Note here that a bad fight is one that seriously alienates husband and wife but never resolves the cause of the problem. Following such, couples build up bitterness, uncontrolled anger, quarreling, abuse, violence, hatred, and divorce thereby ending up in broken marriages. It is rather unfortunate that many couples lack the skills to discuss disagreements and resolve them. Couples need the ability to discuss serious problems, reach a plan to resolve them, and then put that plan into action. Behold, this is a skill that can be learned and mastered over time. In addition to revealing what the Bible says about marriage problems, we’ll also reveal what the Bible says about resolving marriage problems.

It is clear that no one sets out deliberately to damage his/her marriage. The truth is that we all want happy, satisfying marriages. But since we dwell in an evil world that subtly influences us more than we realize, a good number of sincere Christian couples drift into a number of dangers that damage, broke or destroy their marriages. Despite the fact that no marriage is perfect, when believer’s or Christians avoid the world’s ways and apply the wisdom of God’s Word in their marriages, they will enjoy healthy marriages. It is worth pointing out here that the main goal of marriage is not our happiness, but rather God’s glory. According to Ephesians 5:32, our marriages are a picture of Christ and His bride. It is our duty to display to the world the faithful, holy love that Christ has for His church.

Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

The dangers in this evil world that will damage your marriage if you are not careful

Behold, we live in evil times and as such, we must keep watch at all times not to fall into the deadly tricks of the evil one. It is in this light that Christians are to avoid the world’s dangers and apply God’s wisdom to their marriages. Remember that in the paragraph before he gives explicit commands to wives and husbands, Apostle Paul gives these general commands: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). It is with this in mind that we are calling on you to note that the evil world presents many dangers that will damage your marriage if you are not careful.

1) Poor communication will damage your marriage – Ephesians 4:15

Ephesians 4:15 says, “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” Truth be told, poor communication is one of the most prevalent causes of marital problems. As the head, Christ is to be the Lord of all our communication. Thus, before speaking, ask yourself “Will my words be pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ?” And  “Are my words both truthful and loving, with the aim of building up my mate in Christ?” To blast your mate because “that’s just how I feel,” maybe truthful, but it does not reflect love in any way. Likewise, to be dishonest about how you feel or not to say anything to avoid conflict may seem loving, but it’s not truthful and will likely lead to long-term distance in the relationship.

2) Anger and abusive speech will damage your marriage – James 1:19-20

James 1:19-20 says, “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” It is very important for Christians to understand that sinful anger is always destructive to relationships. With a good understanding of this, Apostle Paul commanded in Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no unwholesome [lit. ‘rotten’] word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”  In the same light, he added “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [yelling] and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31). Proverbs 15:1 adds “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Therefore, as Christians, we must exercise Self-Control.

3) Bitterness and lack of forgiveness will damage your marriage – Ephesians 4:31-32

Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [yelling] and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Amazingly, the antidote to anger and bitterness is forgiveness. It is without a doubt that as the years go by, married couples will invariably wrong one another. Failing to deal with these wrongs God’s way will slowly build a dividing wall of resentment and bitterness. With this in mind, it is important to keep short accounts with your mate. To deal with the sin of bitterness and lack of forgiveness, tell your partner, “God has convicted me of my sinful anger and I’ve asked His forgiveness. I will try to work to overcome that sin. I’m asking you, ‘Will you forgive me?’”

4) Sexual immorality (beginning on the thought level) will damage your marriage – Mark 7:21-23

Mark 7:21-23 says, “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” The reason why we emphasize, beginning on the thought level, is because Jesus Christ Himself said that all immorality begins in the heart (Mark 7:21-23; Matthew 5:27-28). This means, guys, that if you happen to be secretly lusting after women other than your wife or you are watching pornography, you are sabotaging your marriage. You should take this seriously and note that you are on the slippery slope that leads to physical immorality. And even more seriously, Christ said that by failing to take radical measures to cut mental lust out of your life (pluck out your eye, cut off your hand), you are headed for hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

5) Alcohol and drug abuse will damage your marriage – Galatians 5:21

Galatians 5:21 says, “Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Alcohol and drug abuse have torn apart several homes around the world. Several people argue that alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases. This is partly, but not totally, correct. Alcohol abuse, as well as drug abuse, are sins. Addicts usually have their bodies crave for it so much so that they tend to lie, steal, or do worse in order to obtain the substance. It is wrong to deny that alcohol and drug abuse are sins thinking that it absolves the person of responsibility for his actions. Note that no one ever became addicted to drugs or alcohol without choosing to take the first hit of a drug or first drink.

6) Selfishness will damage your marriage – Matthew 22:39

Matthew 22:39 says, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Jesus Christ taught that the second greatest commandment is for you to love our neighbor as you love yourself. And behold, your spouse is your closest “neighbor.” To love him/her requires killing your selfishness every day. Note that selfishness takes many forms and it is the root cause of anger. A selfish husband insists that he is right and won’t listen to or yield to any other views. Such a man does not think, talk less of caring about his wife’s needs or how she may feel, but only thinks about his needs and how he feels about the matters at hand. In marriage, it is wrong to think just about yourself. If both spouses work for the happiness of each other, they’ll enjoy their marriage.

7) Competition instead of cooperation will damage your marriage – Ephesians 5:28-30

Ephesians 5:28-30 says, “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.” It is rather unfortunate that many Christian couples are striving for dominance and power in their marriage. This is often portrayed in the way they exchange barbed comments or make use of humor to try to put one another down. And if you were to confront them, they’d protest, “we’re just joking!” Whatever the case, it is important to understand that competition, whether in marriage or in church, goes against the truth that we are members of one another and our main aim should be to buildup one another as written in the Scriptures.

8) Financial irresponsibility will damage your marriage – Proverbs 21:20

Proverbs 21:20 – “In the House of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” Today, it is without a doubt that disagreements over money matters are a major cause of divorce. It can happen that a freewheeling, impulsive spender will marry a cheapskate who won’t buy anything that isn’t on sale, in a thrift store, or absolutely necessary at the moment. A couple like this will have to work overtime to live in harmony. A good starting point is to study what God’s Word says about financial stewardship. Likewise, instead of competing, couples should cooperate. This will spare them from the spending war.

9) Wrong expectations and goals will damage your marriage – 1 Timothy 6:7-10

1 Timothy 6:7-10 says, “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Unfortunately, many couples enter marriage with unstated expectations. Clearly knowing each other’s expectations in marriage is a great step to experiencing a joyous marriage. If a man’s expectation is that his wife stays home, keeps the house, and cares for the children, but her expectation is to have a successful career, severe conflict lays ahead.

10) Mismanaging your time will damage your marriage – Ephesians 5:15-17

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Likewise, Colossians 4:5 says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” Apostle Paul clearly tells us that if we are wise, we’ll make the most of our time. Sadly, it is easy to fall into the workaholic trap, where you neglect your family. Or, many families get overloaded with too many activities. Or, a husband and wife are going in different directions and not spending enough time together. As couples, it is vital to regularly spend quality time together so as to strengthen your marriage bond. Being busy round the clock could break your marriage.

11) Moving away from the Lord will damage your marriage – 2 Chronicles 7:14

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” It is important to understand that marriage is like a triangle with God at the top and the couples at both lower corners. And as the couples both move closer to God, they equally grow closer to one another. On the other hand, if they move away from God, they equally move away from each other. Thus, couples aiming for a happy and long-lasting marriage should humble themselves and seek God’s face. By so doing, God will bless and strengthen your marriage. In addition, as each partner grows in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), they will grow closer to God and to each other.

12) Worldliness will break your marriage – 1 John 2:15-18

1 John 2:15-18 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” Worldliness has broken several marriages and will continue if we don’t pay attention and take precautions. Being worldly is to adopt the world’s values, goals, and ways as opposed to the ways, values, and goals of God Almighty.

What Are The Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems?

It is no surprise that marriage is the most intimate relationship that two human beings can experience, second only to a relationship with God. Amazingly, marriage brings out the best and worst in most people, as two separate individuals struggle to live as “one flesh” (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:8). It is worth noting here that at the root of most marriage problems is selfishness. In other words, when one or both partners choose to live as though his or her needs deserve top consideration, conflicts result. There are specific Bible verses that address the behavior of both husbands and wives. Some of which are 1 Peter 3:1-8, Colossians 3:18-19, and Titus 2:3-5. Even though not addressing marriage directly,  Philippians 2:3-13 has proven to be an excellent recipe for resolving marriage problems.

Philippians 2:3-13 tells us to adopt the attitude Christ demonstrated when He set aside His rights, and privileges as the Son of God and came to earth as a humble servant. Verse 3 and 4 say, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” When this is applied to marriage, almost any obstacle can be overcome. Likewise, seeking counsel from a pastor or Christian marriage counselor is a Biblical thing to do (Proverbs 19:20). Behold, getting counseling is an excellent way to clear misconceptions about marriage roles, to see a situation from another viewpoint, and to distinguish between God’s standards and those of the world.

Biblical solutions for solving marriage problems

  • Understand that every family has disagreements/challenges that must be resolved in the light of God’s Word.
  • As a Christian couple, you must have faith that God will guide you into successfully resolving the challenges that you are facing in your marriage (Philippians 4:13).
  • Hatred, jealousy, competition, bitterness, and/or an unforgiving mind in a marriage union reveals that someone is disobeying God.
  • Do not allow your partner’s unwillingness to improve the marriage to affect your determination to make things work.
  • As a Christian couple, you should always pray for God’s strength to face the challenges that come up in your marriage (Philippians 4:6,7).
  • A Christian man and a Christian woman that have made up their minds to come together as one through the union of marriage should respect the Bible pattern for authority at home (Ephesians 5:22-24).
  • Christian couples should always act in love (Ephesians 5:25,28,29 and Titus 2:4).
  • It is important to understand that love is concerned about the wellbeing of others, expressed through actions, as well as giving and self-sacrifice.
  • Christian couples should always maintain and show commitment to the marriage.
  • It is important to understand that marriage is a lifetime commitment thereby canceling divorce as an option (Romans 7:2,3; Matthew 5:31,32; 19:3-9; 1 Corinthians 7:10,11).
  • Christian couples should grow the habit of expressing appreciation and praise for what is good (Philippians 4:6,7).
  • A husband should regularly express appreciation to his wife as much as a wife should regularly express appreciation to her husband.
  • Christian couples should be willing to discuss the problem so as to figure out a long-lasting solution.
  • Christian couples should be willing and ready to forgive each other just as God forgives us.
  • Believing couples should be willing to seek help from the right source if need be.

Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

1 Corinthians 7:2-5 – “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.“

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Hebrews 13:4 – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.“

Proverbs 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.“

Group 1 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …“

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,”

Matthew 19:4-6 – He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 2 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Romans 14:1-23 – “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. …“

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Group 3 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.“

Acts 8:22 – “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.”

Romans 7:2 – “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.“

Matthew 5:32 – “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.“

Ephesians 5:22-24 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.”

Group 4 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

Hebrews 13:1-25 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” …“

Group 5 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Ecclesiastes 9:9 – “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.”

Acts 5:29 – But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Malachi 2:16 – “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

Ephesians 5:22-33 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, …“

Group 6 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Ephesians 5:22 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

Matthew 19:1-12 – “Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? …“

Matthew 19:3-9 – And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” …

Group 7 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Matthew 5:28 – “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.“

Psalm 1:1-6 – “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; …“

Acts 17:30 – “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,“

Group 8 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Proverbs 16:1-10 – “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. ...”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Colossians 3:13 – “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Group 9 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Proverbs 21:20 – “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.“

John 12:48 – “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.“

Genesis 2:18 – Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Romans 8:13 – “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.“

Romans 7:3 – “Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.“

Group 10 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 7:12-15 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Matthew 5:31 – “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’“

Matthew 7:3-5 – “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Ephesians 5:21 – “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.“

Group 11 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Titus 2:3-5 – “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?“

Acts 26:20 – “But declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.“

Proverbs 13:22 – “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

Group 12 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,“

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,“

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.“

1 Timothy 2:1 – “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,”

Ephesians 6:18 – “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Ephesians 5:31 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

Group 13 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

1 Timothy 5:14 – “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.“

2 Thessalonians 3:6 – “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.”

Romans 5:3-4 – “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,”

Romans 15:1-3 – We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

Group 14 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Colossians 3:19 – “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.“

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Group 15 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.“

Matthew 18:15-17 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.“

Proverbs 19:11 – “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”

Proverbs 28:23 – “Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.“

1 John 5:16 – “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.”

Hebrews 13:6 – So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Group 16 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Isaiah 62:5 – “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”

Acts 5:9 – But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

1 Timothy 1:20 – “Among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

Acts 16:7 – “And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 – “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.“

Group 17 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Colossians 3:18-19 – “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.”

Ephesians 4:26-27 – “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”

Group 18 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 6:7-8 – “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!“

Luke 22:25-27 – And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”

1 Corinthians 5:3-5 – “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 19 – Bible Verses About Marriage Problems

Proverbs 19:14 – “House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

1 Samuel 25:32-33 – And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from avenging myself with my own hand!”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Luke 15:21-24 – “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.“

Mark 10:4-5 – They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.

Also Read
What The Bible Says

What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems?

Leave a comment
What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems? Truthfully speaking, every family has disagreements. In other words, the couple that never has conflicts does not exist. Unfortunately, conflicts can lead to bad fights. Note here that a bad fight is one that seriously alienates husband and wife but never resolves the cause of the problem. Following such, couples build up bitterness, uncontrolled anger, quarreling, abuse, violence, hatred, and divorce thereby ending up in broken marriages. It is rather unfortunate that many couples lack the skills to discuss disagreements and resolve them. Couples need the ability to discuss serious problems, reach a plan to resolve them, and then put that plan into action. Behold, this is a skill that can be learned and mastered over time. In addition to revealing what the Bible says about marriage problems, we’ll also reveal what the Bible says about resolving marriage problems.

It is clear that no one sets out deliberately to damage his/her marriage. The truth is that we all want happy, satisfying marriages. But since we dwell in an evil world that subtly influences us more than we realize, a good number of sincere Christian couples drift into a number of dangers that damage, broke or destroy their marriages. Despite the fact that no marriage is perfect, when believer’s or Christians avoid the world’s ways and apply the wisdom of God’s Word in their marriages, they will enjoy healthy marriages. It is worth pointing out here that the main goal of marriage is not our happiness, but rather God’s glory. According to Ephesians 5:32, our marriages are a picture of Christ and His bride. It is our duty to display to the world the faithful, holy love that Christ has for His church.

What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems?

The dangers in this evil world that will damage your marriage if you are not careful

Behold, we live in evil times and as such, we must keep watch at all times not to fall into the deadly tricks of the evil one. It is in this light that Christians are to avoid the world’s dangers and apply God’s wisdom to their marriages. Remember that in the paragraph before he gives explicit commands to wives and husbands, Apostle Paul gives these general commands: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). It is with this in mind that we are calling on you to note that the evil world presents many dangers that will damage your marriage if you are not careful.

1) Poor communication will damage your marriage – Ephesians 4:15

Ephesians 4:15 says, “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” Truth be told, poor communication is one of the most prevalent causes of marital problems. As the head, Christ is to be the Lord of all our communication. Thus, before speaking, ask yourself “Will my words be pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ?” And  “Are my words both truthful and loving, with the aim of building up my mate in Christ?” To blast your mate because “that’s just how I feel,” maybe truthful, but it does not reflect love in any way. Likewise, to be dishonest about how you feel or not to say anything to avoid conflict may seem loving, but it’s not truthful and will likely lead to long-term distance in the relationship.

2) Anger and abusive speech will damage your marriage – James 1:19-20

James 1:19-20 says, “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” It is very important for Christians to understand that sinful anger is always destructive to relationships. With a good understanding of this, Apostle Paul commanded in Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no unwholesome [lit. ‘rotten’] word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”  In the same light, he added “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [yelling] and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31). Proverbs 15:1 adds “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Therefore, as Christians, we must exercise Self-Control.

3) Bitterness and lack of forgiveness will damage your marriage – Ephesians 4:31-32

Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [yelling] and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Amazingly, the antidote to anger and bitterness is forgiveness. It is without a doubt that as the years go by, married couples will invariably wrong one another. Failing to deal with these wrongs God’s way will slowly build a dividing wall of resentment and bitterness. With this in mind, it is important to keep short accounts with your mate. To deal with the sin of bitterness and lack of forgiveness, tell your partner, “God has convicted me of my sinful anger and I’ve asked His forgiveness. I will try to work to overcome that sin. I’m asking you, ‘Will you forgive me?’”

4) Sexual immorality (beginning on the thought level) will damage your marriage – Mark 7:21-23

Mark 7:21-23 says, “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” The reason why we emphasize, beginning on the thought level, is because Jesus Christ Himself said that all immorality begins in the heart (Mark 7:21-23; Matthew 5:27-28). This means, guys, that if you happen to be secretly lusting after women other than your wife or you are watching pornography, you are sabotaging your marriage. You should take this seriously and note that you are on the slippery slope that leads to physical immorality. And even more seriously, Christ said that by failing to take radical measures to cut mental lust out of your life (pluck out your eye, cut off your hand), you are headed for hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

5) Alcohol and drug abuse will damage your marriage – Galatians 5:21

Galatians 5:21 says, “Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Alcohol and drug abuse have torn apart several homes around the world. Several people argue that alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases. This is partly, but not totally, correct. Alcohol abuse, as well as drug abuse, are sins. Addicts usually have their bodies crave for it so much so that they tend to lie, steal, or do worse in order to obtain the substance. It is wrong to deny that alcohol and drug abuse are sins thinking that it absolves the person of responsibility for his actions. Note that no one ever became addicted to drugs or alcohol without choosing to take the first hit of a drug or first drink.

6) Selfishness will damage your marriage – Matthew 22:39

Matthew 22:39 says, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Jesus Christ taught that the second greatest commandment is for you to love our neighbor as you love yourself. And behold, your spouse is your closest “neighbor.” To love him/her requires killing your selfishness every day. Note that selfishness takes many forms and it is the root cause of anger. A selfish husband insists that he is right and won’t listen to or yield to any other views. Such a man does not think, talk less of caring about his wife’s needs or how she may feel, but only thinks about his needs and how he feels about the matters at hand. In marriage, it is wrong to think just about yourself. If both spouses work for the happiness of each other, they’ll enjoy their marriage.

7) Competition instead of cooperation will damage your marriage – Ephesians 5:28-30

Ephesians 5:28-30 says, “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.” It is rather unfortunate that many Christian couples are striving for dominance and power in their marriage. This is often portrayed in the way they exchange barbed comments or make use of humor to try to put one another down. And if you were to confront them, they’d protest, “we’re just joking!” Whatever the case, it is important to understand that competition, whether in marriage or in church, goes against the truth that we are members of one another and our main aim should be to buildup one another as written in the Scriptures.

8) Financial irresponsibility will damage your marriage – Proverbs 21:20

Proverbs 21:20 – “In the House of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” Today, it is without a doubt that disagreements over money matters are a major cause of divorce. It can happen that a freewheeling, impulsive spender will marry a cheapskate who won’t buy anything that isn’t on sale, in a thrift store, or absolutely necessary at the moment. A couple like this will have to work overtime to live in harmony. A good starting point is to study what God’s Word says about financial stewardship. Likewise, instead of competing, couples should cooperate. This will spare them from the spending war.

9) Wrong expectations and goals will damage your marriage – 1 Timothy 6:7-10

1 Timothy 6:7-10 says, “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Unfortunately, many couples enter marriage with unstated expectations. Clearly knowing each other’s expectations in marriage is a great step to experiencing a joyous marriage. If a man’s expectation is that his wife stays home, keeps the house, and cares for the children, but her expectation is to have a successful career, severe conflict lays ahead.

10) Mismanaging your time will damage your marriage – Ephesians 5:15-17

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Likewise, Colossians 4:5 says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” Apostle Paul clearly tells us that if we are wise, we’ll make the most of our time. Sadly, it is easy to fall into the workaholic trap, where you neglect your family. Or, many families get overloaded with too many activities. Or, a husband and wife are going in different directions and not spending enough time together. As couples, it is vital to regularly spend quality time together so as to strengthen your marriage bond. Being busy round the clock could break your marriage.

11) Moving away from the Lord will damage your marriage – 2 Chronicles 7:14

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” It is important to understand that marriage is like a triangle with God at the top and the couples at both lower corners. And as the couples both move closer to God, they equally grow closer to one another. On the other hand, if they move away from God, they equally move away from each other. Thus, couples aiming for a happy and long-lasting marriage should humble themselves and seek God’s face. By so doing, God will bless and strengthen your marriage. In addition, as each partner grows in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), they will grow closer to God and to each other.

12) Worldliness will break your marriage – 1 John 2:15-18

1 John 2:15-18 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” Worldliness has broken several marriages and will continue if we don’t pay attention and take precautions. Being worldly is to adopt the world’s values, goals, and ways as opposed to the ways, values, and goals of God Almighty.

What Are The Biblical Solutions For Solving Marriage Problems?

It is no surprise that marriage is the most intimate relationship that two human beings can experience, second only to a relationship with God. Amazingly, marriage brings out the best and worst in most people, as two separate individuals struggle to live as “one flesh” (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:8). It is worth noting here that at the root of most marriage problems is selfishness. In other words, when one or both partners choose to live as though his or her needs deserve top consideration, conflicts result. There are specific Bible verses that address the behavior of both husbands and wives. Some of which are 1 Peter 3:1-8, Colossians 3:18-19, and Titus 2:3-5. Even though not addressing marriage directly,  Philippians 2:3-13 has proven to be an excellent recipe for resolving marriage problems.

Philippians 2:3-13 tells us to adopt the attitude Christ demonstrated when He set aside His rights, and privileges as the Son of God and came to earth as a humble servant. Verse 3 and 4 say, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” When this is applied to marriage, almost any obstacle can be overcome. Likewise, seeking counsel from a pastor or Christian marriage counselor is a Biblical thing to do (Proverbs 19:20). Behold, getting counseling is an excellent way to clear misconceptions about marriage roles, to see a situation from another viewpoint, and to distinguish between God’s standards and those of the world.

Biblical solutions for solving marriage problems

  • Understand that every family has disagreements/challenges that must be resolved in the light of God’s Word.
  • As a Christian couple, you must have faith that God will guide you into successfully resolving the challenges that you are facing in your marriage (Philippians 4:13).
  • Hatred, jealousy, competition, bitterness, and/or an unforgiving mind in a marriage union reveals that someone is disobeying God.
  • Do not allow your partner’s unwillingness to improve the marriage to affect your determination to make things work.
  • As a Christian couple, you should always pray for God’s strength to face the challenges that come up in your marriage (Philippians 4:6,7).
  • A Christian man and a Christian woman that have made up their minds to come together as one through the union of marriage should respect the Bible pattern for authority at home (Ephesians 5:22-24).
  • Christian couples should always act in love (Ephesians 5:25,28,29 and Titus 2:4).
  • It is important to understand that love is concerned about the wellbeing of others, expressed through actions, as well as giving and self-sacrifice.
  • Christian couples should always maintain and show commitment to the marriage.
  • It is important to understand that marriage is a lifetime commitment thereby canceling divorce as an option (Romans 7:2,3; Matthew 5:31,32; 19:3-9; 1 Corinthians 7:10,11).
  • Christian couples should grow the habit of expressing appreciation and praise for what is good (Philippians 4:6,7).
  • A husband should regularly express appreciation to his wife as much as a wife should regularly express appreciation to her husband.
  • Christian couples should be willing to discuss the problem so as to figure out a long-lasting solution.
  • Christian couples should be willing and ready to forgive each other just as God forgives us.
  • Believing couples should be willing to seek help from the right source if need be.

What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems?

James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

1 Corinthians 7:2-5 – “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.“

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Hebrews 13:4 – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.“

Proverbs 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.“

Group 1 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …“

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,”

Matthew 19:4-6 – He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 2 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Romans 14:1-23 – “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. …“

Group 3 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.“

Acts 8:22 – “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.”

Romans 7:2 – “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.“

Matthew 5:32 – “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.“

Ephesians 5:22-24 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.”

Group 4 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

Hebrews 13:1-25 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” …“

Group 5 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Ecclesiastes 9:9 – “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.”

Acts 5:29 – But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Malachi 2:16 – “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

Ephesians 5:22-33 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, …“

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Ephesians 5:22 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

Matthew 19:1-12 – “Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? …“

Matthew 19:3-9 – And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” …

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Matthew 5:28 – “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.“

Psalm 1:1-6 – “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; …“

Acts 17:30 – “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,“

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Colossians 3:13 – “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Proverbs 16:1-10 – “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. ...”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Proverbs 21:20 – “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.“

John 12:48 – “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.“

Genesis 2:18 – Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Romans 8:13 – “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.“

Romans 7:3 – “Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.“

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 7:12-15 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Matthew 5:31 – “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’“

Matthew 7:3-5 – “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Ephesians 5:21 – “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.“

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Titus 2:3-5 – “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?“

Acts 26:20 – “But declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.“

Proverbs 13:22 – “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Ephesians 6:18 – “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Ephesians 5:31 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,“

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,“

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.“

1 Timothy 2:1 – “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

1 Timothy 5:14 – “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.“

2 Thessalonians 3:6 – “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.”

Romans 5:3-4 – “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,”

Romans 15:1-3 – We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Colossians 3:19 – “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.“

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.“

Matthew 18:15-17 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.“

Proverbs 19:11 – “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”

Proverbs 28:23 – “Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.“

1 John 5:16 – “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.”

Hebrews 13:6 – So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Acts 16:7 – “And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 – “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.“

Isaiah 62:5 – “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”

Acts 5:9 – But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

1 Timothy 1:20 – “Among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Colossians 3:18-19 – “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.”

Ephesians 4:26-27 – “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”

Group 18 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

1 Corinthians 6:7-8 – “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!“

Luke 22:25-27 – And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”

1 Corinthians 5:3-5 – “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 19 – What Does The Bible Say About Marriage Problems

Luke 15:21-24 – “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.“

Mark 10:4-5 – They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.

Proverbs 19:14 – “House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

1 Samuel 25:32-33 – And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from avenging myself with my own hand!”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Also Read
What The Bible Says

Can I Marry An Unbeliever?

Leave a comment
Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Can I Marry An Unbeliever? Perhaps you love someone and are trying to determine if you should marry that person. Likewise, you might be in search of what it takes to find and marry the right person. In this writing, we’ll reveal the Biblical principles to guide you in making that decision. There is no book as old and rich as the Bible when it comes to getting information about marriage. The Bible tells us that God performed the very first marriage on the sixth day of creation week. Genesis 1:27, 28, NKJV says – “God created man in His own image…male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth’ ”. Marriage has been existing for as long as we have historical records.

Brethren, let no one deceive you, for marriage is a blessing from God to mankind. Indeed, God created marriage in the beginning. We should always keep in mind that it was God who initiated the very first marriage in the garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. We are trying to say here that marriage comes from God. God’s ideal for marriage was illustrated when he united Adam and Eve in an unbreakable bond. That is, one man and one woman joined together in a faithful and long-life commitment to each other. From creation, a husband and a wife were meant to work together for the establishment of a strong and godly family. Although human beings have not always followed this ideal path, it remains the best from God.

Can I Marry An Unbeliever?

Before going deep into what the Bible says about who you should marry, there are a few things worth pointing to. It is without a doubt that there are currently lots of contradictions when it comes to handling the Christian marital aspect. A good Biblical foundation on what God is saying about marriage will prevent you from falling victim to unsound and diluted doctrines. The bond of marriage is so powerful that it joints two individuals into one flesh. The Bible is very clear on this divine truth. When God created Eve, “He brought her to the man. And Adam said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’ . . . Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24). This is an account of the very first marriage celebrated by God himself.

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

As a Christian, dating a non-Christian is unwise, and marrying one is not an option. 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us not to be “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever. The imagery is of two incompatible oxen sharing the same yoke. Instead of working together to pull the load, they would be working against each other. Although this passage does not specifically mention marriage, it definitely has implications for marriage. The same passage further tells us that there is no harmony between Christ and Belial (Satan). Thus, there can be no spiritual harmony between a Christian and non-Christian. In addition, Apostle Paul reminds believers that they are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who inhabits their hearts at salvation (2 Corinthians 6:15-17).

Following the fact that the Holy Spirit inhabits the bodies of Christians, they are to be separate from the world – in the world, but not of the world – and nowhere is this more important to be respected than in life’s most intimate relationship – marriage. In the same light, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” It is important to understand that having any kind of intimate relationship with an unbeliever can rapidly lead to something that will become a hindrance to your walk with Jesus Christ. Note that we are called to evangelize the lost, and not to go intimate with them. However, there is nothing wrong with building quality friendships with unbelievers, loving them, praying for them, and treating them well. In fact, Christ commanded us to do this. But we should put limits for them not to corrupt our minds.

Is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?

Many people regularly ask whether or not it is a sin to marry a non-Christian. If you are one of such, then we think you are asking the wrong question here. The good question should be, “why would you want to marry a non-Christian?” Remember that God’s vision for marriage is that of a place where a “culture of two” is created. In fact, marriage is about sharing our lives, and about the “oneness” that emerges from that shared culture. Therefore, marriage becomes the central situation in which we grow to become what God intends us to be, the very context in which we lovingly raise our children to know and honor Him. Note that a great and successful marriage becomes a place of shelter, comfort, hope, and strength during challenging times, and a place of deep joy and thankfulness to God for His goodness.

In a Christian marriage, a shared belief in God provides a bedrock for the shared values that define the relationship and family. Thus, in light of God’s vision for marriage, the question, “is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?” reflects a strong willingness to settle. Marrying a non-Christian may, in the short run, bring satisfaction. But over time, the marriage is likely to become a source of pain as it is not centered on Christ. Today, there are many Christians around the world who are regretting their decision to marry a non-Christian. Although some still love their partners, they are missing so much of what God intended for their marriage. In situations that children are involved, the complications are higher. Imagine the case of a man asking the wife not to read Bible stories to their children nor pray with them because he thinks that God is a fantasy.

Why Christians Should Go For Christian Partners In Marriage

1) Christians are to marry only Christians – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” In this Biblical verse, we are made to understand that a Christian must only marry another Christian. The phrase “but he must belong to the Lord” refers to a Christian. However, this is not the only Biblical verse where Christians are warned not to marry a non-Christian or unbeliever. This command was given as inspired by God’s Spirit to help us avoid the heart-ache that accompanies a Christian who marries a non-Christian. Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

It is important to understand that the Greek word translated as “bound” literally means “to be pulled in opposite directions.” That is “bound” is a poor translation. The word truly refers to being pulled in opposite directions or being wrongly matched. This is to say that believers and unbelievers are opposites and they will pull in opposite directions. It is written in the Holy Scriptures that “What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness?” The couple will be pulling in opposite directions. The Christian partner will want to go to church, read the Bible, minister in the church, pray, obey God, and avoid sin. On the other hand, the unbelieving partner will not want to do any of these things and might even stand against them at home.

2) A Christian can marry any Christian of their choice – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” We are made to understand by the Scriptures that an individual Christian is free to marry any believer that he/she wishes. The Greek word translated “wishes” is thelo. This word means “to wish, desire, want or to take pleasure in.” This is an indication that a Christian is free to marry any believer that he or she wishes. Since a Christian is free to marry any Christian that he/she desires, there are a few things worth considering. Both partners should see unto it that they share the same goals and visions for the future. This is a Biblical principle that can be adopted to make a successful marriage.

It is said that “make my joy complete by being of the same mind” (Philippians 2:1-4). The Greek word for “same mind” refers to being in agreement. It literally means thinking the same things. Likewise, Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Thus, it is very important for those planning to get married to see unto it that they are of like-minds. Also, both partners must understand and accept the differences in their backgrounds, cultures, and/or habits. 1 Peter 3:7 says to husbands: “live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” This means that a husband must know and understand his wife. He should know her weaknesses, attitudes, desires, and learn to treat her well.

3) A successful marriage requires a level of spiritual maturity – Genesis 2:21-25

Surprisingly, a successful marriage is not necessarily all about love but spiritual maturity. Behold, love was not required for the marriage of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:21-25). Adam was already alive and then Eve came forth. Note that they did not spend time before getting married. The Bible tells us that God created Eve and presented her to Adam. Interestingly, God did not ask Adam whether he loved his new wife nor did God ask Eve whether she loved Adam, her husband. Sinful behavior was not an issue yet. However, we can be confident that they in time loved each other, but that was not the primary reason that brought them together as husband and wife.

In fact, love was not the primary basis of marriage in the Old Testament era. A good example is Isaac and Rebekah. We are told in Genesis 24 how Abraham sent his servant back to his home country to the Ur of the Chaldeans, to find a wife for his son, Isaac, from among his relatives. The servant prayed and asked God to guide him, and behold, God guided him to a woman named Rebekah. Genesis 24:58 recounts how Rebekah agreed to return with the servant and marry Isaac. She was not asked if she loved Isaac because she had not yet met with him. Genesis 24:62-67 tells us that when Rebekah arrived and met her new husband, she entered his tent and became his wife. Love was not the basis for their marriage. Rather, it was respect and commitment. However, they grew to know and love each other.

4) A Christian partner will make it easy and/or possible for you to honor God’s commands – Leviticus 22:31

Leviticus 22:31 says “So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord.” If you desire God’s favor and abundant blessings in your marriage, then it is important to see unto it that you and your partner are keeping His commands. For those still planning to get married, it is worth evaluating their potential spouse for an obedient heart to God’s commands. This is what we refer to as figuring out and understanding the spiritual walk or behavior of your future husband or wife. Below are a series of questions that you can consider in order to better understand your partner’s spirituality.

Questions to consider:
  1. Is your potential spouse willing to have children? Remember that in Genesis 1:28, God commands couples to have children.
  2. Will your potential husband be able to support the family? Today, it is rather unfortunate that some husbands stay at home and expect their wives to meet household needs. The Scriptures clearly address this in 1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
  3. Are both the potential husband and wife walking in the spirit? As Christians, we are encouraged to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:17-6:5; Colossians 3:16-22). Undoubtedly, a spirit-filled husband and wife will have a “successful” marriage. Together, they will grow spiritually and control their household in a way that is pleasing to God.
  4. Is the future husband willing to love and treat his wife well? It is important to understand that God has commanded a husband to love and treat his wife well (Ephesians 5:25-33; Titus 2:6-8; 1 Peter 3:7, 8-9).
  5. Are both the potential husband and wife having a forgiving spirit? When an argument occurs, what happens? Does one of you have an elephant’s memory and repeatedly blame the other for your differences? Are you both humble or faultfinders? It is worth pointing to God’s call for us to have a spirit of forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31-32).
  6. Is the future wife willing to submit to her husband? Or, does she want control over her husband? Remember that God has commanded a wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-23; Titus 2:4-5 and 1 Peter 3:1-6, 8-9).
5) Engagement period is genuine, fun, and done in the Will of God – Ephesians 5:25-27

Engagement is a trial period. This is a time of exclusive commitment to one another. It is a trial period that should be broken in case of any serious problem or area of incompatibility. However, the future wife should be able to respect and consequently be in submission to her future husband. Likewise, the future husband should be lovingly leading her into spiritual things (Ephesians 5:25-27). It is highly important for couples to maintain sexual purity throughout the engagement period. It is also recommended that the couple stay off any passionate kissing until the wedding day.

6) Marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work – Genesis 2

Genesis 2 makes us understand that marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work. Genesis 2:15–17 reports how Adam is Prophet/Priest/King in the garden kingdom where God has put him to rule within the constraints of God’s ultimate kingship (symbolized by the two trees: blessing and life for living under his rule; curse and death for rebelling against His rule). The rest of the chapter clearly details how Adam is incapable of fulfilling his calling to be prophet/priest/king alone. So, God presents Eve to Adam as a helper together with whom he will carry out the work and bring glory to His Name. Following this, we can say that marriage is a partnership. “It is not good for man to be alone” is not just true because man is lonely but also because man alone is incompetent. This is true even before the fall of man.

7) Marriage is harmed by sin – Genesis 3

Going through Genesis 3, we discover how marriage gets messed up by sin. Adam and Eve go from naked and unashamed to hiding from one another. In the curse, the Lord God pronounces how marriage post-Fall is a battle of one sinful will against another: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). By this, we understand that all marriages are hard. However, in a Christian marriage, spouses have the opportunity to call one another to submit one’s sinful will to God’s perfect will. By marrying a non-Christian, you lose out on the blessing of having a spouse who calls you to submit your will to Christ.

8) The Old Testament warns against marrying unbelievers – Genesis

Across the Biblical book of Genesis, we see the significant effort being put in place for the people of God to marry only those who believe in Him. In Genesis 24, we clearly read about the extra mile that Abraham went in order to secure a believing wife for his son, Isaac. Likewise, in Genesis 27:46–28:9, we read about Rebekah and Isaac’s disgust at the marriage of their son to Canaanite/Hittite woman. Note that, this isn’t racism: it’s religious. In the conquest of Canaan, the Lord God gives strict prohibitions against intermarriage: Deuteronomy 7:3–4 says, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” This very prohibition is repeated in Joshua 23:12.

9) New Testament texts imply the prohibition to marry unbelievers remain – 1 Corinthians 7:39

There is sufficient text in the New Testament to make us believe that the Old Testament prohibition to marry non-believers still holds. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” In addition, 1 Corinthians 9:5 says, “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” This suggests that having an unbelieving wife would at least disqualify from ministry.

10) The New Testament reveals a clear and positive vision for marriage – Ephesian 5:21–33

Amazingly, the New Testament gives a clearer revelation of marriage: it’s a partnership that pictures the redeeming love of Christ for His Church. The main point of marriage is to picture the gospel of Christ (Eph. 5:21–33; Rev. 21:9–27). Beyond that, it also pictures the very relationship that exists between the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 11:3). Thus, to marry a non-believer is like two artists trying to paint two different pictures on the same canvas. While you are trying to paint the picture of Christ and the Church, your spouse is trying to paint something completely different.

What Should A Christian Do If He/She Is Married To An Unbeliever?

There are several challenges that a Christian who is married to an unbeliever encounter. Some of these challenges are having to choose between romance and winning a soul for Christ, difficulty to cultivate spiritual intimacy in the marriage, and the inability to build and maintain a quality marriage on the most crucial issue in the universe – Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, being married to an unbeliever can be one of the most difficult challenges in a Christian’s life. Remember that marriage is a sacred covenant that joins two people together in one flesh (Matthew 19:5). It is difficult for a believer and an unbeliever to live in peaceful harmony (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). If one partner gets to know about and believes Christ after the marriage, the inherent struggles of living under two different authorities quickly become apparent.

Most Christians in such situations usually look for a way out of the marriage, convinced that this is the only way to truly bring honor to God. Surprisingly, God’s Word says the contrary. It is of great importance for us not only to be content in our situation but also to look for ways to bring glory to God out of our challenging circumstances (1 Corinthians 7:17). Amazingly, the Bible specifically addresses those married to unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 7:12-14: “…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. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband…”

Looking unto God when you are married to an unbeliever

Christians married to unbelievers will need to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to profess Christ and live in the light of God’s presence (1 John 1:7). In addition, they should seek God’s transforming power to change their hearts and produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is important to note here that a Christian wife is obligated to have a submissive heart, even towards her unbelieving husband (1 Peter 3:1), and she will need to stay close to God at all times for His strength.

Amazingly, Christians are not meant to live solitary lives. That is, they can find support from outside sources such as the Church and Bible study groups. Being married to an unbeliever does not alter the sacredness of the relationship, so it should be the priority of every Christian to pray for his/her spouse and set a good example, thereby allowing Christ’s light to shine brightly in their life (Philippians 2:14). In the midst of your challenge, pray to the Lord God Almighty that if it is His Will, may He make you experience the truth that was revealed in 1 Peter 3:1—that an unbelieving spouse is “won over” and glory brought to His name.

Can I Marry An Unbeliever?

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 7:39 – “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Group 1 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:14 – “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Deuteronomy 7:3-4 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

2 Corinthians 6:15 – “What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,“

Group 2 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.“

Group 3 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”“

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Group 4 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:12-13 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Deuteronomy 7:3 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,”

Amos 3:3 – “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?“

Matthew 19:5 – “And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?“

1 Kings 11:4 – “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

Group 5 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 – “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.“

1 Corinthians 7:10 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband.”

Group 6 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

James 4:17 – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

James 4:4 – “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Group 7 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Genesis 24:3 – “That I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,”

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.“

1 Peter 3:1-2 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.”

1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.“

Ezra 10:11 – “Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

Group 8 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …“

1 Kings 11:1-43 – “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. …“

Group 9 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“

Hebrews 3:12 – “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,“

1 Corinthians 14:22-25 – “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Group 10 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:16 – “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.“

1 Corinthians 7:17 – “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

1 Corinthians 9:5 – “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?“

Luke 16:18 – “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.“

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Revelation 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Group 11 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …“

Group 12 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Matthew 6:1-34 – ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. …”

Group 13 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— …“

Group 14 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. ...”

Group 15 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:1-18 – “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; …“

Philippians 2:14 – “Do all things without grumbling or questioning,”

Group 16 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;“

Group 17 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Group 18 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Revelation 14:12 – “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”

Group 19 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

1 Timothy 2:11 – “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.“

1 Corinthians 12:2 – “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.“

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

1 Corinthians 8:7 – “However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.“

1 Corinthians 8:4 – Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

Group 20 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.“

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;“

Group 21 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:13 – “If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.“

1 Corinthians 7:16 – “For 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 7:12 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.“

Group 22 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Psalm 91:1-16 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …“

Deuteronomy 22:10 – “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.”

Group 23 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Malachi 2:1-17 – “And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. …”

Group 24 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

1 Peter 3:1-6 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …“

Group 25 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:6 – “By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;“

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“

2 Corinthians 6:4 – “But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,“

Group 26 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:4 – “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

1 Corinthians 1:1-31 – “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— …“

Group 27 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Mark 10:8 – “And the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.“

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 28 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Zechariah 14:1-21 – “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. …“

Group 29 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Matthew 22:1-46 – “And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ...”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Group 30 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Exodus 34:16 – “And you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”

Group 31 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Proverbs 31:1-31 – “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ...”

Jude 1:6 – “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—“

Group 32 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Deuteronomy 21:10-17 – “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife, and you bring her home to your house, she shall shave her head and pare her nails. And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants. But you shall not sell her for money, nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her. ...”

Group 33 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

Ezra 9:1-10:44 – After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, …”

Group 34 – Can I Marry An Unbeliever

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“

1 Thessalonians 4:8 – “Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

John 14:1-31 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ...”

Also Read
What The Bible Says

What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever?

Leave a comment
What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever? Perhaps you love someone and are trying to determine if you should marry that person. Likewise, you might be in search of what it takes to find and marry the right person. In this writing, we’ll reveal the Biblical principles to guide you in making that decision. There is no book as old and rich as the Bible when it comes to getting information about marriage. The Bible tells us that God performed the very first marriage on the sixth day of creation week. Genesis 1:27, 28, NKJV says – “God created man in His own image…male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth’ ”. Marriage has been existing for as long as we have historical records.

Brethren, let no one deceive you, for marriage is a blessing from God to mankind. Indeed, God created marriage in the beginning. We should always keep in mind that it was God who initiated the very first marriage in the garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. We are trying to say here that marriage comes from God. God’s ideal for marriage was illustrated when he united Adam and Eve in an unbreakable bond. That is, one man and one woman joined together in a faithful and long-life commitment to each other. From creation, a husband and a wife were meant to work together for the establishment of a strong and godly family. Although human beings have not always followed this ideal path, it remains the best from God.

What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever?

Before going deep into what the Bible says about who you should marry, there are a few things worth pointing to. It is without a doubt that there are currently lots of contradictions when it comes to handling the Christian marital aspect. A good Biblical foundation on what God is saying about marriage will prevent you from falling victim to unsound and diluted doctrines. The bond of marriage is so powerful that it joints two individuals into one flesh. The Bible is very clear on this divine truth. When God created Eve, “He brought her to the man. And Adam said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’ . . . Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24). This is an account of the very first marriage celebrated by God himself.

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

As a Christian, dating a non-Christian is unwise, and marrying one is not an option. 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us not to be “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever. The imagery is of two incompatible oxen sharing the same yoke. Instead of working together to pull the load, they would be working against each other. Although this passage does not specifically mention marriage, it definitely has implications for marriage. The same passage further tells us that there is no harmony between Christ and Belial (Satan). Thus, there can be no spiritual harmony between a Christian and non-Christian. In addition, Apostle Paul reminds believers that they are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who inhabits their hearts at salvation (2 Corinthians 6:15-17).

Following the fact that the Holy Spirit inhabits the bodies of Christians, they are to be separate from the world – in the world, but not of the world – and nowhere is this more important to be respected than in life’s most intimate relationship – marriage. In the same light, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” It is important to understand that having any kind of intimate relationship with an unbeliever can rapidly lead to something that will become a hindrance to your walk with Jesus Christ. Note that we are called to evangelize the lost, and not to go intimate with them. However, there is nothing wrong with building quality friendships with unbelievers, loving them, praying for them, and treating them well. In fact, Christ commanded us to do this. But we should put limits for them not to corrupt our minds.

Is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?

Many people regularly ask whether or not it is a sin to marry a non-Christian. If you are one of such, then we think you are asking the wrong question here. The good question should be, “why would you want to marry a non-Christian?” Remember that God’s vision for marriage is that of a place where a “culture of two” is created. In fact, marriage is about sharing our lives, and about the “oneness” that emerges from that shared culture. Therefore, marriage becomes the central situation in which we grow to become what God intends us to be, the very context in which we lovingly raise our children to know and honor Him. Note that a great and successful marriage becomes a place of shelter, comfort, hope, and strength during challenging times, and a place of deep joy and thankfulness to God for His goodness.

In a Christian marriage, a shared belief in God provides a bedrock for the shared values that define the relationship and family. Thus, in light of God’s vision for marriage, the question, “is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?” reflects a strong willingness to settle. Marrying a non-Christian may, in the short run, bring satisfaction. But over time, the marriage is likely to become a source of pain as it is not centered on Christ. Today, there are many Christians around the world who are regretting their decision to marry a non-Christian. Although some still love their partners, they are missing so much of what God intended for their marriage. In situations that children are involved, the complications are higher. Imagine the case of a man asking the wife not to read Bible stories to their children nor pray with them because he thinks that God is a fantasy.

Why Christians Should Go For Christian Partners In Marriage

1) Christians are to marry only Christians – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” In this Biblical verse, we are made to understand that a Christian must only marry another Christian. The phrase “but he must belong to the Lord” refers to a Christian. However, this is not the only Biblical verse where Christians are warned not to marry a non-Christian or unbeliever. This command was given as inspired by God’s Spirit to help us avoid the heart-ache that accompanies a Christian who marries a non-Christian. Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

It is important to understand that the Greek word translated as “bound” literally means “to be pulled in opposite directions.” That is “bound” is a poor translation. The word truly refers to being pulled in opposite directions or being wrongly matched. This is to say that believers and unbelievers are opposites and they will pull in opposite directions. It is written in the Holy Scriptures that “What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness?” The couple will be pulling in opposite directions. The Christian partner will want to go to church, read the Bible, minister in the church, pray, obey God, and avoid sin. On the other hand, the unbelieving partner will not want to do any of these things and might even stand against them at home.

2) A Christian can marry any Christian of their choice – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” We are made to understand by the Scriptures that an individual Christian is free to marry any believer that he/she wishes. The Greek word translated “wishes” is thelo. This word means “to wish, desire, want or to take pleasure in.” This is an indication that a Christian is free to marry any believer that he or she wishes. Since a Christian is free to marry any Christian that he/she desires, there are a few things worth considering. Both partners should see unto it that they share the same goals and visions for the future. This is a Biblical principle that can be adopted to make a successful marriage.

It is said that “make my joy complete by being of the same mind” (Philippians 2:1-4). The Greek word for “same mind” refers to being in agreement. It literally means thinking the same things. Likewise, Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Thus, it is very important for those planning to get married to see unto it that they are of like-minds. Also, both partners must understand and accept the differences in their backgrounds, cultures, and/or habits. 1 Peter 3:7 says to husbands: “live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” This means that a husband must know and understand his wife. He should know her weaknesses, attitudes, desires, and learn to treat her well.

3) A successful marriage requires a level of spiritual maturity – Genesis 2:21-25

Surprisingly, a successful marriage is not necessarily all about love but spiritual maturity. Behold, love was not required for the marriage of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:21-25). Adam was already alive and then Eve came forth. Note that they did not spend time before getting married. The Bible tells us that God created Eve and presented her to Adam. Interestingly, God did not ask Adam whether he loved his new wife nor did God ask Eve whether she loved Adam, her husband. Sinful behavior was not an issue yet. However, we can be confident that they in time loved each other, but that was not the primary reason that brought them together as husband and wife.

In fact, love was not the primary basis of marriage in the Old Testament era. A good example is Isaac and Rebekah. We are told in Genesis 24 how Abraham sent his servant back to his home country to the Ur of the Chaldeans, to find a wife for his son, Isaac, from among his relatives. The servant prayed and asked God to guide him, and behold, God guided him to a woman named Rebekah. Genesis 24:58 recounts how Rebekah agreed to return with the servant and marry Isaac. She was not asked if she loved Isaac because she had not yet met with him. Genesis 24:62-67 tells us that when Rebekah arrived and met her new husband, she entered his tent and became his wife. Love was not the basis for their marriage. Rather, it was respect and commitment. However, they grew to know and love each other.

4) A Christian partner will make it easy and/or possible for you to honor God’s commands – Leviticus 22:31

Leviticus 22:31 says “So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord.” If you desire God’s favor and abundant blessings in your marriage, then it is important to see unto it that you and your partner are keeping His commands. For those still planning to get married, it is worth evaluating their potential spouse for an obedient heart to God’s commands. This is what we refer to as figuring out and understanding the spiritual walk or behavior of your future husband or wife. Below are a series of questions that you can consider in order to better understand your partner’s spirituality.

Questions to consider:
  1. Is your potential spouse willing to have children? Remember that in Genesis 1:28, God commands couples to have children.
  2. Will your potential husband be able to support the family? Today, it is rather unfortunate that some husbands stay at home and expect their wives to meet household needs. The Scriptures clearly address this in 1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
  3. Are both the potential husband and wife walking in the spirit? As Christians, we are encouraged to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:17-6:5; Colossians 3:16-22). Undoubtedly, a spirit-filled husband and wife will have a “successful” marriage. Together, they will grow spiritually and control their household in a way that is pleasing to God.
  4. Is the future husband willing to love and treat his wife well? It is important to understand that God has commanded a husband to love and treat his wife well (Ephesians 5:25-33; Titus 2:6-8; 1 Peter 3:7, 8-9).
  5. Are both the potential husband and wife having a forgiving spirit? When an argument occurs, what happens? Does one of you have an elephant’s memory and repeatedly blame the other for your differences? Are you both humble or faultfinders? It is worth pointing to God’s call for us to have a spirit of forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31-32).
  6. Is the future wife willing to submit to her husband? Or, does she want control over her husband? Remember that God has commanded a wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-23; Titus 2:4-5 and 1 Peter 3:1-6, 8-9).
5) Engagement period is genuine, fun, and done in the Will of God – Ephesians 5:25-27

Engagement is a trial period. This is a time of exclusive commitment to one another. It is a trial period that should be broken in case of any serious problem or area of incompatibility. However, the future wife should be able to respect and consequently be in submission to her future husband. Likewise, the future husband should be lovingly leading her into spiritual things (Ephesians 5:25-27). It is highly important for couples to maintain sexual purity throughout the engagement period. It is also recommended that the couple stay off any passionate kissing until the wedding day.

6) Marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work – Genesis 2

Genesis 2 makes us understand that marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work. Genesis 2:15–17 reports how Adam is Prophet/Priest/King in the garden kingdom where God has put him to rule within the constraints of God’s ultimate kingship (symbolized by the two trees: blessing and life for living under his rule; curse and death for rebelling against His rule). The rest of the chapter clearly details how Adam is incapable of fulfilling his calling to be prophet/priest/king alone. So, God presents Eve to Adam as a helper together with whom he will carry out the work and bring glory to His Name. Following this, we can say that marriage is a partnership. “It is not good for man to be alone” is not just true because man is lonely but also because man alone is incompetent. This is true even before the fall of man.

7) Marriage is harmed by sin – Genesis 3

Going through Genesis 3, we discover how marriage gets messed up by sin. Adam and Eve go from naked and unashamed to hiding from one another. In the curse, the Lord God pronounces how marriage post-Fall is a battle of one sinful will against another: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). By this, we understand that all marriages are hard. However, in a Christian marriage, spouses have the opportunity to call one another to submit one’s sinful will to God’s perfect will. By marrying a non-Christian, you lose out on the blessing of having a spouse who calls you to submit your will to Christ.

8) The Old Testament warns against marrying unbelievers – Genesis

Across the Biblical book of Genesis, we see the significant effort being put in place for the people of God to marry only those who believe in Him. In Genesis 24, we clearly read about the extra mile that Abraham went in order to secure a believing wife for his son, Isaac. Likewise, in Genesis 27:46–28:9, we read about Rebekah and Isaac’s disgust at the marriage of their son to Canaanite/Hittite woman. Note that, this isn’t racism: it’s religious. In the conquest of Canaan, the Lord God gives strict prohibitions against intermarriage: Deuteronomy 7:3–4 says, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” This very prohibition is repeated in Joshua 23:12.

9) New Testament texts imply the prohibition to marry unbelievers remain – 1 Corinthians 7:39

There is sufficient text in the New Testament to make us believe that the Old Testament prohibition to marry non-believers still holds. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” In addition, 1 Corinthians 9:5 says, “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” This suggests that having an unbelieving wife would at least disqualify from ministry.

10) The New Testament reveals a clear and positive vision for marriage – Ephesian 5:21–33

Amazingly, the New Testament gives a clearer revelation of marriage: it’s a partnership that pictures the redeeming love of Christ for His Church. The main point of marriage is to picture the gospel of Christ (Eph. 5:21–33; Rev. 21:9–27). Beyond that, it also pictures the very relationship that exists between the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 11:3). Thus, to marry a non-believer is like two artists trying to paint two different pictures on the same canvas. While you are trying to paint the picture of Christ and the Church, your spouse is trying to paint something completely different.

What Should A Christian Do If He/She Is Married To An Unbeliever?

There are several challenges that a Christian who is married to an unbeliever encounter. Some of these challenges are having to choose between romance and winning a soul for Christ, difficulty to cultivate spiritual intimacy in the marriage, and the inability to build and maintain a quality marriage on the most crucial issue in the universe – Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, being married to an unbeliever can be one of the most difficult challenges in a Christian’s life. Remember that marriage is a sacred covenant that joins two people together in one flesh (Matthew 19:5). It is difficult for a believer and an unbeliever to live in peaceful harmony (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). If one partner gets to know about and believes Christ after the marriage, the inherent struggles of living under two different authorities quickly become apparent.

Most Christians in such situations usually look for a way out of the marriage, convinced that this is the only way to truly bring honor to God. Surprisingly, God’s Word says the contrary. It is of great importance for us not only to be content in our situation but also to look for ways to bring glory to God out of our challenging circumstances (1 Corinthians 7:17). Amazingly, the Bible specifically addresses those married to unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 7:12-14: “…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. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband…”

Looking unto God when you are married to an unbeliever

Christians married to unbelievers will need to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to profess Christ and live in the light of God’s presence (1 John 1:7). In addition, they should seek God’s transforming power to change their hearts and produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is important to note here that a Christian wife is obligated to have a submissive heart, even towards her unbelieving husband (1 Peter 3:1), and she will need to stay close to God at all times for His strength.

Amazingly, Christians are not meant to live solitary lives. That is, they can find support from outside sources such as the Church and Bible study groups. Being married to an unbeliever does not alter the sacredness of the relationship, so it should be the priority of every Christian to pray for his/her spouse and set a good example, thereby allowing Christ’s light to shine brightly in their life (Philippians 2:14). In the midst of your challenge, pray to the Lord God Almighty that if it is His Will, may He make you experience the truth that was revealed in 1 Peter 3:1—that an unbelieving spouse is “won over” and glory brought to His name.

What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever?

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 7:39 – “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Group 1 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:14 – “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Deuteronomy 7:3-4 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

2 Corinthians 6:15 – “What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,“

Group 2 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.“

Group 3 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”“

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Group 4 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:12-13 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Deuteronomy 7:3 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,”

Amos 3:3 – “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?“

Matthew 19:5 – “And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?“

1 Kings 11:4 – “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

Group 5 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 – “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.“

1 Corinthians 7:10 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband.”

Group 6 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

James 4:17 – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

James 4:4 – “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Group 7 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Peter 3:1-2 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.”

1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.“

Ezra 10:11 – “Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Genesis 24:3 – “That I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,”

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.“

Group 8 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …“

1 Kings 11:1-43 – “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. …“

Group 9 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 14:22-25 – “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“

Hebrews 3:12 – “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,“

Group 10 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:16 – “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.“

1 Corinthians 7:17 – “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

1 Corinthians 9:5 – “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?“

Luke 16:18 – “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.“

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Revelation 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Group 11 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Matthew 6:1-34 – ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. …”

Group 12 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …“

Group 13 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— …“

Group 14 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. ...”

Group 15 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:1-18 – “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; …“

Philippians 2:14 – “Do all things without grumbling or questioning,”

Group 16 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;“

Group 17 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Group 18 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.“

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;“

Group 19 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Revelation 14:12 – “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”

Group 20 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Timothy 2:11 – “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.“

1 Corinthians 12:2 – “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.“

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

1 Corinthians 8:7 – “However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.“

1 Corinthians 8:4 – Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

Group 21 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:13 – “If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.“

1 Corinthians 7:16 – “For 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 7:12 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.“

Group 22 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Psalm 91:1-16 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …“

Deuteronomy 22:10 – “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.”

Group 23 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Malachi 2:1-17 – “And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. …”

Group 24 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Peter 3:1-6 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …“

Group 25 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:6 – “By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;“

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“

2 Corinthians 6:4 – “But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,“

Group 26 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:4 – “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

1 Corinthians 1:1-31 – “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— …“

Group 27 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Mark 10:8 – “And the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.“

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 28 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Matthew 22:1-46 – “And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ...”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Group 29 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Zechariah 14:1-21 – “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. …“

Group 30 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Exodus 34:16 – “And you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”

Group 31 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Proverbs 31:1-31 – “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ...”

Jude 1:6 – “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—“

Group 32 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Deuteronomy 21:10-17 – “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife, and you bring her home to your house, she shall shave her head and pare her nails. And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants. But you shall not sell her for money, nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her. ...”

Group 33 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

Ezra 9:1-10:44 – After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, …”

Group 34 – What Does God Say About Marrying An Unbeliever

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“

1 Thessalonians 4:8 – “Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

John 14:1-31 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ...”

Also Read
What The Bible Says

What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever?

Leave a comment
What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever? Perhaps you love someone and are trying to determine if you should marry that person. Likewise, you might be in search of what it takes to find and marry the right person. Or looking for a way to handle an unbelieving partner. In this writing, we’ll reveal the Biblical principles to guide you in making that decision. There is no book as old and rich as the Bible when it comes to getting information about marriage. The Bible tells us that God performed the very first marriage on the sixth day of creation week. Genesis 1:27, 28, NKJV says – “God created man in His own image…male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth’ ”. Marriage has been existing for as long as we have historical records.

Brethren, let no one deceive you, for marriage is a blessing from God to mankind. Indeed, God created marriage in the beginning. We should always keep in mind that it was God who initiated the very first marriage in the garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. We are trying to say here that marriage comes from God. God’s ideal for marriage was illustrated when he united Adam and Eve in an unbreakable bond. That is, one man and one woman joined together in a faithful and long-life commitment to each other. From creation, a husband and a wife were meant to work together for the establishment of a strong and godly family. Although human beings have not always followed this ideal path, it remains the best from God.

What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever?

Before going deep into what the Bible says about who you should marry, there are a few things worth pointing to. It is without a doubt that there are currently lots of contradictions when it comes to handling the Christian marital aspect. A good Biblical foundation on what God is saying about marriage will prevent you from falling victim to unsound and diluted doctrines. The bond of marriage is so powerful that it joints two individuals into one flesh. The Bible is very clear on this divine truth. When God created Eve, “He brought her to the man. And Adam said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’ . . . Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24). This is an account of the very first marriage celebrated by God himself.

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

As a Christian, dating a non-Christian is unwise, and marrying one is not an option. 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us not to be “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever. The imagery is of two incompatible oxen sharing the same yoke. Instead of working together to pull the load, they would be working against each other. Although this passage does not specifically mention marriage, it definitely has implications for marriage. The same passage further tells us that there is no harmony between Christ and Belial (Satan). Thus, there can be no spiritual harmony between a Christian and non-Christian. In addition, Apostle Paul reminds believers that they are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who inhabits their hearts at salvation (2 Corinthians 6:15-17).

Following the fact that the Holy Spirit inhabits the bodies of Christians, they are to be separate from the world – in the world, but not of the world – and nowhere is this more important to be respected than in life’s most intimate relationship – marriage. In the same light, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” It is important to understand that having any kind of intimate relationship with an unbeliever can rapidly lead to something that will become a hindrance to your walk with Jesus Christ. Note that we are called to evangelize the lost, and not to go intimate with them. However, there is nothing wrong with building quality friendships with unbelievers, loving them, praying for them, and treating them well. In fact, Christ commanded us to do this. But we should put limits for them not to corrupt our minds.

Is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?

Many people regularly ask whether or not it is a sin to marry a non-Christian. If you are one of such, then we think you are asking the wrong question here. The good question should be, “why would you want to marry a non-Christian?” Remember that God’s vision for marriage is that of a place where a “culture of two” is created. In fact, marriage is about sharing our lives, and about the “oneness” that emerges from that shared culture. Therefore, marriage becomes the central situation in which we grow to become what God intends us to be, the very context in which we lovingly raise our children to know and honor Him. Note that a great and successful marriage becomes a place of shelter, comfort, hope, and strength during challenging times, and a place of deep joy and thankfulness to God for His goodness.

In a Christian marriage, a shared belief in God provides a bedrock for the shared values that define the relationship and family. Thus, in light of God’s vision for marriage, the question, “is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?” reflects a strong willingness to settle. Marrying a non-Christian may, in the short run, bring satisfaction. But over time, the marriage is likely to become a source of pain as it is not centered on Christ. Today, there are many Christians around the world who are regretting their decision to marry a non-Christian. Although some still love their partners, they are missing so much of what God intended for their marriage. In situations that children are involved, the complications are higher. Imagine the case of a man asking the wife not to read Bible stories to their children nor pray with them because he thinks that God is a fantasy.

Why Christians Should Go For Christian Partners In Marriage

1) Christians are to marry only Christians – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” In this Biblical verse, we are made to understand that a Christian must only marry another Christian. The phrase “but he must belong to the Lord” refers to a Christian. However, this is not the only Biblical verse where Christians are warned not to marry a non-Christian or unbeliever. This command was given as inspired by God’s Spirit to help us avoid the heart-ache that accompanies a Christian who marries a non-Christian. Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

It is important to understand that the Greek word translated as “bound” literally means “to be pulled in opposite directions.” That is “bound” is a poor translation. The word truly refers to being pulled in opposite directions or being wrongly matched. This is to say that believers and unbelievers are opposites and they will pull in opposite directions. It is written in the Holy Scriptures that “What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness?” The couple will be pulling in opposite directions. The Christian partner will want to go to church, read the Bible, minister in the church, pray, obey God, and avoid sin. On the other hand, the unbelieving partner will not want to do any of these things and might even stand against them at home.

2) A Christian can marry any Christian of their choice – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” We are made to understand by the Scriptures that an individual Christian is free to marry any believer that he/she wishes. The Greek word translated “wishes” is thelo. This word means “to wish, desire, want or to take pleasure in.” This is an indication that a Christian is free to marry any believer that he or she wishes. Since a Christian is free to marry any Christian that he/she desires, there are a few things worth considering. Both partners should see unto it that they share the same goals and visions for the future. This is a Biblical principle that can be adopted to make a successful marriage.

It is said that “make my joy complete by being of the same mind” (Philippians 2:1-4). The Greek word for “same mind” refers to being in agreement. It literally means thinking the same things. Likewise, Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Thus, it is very important for those planning to get married to see unto it that they are of like-minds. Also, both partners must understand and accept the differences in their backgrounds, cultures, and/or habits. 1 Peter 3:7 says to husbands: “live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” This means that a husband must know and understand his wife. He should know her weaknesses, attitudes, desires, and learn to treat her well.

3) A successful marriage requires a level of spiritual maturity – Genesis 2:21-25

Surprisingly, a successful marriage is not necessarily all about love but spiritual maturity. Behold, love was not required for the marriage of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:21-25). Adam was already alive and then Eve came forth. Note that they did not spend time before getting married. The Bible tells us that God created Eve and presented her to Adam. Interestingly, God did not ask Adam whether he loved his new wife nor did God ask Eve whether she loved Adam, her husband. Sinful behavior was not an issue yet. However, we can be confident that they in time loved each other, but that was not the primary reason that brought them together as husband and wife.

In fact, love was not the primary basis of marriage in the Old Testament era. A good example is Isaac and Rebekah. We are told in Genesis 24 how Abraham sent his servant back to his home country to the Ur of the Chaldeans, to find a wife for his son, Isaac, from among his relatives. The servant prayed and asked God to guide him, and behold, God guided him to a woman named Rebekah. Genesis 24:58 recounts how Rebekah agreed to return with the servant and marry Isaac. She was not asked if she loved Isaac because she had not yet met with him. Genesis 24:62-67 tells us that when Rebekah arrived and met her new husband, she entered his tent and became his wife. Love was not the basis for their marriage. Rather, it was respect and commitment. However, they grew to know and love each other.

4) A Christian partner will make it easy and/or possible for you to honor God’s commands – Leviticus 22:31

Leviticus 22:31 says “So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord.” If you desire God’s favor and abundant blessings in your marriage, then it is important to see unto it that you and your partner are keeping His commands. For those still planning to get married, it is worth evaluating their potential spouse for an obedient heart to God’s commands. This is what we refer to as figuring out and understanding the spiritual walk or behavior of your future husband or wife. Below are a series of questions that you can consider in order to better understand your partner’s spirituality.

Questions to consider:
  1. Is your potential spouse willing to have children? Remember that in Genesis 1:28, God commands couples to have children.
  2. Will your potential husband be able to support the family? Today, it is rather unfortunate that some husbands stay at home and expect their wives to meet household needs. The Scriptures clearly address this in 1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
  3. Are both the potential husband and wife walking in the spirit? As Christians, we are encouraged to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:17-6:5; Colossians 3:16-22). Undoubtedly, a spirit-filled husband and wife will have a “successful” marriage. Together, they will grow spiritually and control their household in a way that is pleasing to God.
  4. Is the future husband willing to love and treat his wife well? It is important to understand that God has commanded a husband to love and treat his wife well (Ephesians 5:25-33; Titus 2:6-8; 1 Peter 3:7, 8-9).
  5. Are both the potential husband and wife having a forgiving spirit? When an argument occurs, what happens? Does one of you have an elephant’s memory and repeatedly blame the other for your differences? Are you both humble or faultfinders? It is worth pointing to God’s call for us to have a spirit of forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31-32).
  6. Is the future wife willing to submit to her husband? Or, does she want control over her husband? Remember that God has commanded a wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-23; Titus 2:4-5 and 1 Peter 3:1-6, 8-9).
5) Engagement period is genuine, fun, and done in the Will of God – Ephesians 5:25-27

Engagement is a trial period. This is a time of exclusive commitment to one another. It is a trial period that should be broken in case of any serious problem or area of incompatibility. However, the future wife should be able to respect and consequently be in submission to her future husband. Likewise, the future husband should be lovingly leading her into spiritual things (Ephesians 5:25-27). It is highly important for couples to maintain sexual purity throughout the engagement period. It is also recommended that the couple stay off any passionate kissing until the wedding day.

6) Marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work – Genesis 2

Genesis 2 makes us understand that marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work. Genesis 2:15–17 reports how Adam is Prophet/Priest/King in the garden kingdom where God has put him to rule within the constraints of God’s ultimate kingship (symbolized by the two trees: blessing and life for living under his rule; curse and death for rebelling against His rule). The rest of the chapter clearly details how Adam is incapable of fulfilling his calling to be prophet/priest/king alone. So, God presents Eve to Adam as a helper together with whom he will carry out the work and bring glory to His Name. Following this, we can say that marriage is a partnership. “It is not good for man to be alone” is not just true because man is lonely but also because man alone is incompetent. This is true even before the fall of man.

7) Marriage is harmed by sin – Genesis 3

Going through Genesis 3, we discover how marriage gets messed up by sin. Adam and Eve go from naked and unashamed to hiding from one another. In the curse, the Lord God pronounces how marriage post-Fall is a battle of one sinful will against another: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). By this, we understand that all marriages are hard. However, in a Christian marriage, spouses have the opportunity to call one another to submit one’s sinful will to God’s perfect will. By marrying a non-Christian, you lose out on the blessing of having a spouse who calls you to submit your will to Christ.

8) The Old Testament warns against marrying unbelievers – Genesis

Across the Biblical book of Genesis, we see the significant effort being put in place for the people of God to marry only those who believe in Him. In Genesis 24, we clearly read about the extra mile that Abraham went in order to secure a believing wife for his son, Isaac. Likewise, in Genesis 27:46–28:9, we read about Rebekah and Isaac’s disgust at the marriage of their son to Canaanite/Hittite woman. Note that, this isn’t racism: it’s religious. In the conquest of Canaan, the Lord God gives strict prohibitions against intermarriage: Deuteronomy 7:3–4 says, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” This very prohibition is repeated in Joshua 23:12.

9) New Testament texts imply the prohibition to marry unbelievers remain – 1 Corinthians 7:39

There is sufficient text in the New Testament to make us believe that the Old Testament prohibition to marry non-believers still holds. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” In addition, 1 Corinthians 9:5 says, “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” This suggests that having an unbelieving wife would at least disqualify from ministry.

10) The New Testament reveals a clear and positive vision for marriage – Ephesian 5:21–33

Amazingly, the New Testament gives a clearer revelation of marriage: it’s a partnership that pictures the redeeming love of Christ for His Church. The main point of marriage is to picture the gospel of Christ (Eph. 5:21–33; Rev. 21:9–27). Beyond that, it also pictures the very relationship that exists between the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 11:3). Thus, to marry a non-believer is like two artists trying to paint two different pictures on the same canvas. While you are trying to paint the picture of Christ and the Church, your spouse is trying to paint something completely different.

What Should A Christian Do If He/She Is Married To An Unbeliever?

There are several challenges that a Christian who is married to an unbeliever encounter. Some of these challenges are having to choose between romance and winning a soul for Christ, difficulty to cultivate spiritual intimacy in the marriage, and the inability to build and maintain a quality marriage on the most crucial issue in the universe – Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, being married to an unbeliever can be one of the most difficult challenges in a Christian’s life. Remember that marriage is a sacred covenant that joins two people together in one flesh (Matthew 19:5). It is difficult for a believer and an unbeliever to live in peaceful harmony (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). If one partner gets to know about and believes Christ after the marriage, the inherent struggles of living under two different authorities quickly become apparent.

Most Christians in such situations usually look for a way out of the marriage, convinced that this is the only way to truly bring honor to God. Surprisingly, God’s Word says the contrary. It is of great importance for us not only to be content in our situation but also to look for ways to bring glory to God out of our challenging circumstances (1 Corinthians 7:17). Amazingly, the Bible specifically addresses those married to unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 7:12-14: “…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. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband…”

Looking unto God when you are married to an unbeliever

Christians married to unbelievers will need to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to profess Christ and live in the light of God’s presence (1 John 1:7). In addition, they should seek God’s transforming power to change their hearts and produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is important to note here that a Christian wife is obligated to have a submissive heart, even towards her unbelieving husband (1 Peter 3:1), and she will need to stay close to God at all times for His strength.

Amazingly, Christians are not meant to live solitary lives. That is, they can find support from outside sources such as the Church and Bible study groups. Being married to an unbeliever does not alter the sacredness of the relationship, so it should be the priority of every Christian to pray for his/her spouse and set a good example, thereby allowing Christ’s light to shine brightly in their life (Philippians 2:14). In the midst of your challenge, pray to the Lord God Almighty that if it is His Will, may He make you experience the truth that was revealed in 1 Peter 3:1—that an unbelieving spouse is “won over” and glory brought to His name.

What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever?

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 7:39 – “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Group 1 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

2 Corinthians 6:15 – “What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,“

1 Corinthians 7:14 – “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Deuteronomy 7:3-4 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

Group 2 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.“

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

Group 3 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”“

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Group 4 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:12-13 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Deuteronomy 7:3 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,”

Amos 3:3 – “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?“

Matthew 19:5 – “And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?“

1 Kings 11:4 – “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

Group 5 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 – “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.“

1 Corinthians 7:10 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband.”

Group 6 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

James 4:17 – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

James 4:4 – “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Group 7 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

1 Peter 3:1-2 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.”

1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.“

Ezra 10:11 – “Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Genesis 24:3 – “That I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,”

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.“

Group 8 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …“

1 Kings 11:1-43 – “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. …“

Group 9 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 14:22-25 – “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“

Hebrews 3:12 – “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,“

Group 10 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:16 – “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.“

1 Corinthians 7:17 – “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

1 Corinthians 9:5 – “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?“

Luke 16:18 – “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.“

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Revelation 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Group 11 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …“

Group 12 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Matthew 6:1-34 – ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. …”

Group 13 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— …“

Group 14 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. ...”

Group 15 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:1-18 – “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; …“

Philippians 2:14 – “Do all things without grumbling or questioning,”

Group 16 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;“

Group 17 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Revelation 14:12 – “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”

Group 18 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Group 19 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.“

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;“

Group 20 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

1 Timothy 2:11 – “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.“

1 Corinthians 12:2 – “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.“

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

1 Corinthians 8:7 – “However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.“

1 Corinthians 8:4 – Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

Group 21 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:13 – “If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.“

1 Corinthians 7:16 – “For 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 7:12 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.“

Group 22 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Psalm 91:1-16 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …“

Deuteronomy 22:10 – “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.”

Group 23 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Malachi 2:1-17 – “And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. …”

Group 24 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

1 Peter 3:1-6 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …“

Group 25 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

1 Corinthians 7:4 – “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

1 Corinthians 1:1-31 – “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— …“

Group 26 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 6:6 – “By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;“

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“

2 Corinthians 6:4 – “But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,“

Group 27 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Mark 10:8 – “And the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.“

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 28 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Matthew 22:1-46 – “And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ...”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Group 29 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Zechariah 14:1-21 – “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. …“

Group 30 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Exodus 34:16 – “And you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”

Group 31 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Proverbs 31:1-31 – “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ...”

Jude 1:6 – “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—“

Group 32 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Deuteronomy 21:10-17 – “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife, and you bring her home to your house, she shall shave her head and pare her nails. And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants. But you shall not sell her for money, nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her. ...”

Group 33 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

Ezra 9:1-10:44 – After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, …”

Group 34 – What Should A Christian Do If Married To An Unbeliever

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“

1 Thessalonians 4:8 – “Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

John 14:1-31 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ...”

Also Read
Love, What The Bible Says

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

Leave a comment
Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A NonChristian

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian? Perhaps you love someone and are trying to determine if you should marry that person. Likewise, you might be in search of what it takes to find and marry the right person. In this writing, we’ll reveal the Biblical principles to guide you in making that decision. There is no book as old and rich as the Bible when it comes to getting information about marriage. The Bible tells us that God performed the very first marriage on the sixth day of creation week. Genesis 1:27, 28, NKJV says – “God created man in His own image…male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth’ ”. Marriage has been existing for as long as we have historical records.

Brethren, let no one deceive you, for marriage is a blessing from God to mankind. Indeed, God created marriage in the beginning. We should always keep in mind that it was God who initiated the very first marriage in the garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. We are trying to say here that marriage comes from God. God’s ideal for marriage was illustrated when he united Adam and Eve in an unbreakable bond. That is, one man and one woman joined together in a faithful and long-life commitment to each other. From creation, a husband and a wife were meant to work together for the establishment of a strong and godly family. Although human beings have not always followed this ideal path, it remains the best from God.

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

Before going deep into what the Bible says about who you should marry, there are a few things worth pointing to. It is without a doubt that there are currently lots of contradictions when it comes to handling the Christian marital aspect. A good Biblical foundation on what God is saying about marriage will prevent you from falling victim to unsound and diluted doctrines. The bond of marriage is so powerful that it joints two individuals into one flesh. The Bible is very clear on this divine truth. When God created Eve, “He brought her to the man. And Adam said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’ . . . Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24). This is an account of the very first marriage celebrated by God himself.

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

As a Christian, dating a non-Christian is unwise, and marrying one is not an option. 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us not to be “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever. The imagery is of two incompatible oxen sharing the same yoke. Instead of working together to pull the load, they would be working against each other. Although this passage does not specifically mention marriage, it definitely has implications for marriage. The same passage further tells us that there is no harmony between Christ and Belial (Satan). Thus, there can be no spiritual harmony between a Christian and non-Christian. In addition, Apostle Paul reminds believers that they are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who inhabits their hearts at salvation (2 Corinthians 6:15-17).

Following the fact that the Holy Spirit inhabits the bodies of Christians, they are to be separate from the world – in the world, but not of the world – and nowhere is this more important to be respected than in life’s most intimate relationship – marriage. In the same light, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” It is important to understand that having any kind of intimate relationship with an unbeliever can rapidly lead to something that will become a hindrance to your walk with Jesus Christ. Note that we are called to evangelize the lost, and not to go intimate with them. However, there is nothing wrong with building quality friendships with unbelievers, loving them, praying for them, and treating them well. In fact, Christ commanded us to do this. But we should put limits for them not to corrupt our minds.

Is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?

Many people regularly ask whether or not it is a sin to marry a non-Christian. If you are one of such, then we think you are asking the wrong question here. The good question should be, “why would you want to marry a non-Christian?” Remember that God’s vision for marriage is that of a place where a “culture of two” is created. In fact, marriage is about sharing our lives, and about the “oneness” that emerges from that shared culture. Therefore, marriage becomes the central situation in which we grow to become what God intends us to be, the very context in which we lovingly raise our children to know and honor Him. Note that a great and successful marriage becomes a place of shelter, comfort, hope, and strength during challenging times, and a place of deep joy and thankfulness to God for His goodness.

In a Christian marriage, a shared belief in God provides a bedrock for the shared values that define the relationship and family. Thus, in light of God’s vision for marriage, the question, “is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?” reflects a strong willingness to settle. Marrying a non-Christian may, in the short run, bring satisfaction. But over time, the marriage is likely to become a source of pain as it is not centered on Christ. Today, there are many Christians around the world who are regretting their decision to marry a non-Christian. Although some still love their partners, they are missing so much of what God intended for their marriage. In situations that children are involved, the complications are higher. Imagine the case of a man asking the wife not to read Bible stories to their children nor pray with them because he thinks that God is a fantasy.

Why Christians Should Go For Christian Partners In Marriage

1) Christians are to marry only Christians – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” In this Biblical verse, we are made to understand that a Christian must only marry another Christian. The phrase “but he must belong to the Lord” refers to a Christian. However, this is not the only Biblical verse where Christians are warned not to marry a non-Christian or unbeliever. This command was given as inspired by God’s Spirit to help us avoid the heart-ache that accompanies a Christian who marries a non-Christian. Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

It is important to understand that the Greek word translated as “bound” literally means “to be pulled in opposite directions.” That is “bound” is a poor translation. The word truly refers to being pulled in opposite directions or being wrongly matched. This is to say that believers and unbelievers are opposites and they will pull in opposite directions. It is written in the Holy Scriptures that “What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness?” The couple will be pulling in opposite directions. The Christian partner will want to go to church, read the Bible, minister in the church, pray, obey God, and avoid sin. On the other hand, the unbelieving partner will not want to do any of these things and might even stand against them at home.

2) A Christian can marry any Christian of their choice – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” We are made to understand by the Scriptures that an individual Christian is free to marry any believer that he/she wishes. The Greek word translated “wishes” is thelo. This word means “to wish, desire, want or to take pleasure in.” This is an indication that a Christian is free to marry any believer that he or she wishes. Since a Christian is free to marry any Christian that he/she desires, there are a few things worth considering. Both partners should see unto it that they share the same goals and visions for the future. This is a Biblical principle that can be adopted to make a successful marriage.

It is said that “make my joy complete by being of the same mind” (Philippians 2:1-4). The Greek word for “same mind” refers to being in agreement. It literally means thinking the same things. Likewise, Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Thus, it is very important for those planning to get married to see unto it that they are of like-minds. Also, both partners must understand and accept the differences in their backgrounds, cultures, and/or habits. 1 Peter 3:7 says to husbands: “live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” This means that a husband must know and understand his wife. He should know her weaknesses, attitudes, desires, and learn to treat her well.

3) A successful marriage requires a level of spiritual maturity – Genesis 2:21-25

Surprisingly, a successful marriage is not necessarily all about love but spiritual maturity. Behold, love was not required for the marriage of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:21-25). Adam was already alive and then Eve came forth. Note that they did not spend time before getting married. The Bible tells us that God created Eve and presented her to Adam. Interestingly, God did not ask Adam whether he loved his new wife nor did God ask Eve whether she loved Adam, her husband. Sinful behavior was not an issue yet. However, we can be confident that they in time loved each other, but that was not the primary reason that brought them together as husband and wife.

In fact, love was not the primary basis of marriage in the Old Testament era. A good example is Isaac and Rebekah. We are told in Genesis 24 how Abraham sent his servant back to his home country to the Ur of the Chaldeans, to find a wife for his son, Isaac, from among his relatives. The servant prayed and asked God to guide him, and behold, God guided him to a woman named Rebekah. Genesis 24:58 recounts how Rebekah agreed to return with the servant and marry Isaac. She was not asked if she loved Isaac because she had not yet met with him. Genesis 24:62-67 tells us that when Rebekah arrived and met her new husband, she entered his tent and became his wife. Love was not the basis for their marriage. Rather, it was respect and commitment. However, they grew to know and love each other.

4) A Christian partner will make it easy and/or possible for you to honor God’s commands – Leviticus 22:31

Leviticus 22:31 says “So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord.” If you desire God’s favor and abundant blessings in your marriage, then it is important to see unto it that you and your partner are keeping His commands. For those still planning to get married, it is worth evaluating their potential spouse for an obedient heart to God’s commands. This is what we refer to as figuring out and understanding the spiritual walk or behavior of your future husband or wife. Below are a series of questions that you can consider in order to better understand your partner’s spirituality.

Questions to consider:
  1. Is your potential spouse willing to have children? Remember that in Genesis 1:28, God commands couples to have children.
  2. Will your potential husband be able to support the family? Today, it is rather unfortunate that some husbands stay at home and expect their wives to meet household needs. The Scriptures clearly address this in 1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
  3. Are both the potential husband and wife walking in the spirit? As Christians, we are encouraged to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:17-6:5; Colossians 3:16-22). Undoubtedly, a spirit-filled husband and wife will have a “successful” marriage. Together, they will grow spiritually and control their household in a way that is pleasing to God.
  4. Is the future husband willing to love and treat his wife well? It is important to understand that God has commanded a husband to love and treat his wife well (Ephesians 5:25-33; Titus 2:6-8; 1 Peter 3:7, 8-9).
  5. Are both the potential husband and wife having a forgiving spirit? When an argument occurs, what happens? Does one of you have an elephant’s memory and repeatedly blame the other for your differences? Are you both humble or faultfinders? It is worth pointing to God’s call for us to have a spirit of forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31-32).
  6. Is the future wife willing to submit to her husband? Or, does she want control over her husband? Remember that God has commanded a wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-23; Titus 2:4-5 and 1 Peter 3:1-6, 8-9).
5) Engagement period is genuine, fun, and done in the Will of God – Ephesians 5:25-27

Engagement is a trial period. This is a time of exclusive commitment to one another. It is a trial period that should be broken in case of any serious problem or area of incompatibility. However, the future wife should be able to respect and consequently be in submission to her future husband. Likewise, the future husband should be lovingly leading her into spiritual things (Ephesians 5:25-27). It is highly important for couples to maintain sexual purity throughout the engagement period. It is also recommended that the couple stay off any passionate kissing until the wedding day.

6) Marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work – Genesis 2

Genesis 2 makes us understand that marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work. Genesis 2:15–17 reports how Adam is Prophet/Priest/King in the garden kingdom where God has put him to rule within the constraints of God’s ultimate kingship (symbolized by the two trees: blessing and life for living under his rule; curse and death for rebelling against His rule). The rest of the chapter clearly details how Adam is incapable of fulfilling his calling to be prophet/priest/king alone. So, God presents Eve to Adam as a helper together with whom he will carry out the work and bring glory to His Name. Following this, we can say that marriage is a partnership. “It is not good for man to be alone” is not just true because man is lonely but also because man alone is incompetent. This is true even before the fall of man.

7) Marriage is harmed by sin – Genesis 3

Going through Genesis 3, we discover how marriage gets messed up by sin. Adam and Eve go from naked and unashamed to hiding from one another. In the curse, the Lord God pronounces how marriage post-Fall is a battle of one sinful will against another: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). By this, we understand that all marriages are hard. However, in a Christian marriage, spouses have the opportunity to call one another to submit one’s sinful will to God’s perfect will. By marrying a non-Christian, you lose out on the blessing of having a spouse who calls you to submit your will to Christ.

8) The Old Testament warns against marrying unbelievers – Genesis

Across the Biblical book of Genesis, we see the significant effort being put in place for the people of God to marry only those who believe in Him. In Genesis 24, we clearly read about the extra mile that Abraham went in order to secure a believing wife for his son, Isaac. Likewise, in Genesis 27:46–28:9, we read about Rebekah and Isaac’s disgust at the marriage of their son to Canaanite/Hittite woman. Note that, this isn’t racism: it’s religious. In the conquest of Canaan, the Lord God gives strict prohibitions against intermarriage: Deuteronomy 7:3–4 says, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” This very prohibition is repeated in Joshua 23:12.

9) New Testament texts imply the prohibition to marry unbelievers remain – 1 Corinthians 7:39

There is sufficient text in the New Testament to make us believe that the Old Testament prohibition to marry non-believers still holds. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” In addition, 1 Corinthians 9:5 says, “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” This suggests that having an unbelieving wife would at least disqualify from ministry.

10) The New Testament reveals a clear and positive vision for marriage – Ephesian 5:21–33

Amazingly, the New Testament gives a clearer revelation of marriage: it’s a partnership that pictures the redeeming love of Christ for His Church. The main point of marriage is to picture the gospel of Christ (Eph. 5:21–33; Rev. 21:9–27). Beyond that, it also pictures the very relationship that exists between the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 11:3). Thus, to marry a non-believer is like two artists trying to paint two different pictures on the same canvas. While you are trying to paint the picture of Christ and the Church, your spouse is trying to paint something completely different.

What Should A Christian Do If He/She Is Married To An Unbeliever?

There are several challenges that a Christian who is married to an unbeliever encounter. Some of these challenges are having to choose between romance and winning a soul for Christ, difficulty to cultivate spiritual intimacy in the marriage, and the inability to build and maintain a quality marriage on the most crucial issue in the universe – Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, being married to an unbeliever can be one of the most difficult challenges in a Christian’s life. Remember that marriage is a sacred covenant that joins two people together in one flesh (Matthew 19:5). It is difficult for a believer and an unbeliever to live in peaceful harmony (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). If one partner gets to know about and believes Christ after the marriage, the inherent struggles of living under two different authorities quickly become apparent.

Most Christians in such situations usually look for a way out of the marriage, convinced that this is the only way to truly bring honor to God. Surprisingly, God’s Word says the contrary. It is of great importance for us not only to be content in our situation but also to look for ways to bring glory to God out of our challenging circumstances (1 Corinthians 7:17). Amazingly, the Bible specifically addresses those married to unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 7:12-14: “…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. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband…”

Looking unto God when you are married to an unbeliever

Christians married to unbelievers will need to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to profess Christ and live in the light of God’s presence (1 John 1:7). In addition, they should seek God’s transforming power to change their hearts and produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is important to note here that a Christian wife is obligated to have a submissive heart, even towards her unbelieving husband (1 Peter 3:1), and she will need to stay close to God at all times for His strength.

Amazingly, Christians are not meant to live solitary lives. That is, they can find support from outside sources such as the Church and Bible study groups. Being married to an unbeliever does not alter the sacredness of the relationship, so it should be the priority of every Christian to pray for his/her spouse and set a good example, thereby allowing Christ’s light to shine brightly in their life (Philippians 2:14). In the midst of your challenge, pray to the Lord God Almighty that if it is His Will, may He make you experience the truth that was revealed in 1 Peter 3:1—that an unbelieving spouse is “won over” and glory brought to His name.

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 7:39 – “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Group 1 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

2 Corinthians 6:15 – “What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,“

1 Corinthians 7:14 – “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Deuteronomy 7:3-4 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

Group 2 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.“

Group 3 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”“

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Group 4 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 7:12-13 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Deuteronomy 7:3 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,”

Amos 3:3 – “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?“

Matthew 19:5 – “And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?“

1 Kings 11:4 – “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

Group 5 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 – “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.“

1 Corinthians 7:10 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband.”

Group 6 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

James 4:17 – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

James 4:4 – “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Group 7 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

1 Peter 3:1-2 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.”

1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.“

Ezra 10:11 – “Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Genesis 24:3 – “That I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,”

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.“

Group 8 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …“

1 Kings 11:1-43 – “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. …“

Group 9 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“

Hebrews 3:12 – “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,“

1 Corinthians 14:22-25 – “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Group 10 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Luke 16:18 – “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.“

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Revelation 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

2 Corinthians 6:16 – “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.“

1 Corinthians 7:17 – “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

1 Corinthians 9:5 – “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?“

Group 11 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …“

Group 12 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Matthew 6:1-34 – ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. …”

Group 13 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— …“

Group 14 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. ...”

Group 15 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

2 Corinthians 6:1-18 – “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; …“

Philippians 2:14 – “Do all things without grumbling or questioning,”

Group 16 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;“

Group 17 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Group 18 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.“

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;“

Group 19 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Revelation 14:12 – “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”

Group 20 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

1 Timothy 2:11 – “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.“

1 Corinthians 12:2 – “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.“

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

1 Corinthians 8:7 – “However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.“

1 Corinthians 8:4 – Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

Group 21 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 7:13 – “If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.“

1 Corinthians 7:16 – “For 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 7:12 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.“

Group 22 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Psalm 91:1-16 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …“

Deuteronomy 22:10 – “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.”

Group 23 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Malachi 2:1-17 – “And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. …”

Group 24 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

1 Peter 3:1-6 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …“

Group 25 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

2 Corinthians 6:6 – “By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;“

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“

2 Corinthians 6:4 – “But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,“

Group 26 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 7:4 – “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

1 Corinthians 1:1-31 – “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— …“

Group 27 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Mark 10:8 – “And the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.“

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 28 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Exodus 34:16 – “And you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”

Group 29 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Zechariah 14:1-21 – “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. …“

Group 30 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Matthew 22:1-46 – “And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ...”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Group 31 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Proverbs 31:1-31 – “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ...”

Jude 1:6 – “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—“

Group 32 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Deuteronomy 21:10-17 – “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife, and you bring her home to your house, she shall shave her head and pare her nails. And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants. But you shall not sell her for money, nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her. ...”

Group 33 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

Ezra 9:1-10:44 – After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, …”

Group 34 – Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“

1 Thessalonians 4:8 – “Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

John 14:1-31 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ...”

Also Read
Love, What The Bible Says

Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian?

Leave a comment
Is It A Sin To Marry A NonChristian

Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian? Perhaps you love someone and are trying to determine if you should marry that person. Likewise, you might be in search of what it takes to find and marry the right person. In this writing, we’ll reveal the Biblical principles to guide you in making that decision. There is no book as old and rich as the Bible when it comes to getting information about marriage. The Bible tells us that God performed the very first marriage on the sixth day of creation week. Genesis 1:27, 28, NKJV says – “God created man in His own image…male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth’ ”. Marriage has been existing for as long as we have historical records.

Brethren, let no one deceive you, for marriage is a blessing from God to mankind. Indeed, God created marriage in the beginning. We should always keep in mind that it was God who initiated the very first marriage in the garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. We are trying to say here that marriage comes from God. God’s ideal for marriage was illustrated when he united Adam and Eve in an unbreakable bond. That is, one man and one woman joined together in a faithful and long-life commitment to each other. From creation, a husband and a wife were meant to work together for the establishment of a strong and godly family. Although human beings have not always followed this ideal path, it remains the best from God.

Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian?

Before going deep into what the Bible says about who you should marry, there are a few things worth pointing to. It is without a doubt that there are currently lots of contradictions when it comes to handling the Christian marital aspect. A good Biblical foundation on what God is saying about marriage will prevent you from falling victim to unsound and diluted doctrines. The bond of marriage is so powerful that it joints two individuals into one flesh. The Bible is very clear on this divine truth. When God created Eve, “He brought her to the man. And Adam said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’ . . . Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24). This is an account of the very first marriage celebrated by God himself.

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

As a Christian, dating a non-Christian is unwise, and marrying one is not an option. 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us not to be “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever. The imagery is of two incompatible oxen sharing the same yoke. Instead of working together to pull the load, they would be working against each other. Although this passage does not specifically mention marriage, it definitely has implications for marriage. The same passage further tells us that there is no harmony between Christ and Belial (Satan). Thus, there can be no spiritual harmony between a Christian and non-Christian. In addition, Apostle Paul reminds believers that they are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who inhabits their hearts at salvation (2 Corinthians 6:15-17).

Following the fact that the Holy Spirit inhabits the bodies of Christians, they are to be separate from the world – in the world, but not of the world – and nowhere is this more important to be respected than in life’s most intimate relationship – marriage. In the same light, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” It is important to understand that having any kind of intimate relationship with an unbeliever can rapidly lead to something that will become a hindrance to your walk with Jesus Christ. Note that we are called to evangelize the lost, and not to go intimate with them. However, there is nothing wrong with building quality friendships with unbelievers, loving them, praying for them, and treating them well. In fact, Christ commanded us to do this. But we should put limits for them not to corrupt our minds.

Is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?

Many people regularly ask whether or not it is a sin to marry a non-Christian. If you are one of such, then we think you are asking the wrong question here. The good question should be, “why would you want to marry a non-Christian?” Remember that God’s vision for marriage is that of a place where a “culture of two” is created. In fact, marriage is about sharing our lives, and about the “oneness” that emerges from that shared culture. Therefore, marriage becomes the central situation in which we grow to become what God intends us to be, the very context in which we lovingly raise our children to know and honor Him. Note that a great and successful marriage becomes a place of shelter, comfort, hope, and strength during challenging times, and a place of deep joy and thankfulness to God for His goodness.

In a Christian marriage, a shared belief in God provides a bedrock for the shared values that define the relationship and family. Thus, in light of God’s vision for marriage, the question, “is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?” reflects a strong willingness to settle. Marrying a non-Christian may, in the short run, bring satisfaction. But over time, the marriage is likely to become a source of pain as it is not centered on Christ. Today, there are many Christians around the world who are regretting their decision to marry a non-Christian. Although some still love their partners, they are missing so much of what God intended for their marriage. In situations that children are involved, the complications are higher. Imagine the case of a man asking the wife not to read Bible stories to their children nor pray with them because he thinks that God is a fantasy.

Why Christians Should Go For Christian Partners In Marriage

1) Christians are to marry only Christians – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” In this Biblical verse, we are made to understand that a Christian must only marry another Christian. The phrase “but he must belong to the Lord” refers to a Christian. However, this is not the only Biblical verse where Christians are warned not to marry a non-Christian or unbeliever. This command was given as inspired by God’s Spirit to help us avoid the heart-ache that accompanies a Christian who marries a non-Christian. Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

It is important to understand that the Greek word translated as “bound” literally means “to be pulled in opposite directions.” That is “bound” is a poor translation. The word truly refers to being pulled in opposite directions or being wrongly matched. This is to say that believers and unbelievers are opposites and they will pull in opposite directions. It is written in the Holy Scriptures that “What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness?” The couple will be pulling in opposite directions. The Christian partner will want to go to church, read the Bible, minister in the church, pray, obey God, and avoid sin. On the other hand, the unbelieving partner will not want to do any of these things and might even stand against them at home.

2) A Christian can marry any Christian of their choice – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” We are made to understand by the Scriptures that an individual Christian is free to marry any believer that he/she wishes. The Greek word translated “wishes” is thelo. This word means “to wish, desire, want or to take pleasure in.” This is an indication that a Christian is free to marry any believer that he or she wishes. Since a Christian is free to marry any Christian that he/she desires, there are a few things worth considering. Both partners should see unto it that they share the same goals and visions for the future. This is a Biblical principle that can be adopted to make a successful marriage.

It is said that “make my joy complete by being of the same mind” (Philippians 2:1-4). The Greek word for “same mind” refers to being in agreement. It literally means thinking the same things. Likewise, Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Thus, it is very important for those planning to get married to see unto it that they are of like-minds. Also, both partners must understand and accept the differences in their backgrounds, cultures, and/or habits. 1 Peter 3:7 says to husbands: “live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” This means that a husband must know and understand his wife. He should know her weaknesses, attitudes, desires, and learn to treat her well.

3) A successful marriage requires a level of spiritual maturity – Genesis 2:21-25

Surprisingly, a successful marriage is not necessarily all about love but spiritual maturity. Behold, love was not required for the marriage of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:21-25). Adam was already alive and then Eve came forth. Note that they did not spend time before getting married. The Bible tells us that God created Eve and presented her to Adam. Interestingly, God did not ask Adam whether he loved his new wife nor did God ask Eve whether she loved Adam, her husband. Sinful behavior was not an issue yet. However, we can be confident that they in time loved each other, but that was not the primary reason that brought them together as husband and wife.

In fact, love was not the primary basis of marriage in the Old Testament era. A good example is Isaac and Rebekah. We are told in Genesis 24 how Abraham sent his servant back to his home country to the Ur of the Chaldeans, to find a wife for his son, Isaac, from among his relatives. The servant prayed and asked God to guide him, and behold, God guided him to a woman named Rebekah. Genesis 24:58 recounts how Rebekah agreed to return with the servant and marry Isaac. She was not asked if she loved Isaac because she had not yet met with him. Genesis 24:62-67 tells us that when Rebekah arrived and met her new husband, she entered his tent and became his wife. Love was not the basis for their marriage. Rather, it was respect and commitment. However, they grew to know and love each other.

4) A Christian partner will make it easy and/or possible for you to honor God’s commands – Leviticus 22:31

Leviticus 22:31 says “So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord.” If you desire God’s favor and abundant blessings in your marriage, then it is important to see unto it that you and your partner are keeping His commands. For those still planning to get married, it is worth evaluating their potential spouse for an obedient heart to God’s commands. This is what we refer to as figuring out and understanding the spiritual walk or behavior of your future husband or wife. Below are a series of questions that you can consider in order to better understand your partner’s spirituality.

Questions to consider:
  1. Is your potential spouse willing to have children? Remember that in Genesis 1:28, God commands couples to have children.
  2. Will your potential husband be able to support the family? Today, it is rather unfortunate that some husbands stay at home and expect their wives to meet household needs. The Scriptures clearly address this in 1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
  3. Are both the potential husband and wife walking in the spirit? As Christians, we are encouraged to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:17-6:5; Colossians 3:16-22). Undoubtedly, a spirit-filled husband and wife will have a “successful” marriage. Together, they will grow spiritually and control their household in a way that is pleasing to God.
  4. Is the future husband willing to love and treat his wife well? It is important to understand that God has commanded a husband to love and treat his wife well (Ephesians 5:25-33; Titus 2:6-8; 1 Peter 3:7, 8-9).
  5. Are both the potential husband and wife having a forgiving spirit? When an argument occurs, what happens? Does one of you have an elephant’s memory and repeatedly blame the other for your differences? Are you both humble or faultfinders? It is worth pointing to God’s call for us to have a spirit of forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31-32).
  6. Is the future wife willing to submit to her husband? Or, does she want control over her husband? Remember that God has commanded a wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-23; Titus 2:4-5 and 1 Peter 3:1-6, 8-9).
5) Engagement period is genuine, fun, and done in the Will of God – Ephesians 5:25-27

Engagement is a trial period. This is a time of exclusive commitment to one another. It is a trial period that should be broken in case of any serious problem or area of incompatibility. However, the future wife should be able to respect and consequently be in submission to her future husband. Likewise, the future husband should be lovingly leading her into spiritual things (Ephesians 5:25-27). It is highly important for couples to maintain sexual purity throughout the engagement period. It is also recommended that the couple stay off any passionate kissing until the wedding day.

6) Marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work – Genesis 2

Genesis 2 makes us understand that marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work. Genesis 2:15–17 reports how Adam is Prophet/Priest/King in the garden kingdom where God has put him to rule within the constraints of God’s ultimate kingship (symbolized by the two trees: blessing and life for living under his rule; curse and death for rebelling against His rule). The rest of the chapter clearly details how Adam is incapable of fulfilling his calling to be prophet/priest/king alone. So, God presents Eve to Adam as a helper together with whom he will carry out the work and bring glory to His Name. Following this, we can say that marriage is a partnership. “It is not good for man to be alone” is not just true because man is lonely but also because man alone is incompetent. This is true even before the fall of man.

7) Marriage is harmed by sin – Genesis 3

Going through Genesis 3, we discover how marriage gets messed up by sin. Adam and Eve go from naked and unashamed to hiding from one another. In the curse, the Lord God pronounces how marriage post-Fall is a battle of one sinful will against another: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). By this, we understand that all marriages are hard. However, in a Christian marriage, spouses have the opportunity to call one another to submit one’s sinful will to God’s perfect will. By marrying a non-Christian, you lose out on the blessing of having a spouse who calls you to submit your will to Christ.

8) The Old Testament warns against marrying unbelievers – Genesis

Across the Biblical book of Genesis, we see the significant effort being put in place for the people of God to marry only those who believe in Him. In Genesis 24, we clearly read about the extra mile that Abraham went in order to secure a believing wife for his son, Isaac. Likewise, in Genesis 27:46–28:9, we read about Rebekah and Isaac’s disgust at the marriage of their son to Canaanite/Hittite woman. Note that, this isn’t racism: it’s religious. In the conquest of Canaan, the Lord God gives strict prohibitions against intermarriage: Deuteronomy 7:3–4 says, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” This very prohibition is repeated in Joshua 23:12.

9) New Testament texts imply the prohibition to marry unbelievers remain – 1 Corinthians 7:39

There is sufficient text in the New Testament to make us believe that the Old Testament prohibition to marry non-believers still holds. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” In addition, 1 Corinthians 9:5 says, “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” This suggests that having an unbelieving wife would at least disqualify from ministry.

10) The New Testament reveals a clear and positive vision for marriage – Ephesian 5:21–33

Amazingly, the New Testament gives a clearer revelation of marriage: it’s a partnership that pictures the redeeming love of Christ for His Church. The main point of marriage is to picture the gospel of Christ (Eph. 5:21–33; Rev. 21:9–27). Beyond that, it also pictures the very relationship that exists between the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 11:3). Thus, to marry a non-believer is like two artists trying to paint two different pictures on the same canvas. While you are trying to paint the picture of Christ and the Church, your spouse is trying to paint something completely different.

What Should A Christian Do If He/She Is Married To An Unbeliever?

There are several challenges that a Christian who is married to an unbeliever encounter. Some of these challenges are having to choose between romance and winning a soul for Christ, difficulty to cultivate spiritual intimacy in the marriage, and the inability to build and maintain a quality marriage on the most crucial issue in the universe – Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, being married to an unbeliever can be one of the most difficult challenges in a Christian’s life. Remember that marriage is a sacred covenant that joins two people together in one flesh (Matthew 19:5). It is difficult for a believer and an unbeliever to live in peaceful harmony (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). If one partner gets to know about and believes Christ after the marriage, the inherent struggles of living under two different authorities quickly become apparent.

Most Christians in such situations usually look for a way out of the marriage, convinced that this is the only way to truly bring honor to God. Surprisingly, God’s Word says the contrary. It is of great importance for us not only to be content in our situation but also to look for ways to bring glory to God out of our challenging circumstances (1 Corinthians 7:17). Amazingly, the Bible specifically addresses those married to unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 7:12-14: “…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. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband…”

Looking unto God when you are married to an unbeliever

Christians married to unbelievers will need to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to profess Christ and live in the light of God’s presence (1 John 1:7). In addition, they should seek God’s transforming power to change their hearts and produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is important to note here that a Christian wife is obligated to have a submissive heart, even towards her unbelieving husband (1 Peter 3:1), and she will need to stay close to God at all times for His strength.

Amazingly, Christians are not meant to live solitary lives. That is, they can find support from outside sources such as the Church and Bible study groups. Being married to an unbeliever does not alter the sacredness of the relationship, so it should be the priority of every Christian to pray for his/her spouse and set a good example, thereby allowing Christ’s light to shine brightly in their life (Philippians 2:14). In the midst of your challenge, pray to the Lord God Almighty that if it is His Will, may He make you experience the truth that was revealed in 1 Peter 3:1—that an unbelieving spouse is “won over” and glory brought to His name.

Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian?

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 7:39 – “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Group 1 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 7:14 – “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Deuteronomy 7:3-4 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

2 Corinthians 6:15 – “What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,“

Group 2 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.“

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

Group 3 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”“

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Group 4 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Deuteronomy 7:3 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,”

Amos 3:3 – “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?“

Matthew 19:5 – “And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?“

1 Kings 11:4 – “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-13 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Group 5 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 – “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.“

1 Corinthians 7:10 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband.”

Group 6 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

James 4:17 – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

James 4:4 – “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Group 7 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

1 Peter 3:1-2 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.”

1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.“

Ezra 10:11 – “Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Genesis 24:3 – “That I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,”

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.“

Group 8 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …“

1 Kings 11:1-43 – “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. …“

Group 9 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“

Hebrews 3:12 – “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,“

2 Corinthians 6:16 – “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.“

1 Corinthians 7:17 – “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

1 Corinthians 9:5 – “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?“

Group 10 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 14:22-25 – “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Luke 16:18 – “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.“

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Revelation 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Group 11 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …“

Group 12 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Matthew 6:1-34 – ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. …”

Group 13 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— …“

Group 14 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. ...”

Group 15 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

2 Corinthians 6:1-18 – “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; …“

Philippians 2:14 – “Do all things without grumbling or questioning,”

Group 16 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;“

Group 17 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Group 18 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Revelation 14:12 – “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”

Group 19 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.“

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;“

Group 20 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 7:13 – “If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.“

1 Corinthians 7:16 – “For 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 7:12 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.“

Group 21 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

1 Timothy 2:11 – “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.“

1 Corinthians 12:2 – “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.“

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

1 Corinthians 8:7 – “However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.“

1 Corinthians 8:4 – Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

Group 22 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Psalm 91:1-16 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …“

Deuteronomy 22:10 – “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.”

Group 23 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Malachi 2:1-17 – “And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. …”

Group 24 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

1 Peter 3:1-6 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …“

Group 25 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

2 Corinthians 6:6 – “By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;“

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“

2 Corinthians 6:4 – “But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,“

Group 26 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

1 Corinthians 7:4 – “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

1 Corinthians 1:1-31 – “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— …“

Group 27 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Mark 10:8 – “And the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.“

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 28 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Matthew 22:1-46 – “And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ...”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Group 29 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Zechariah 14:1-21 – “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. …“

Group 30 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Proverbs 31:1-31 – “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ...”

Jude 1:6 – “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—“

Group 31 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Exodus 34:16 – “And you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”

Group 32 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Deuteronomy 21:10-17 – “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife, and you bring her home to your house, she shall shave her head and pare her nails. And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants. But you shall not sell her for money, nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her. ...”

Group 33 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

Ezra 9:1-10:44 – After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, …”

Group 34 – Is It A Sin To Marry A Non-Christian

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“

1 Thessalonians 4:8 – “Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

John 14:1-31 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ...”

Also Read
Love, What The Bible Says

How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry?

Leave a comment
How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry? Perhaps you love someone and are trying to determine if you should marry that person. Likewise, you might be in search of what it takes to find and marry the right person. In this writing, we’ll reveal the Biblical principles to guide you in making that decision. There is no book as old and rich as the Bible when it comes to getting information about marriage. The Bible tells us that God performed the very first marriage on the sixth day of creation week. Genesis 1:27, 28, NKJV says – “God created man in His own image…male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth’ ”. Marriage has been existing for as long as we have historical records.

Brethren, let no one deceive you, for marriage is a blessing from God to mankind. Indeed, God created marriage in the beginning. We should always keep in mind that it was God who initiated the very first marriage in the garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. We are trying to say here that marriage comes from God. God’s ideal for marriage was illustrated when he united Adam and Eve in an unbreakable bond. That is, one man and one woman joined together in a faithful and long-life commitment to each other. From creation, a husband and a wife were meant to work together for the establishment of a strong and godly family. Although human beings have not always followed this ideal path, it remains the best from God.

How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry?

Before going deep into what the Bible says about who you should marry, there are a few things worth pointing to. It is without a doubt that there are currently lots of contradictions when it comes to handling the Christian marital aspect. A good Biblical foundation on what God is saying about marriage will prevent you from falling victim to unsound and diluted doctrines. The bond of marriage is so powerful that it joints two individuals into one flesh. The Bible is very clear on this divine truth. When God created Eve, “He brought her to the man. And Adam said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’ . . . Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24). This is an account of the very first marriage celebrated by God himself.

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

As a Christian, dating a non-Christian is unwise, and marrying one is not an option. 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us not to be “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever. The imagery is of two incompatible oxen sharing the same yoke. Instead of working together to pull the load, they would be working against each other. Although this passage does not specifically mention marriage, it definitely has implications for marriage. The same passage further tells us that there is no harmony between Christ and Belial (Satan). Thus, there can be no spiritual harmony between a Christian and non-Christian. In addition, Apostle Paul reminds believers that they are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who inhabits their hearts at salvation (2 Corinthians 6:15-17).

Following the fact that the Holy Spirit inhabits the bodies of Christians, they are to be separate from the world – in the world, but not of the world – and nowhere is this more important to be respected than in life’s most intimate relationship – marriage. In the same light, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” It is important to understand that having any kind of intimate relationship with an unbeliever can rapidly lead to something that will become a hindrance to your walk with Jesus Christ. Note that we are called to evangelize the lost, and not to go intimate with them. However, there is nothing wrong with building quality friendships with unbelievers, loving them, praying for them, and treating them well. In fact, Christ commanded us to do this. But we should put limits for them not to corrupt our minds.

Is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?

Many people regularly ask whether or not it is a sin to marry a non-Christian. If you are one of such, then we think you are asking the wrong question here. The good question should be, “why would you want to marry a non-Christian?” Remember that God’s vision for marriage is that of a place where a “culture of two” is created. In fact, marriage is about sharing our lives, and about the “oneness” that emerges from that shared culture. Therefore, marriage becomes the central situation in which we grow to become what God intends us to be, the very context in which we lovingly raise our children to know and honor Him. Note that a great and successful marriage becomes a place of shelter, comfort, hope, and strength during challenging times, and a place of deep joy and thankfulness to God for His goodness.

In a Christian marriage, a shared belief in God provides a bedrock for the shared values that define the relationship and family. Thus, in light of God’s vision for marriage, the question, “is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?” reflects a strong willingness to settle. Marrying a non-Christian may, in the short run, bring satisfaction. But over time, the marriage is likely to become a source of pain as it is not centered on Christ. Today, there are many Christians around the world who are regretting their decision to marry a non-Christian. Although some still love their partners, they are missing so much of what God intended for their marriage. In situations that children are involved, the complications are higher. Imagine the case of a man asking the wife not to read Bible stories to their children nor pray with them because he thinks that God is a fantasy.

Why Christians Should Go For Christian Partners In Marriage

1) Christians are to marry only Christians – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” In this Biblical verse, we are made to understand that a Christian must only marry another Christian. The phrase “but he must belong to the Lord” refers to a Christian. However, this is not the only Biblical verse where Christians are warned not to marry a non-Christian or unbeliever. This command was given as inspired by God’s Spirit to help us avoid the heart-ache that accompanies a Christian who marries a non-Christian. Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

It is important to understand that the Greek word translated as “bound” literally means “to be pulled in opposite directions.” That is “bound” is a poor translation. The word truly refers to being pulled in opposite directions or being wrongly matched. This is to say that believers and unbelievers are opposites and they will pull in opposite directions. It is written in the Holy Scriptures that “What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness?” The couple will be pulling in opposite directions. The Christian partner will want to go to church, read the Bible, minister in the church, pray, obey God, and avoid sin. On the other hand, the unbelieving partner will not want to do any of these things and might even stand against them at home.

2) A Christian can marry any Christian of their choice – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” We are made to understand by the Scriptures that an individual Christian is free to marry any believer that he/she wishes. The Greek word translated “wishes” is thelo. This word means “to wish, desire, want or to take pleasure in.” This is an indication that a Christian is free to marry any believer that he or she wishes. Since a Christian is free to marry any Christian that he/she desires, there are a few things worth considering. Both partners should see unto it that they share the same goals and visions for the future. This is a Biblical principle that can be adopted to make a successful marriage.

It is said that “make my joy complete by being of the same mind” (Philippians 2:1-4). The Greek word for “same mind” refers to being in agreement. It literally means thinking the same things. Likewise, Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Thus, it is very important for those planning to get married to see unto it that they are of like-minds. Also, both partners must understand and accept the differences in their backgrounds, cultures, and/or habits. 1 Peter 3:7 says to husbands: “live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” This means that a husband must know and understand his wife. He should know her weaknesses, attitudes, desires, and learn to treat her well.

3) A successful marriage requires a level of spiritual maturity – Genesis 2:21-25

Surprisingly, a successful marriage is not necessarily all about love but spiritual maturity. Behold, love was not required for the marriage of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:21-25). Adam was already alive and then Eve came forth. Note that they did not spend time before getting married. The Bible tells us that God created Eve and presented her to Adam. Interestingly, God did not ask Adam whether he loved his new wife nor did God ask Eve whether she loved Adam, her husband. Sinful behavior was not an issue yet. However, we can be confident that they in time loved each other, but that was not the primary reason that brought them together as husband and wife.

In fact, love was not the primary basis of marriage in the Old Testament era. A good example is Isaac and Rebekah. We are told in Genesis 24 how Abraham sent his servant back to his home country to the Ur of the Chaldeans, to find a wife for his son, Isaac, from among his relatives. The servant prayed and asked God to guide him, and behold, God guided him to a woman named Rebekah. Genesis 24:58 recounts how Rebekah agreed to return with the servant and marry Isaac. She was not asked if she loved Isaac because she had not yet met with him. Genesis 24:62-67 tells us that when Rebekah arrived and met her new husband, she entered his tent and became his wife. Love was not the basis for their marriage. Rather, it was respect and commitment. However, they grew to know and love each other.

4) A Christian partner will make it easy and/or possible for you to honor God’s commands – Leviticus 22:31

Leviticus 22:31 says “So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord.” If you desire God’s favor and abundant blessings in your marriage, then it is important to see unto it that you and your partner are keeping His commands. For those still planning to get married, it is worth evaluating their potential spouse for an obedient heart to God’s commands. This is what we refer to as figuring out and understanding the spiritual walk or behavior of your future husband or wife. Below are a series of questions that you can consider in order to better understand your partner’s spirituality.

Questions to consider:
  1. Is your potential spouse willing to have children? Remember that in Genesis 1:28, God commands couples to have children.
  2. Will your potential husband be able to support the family? Today, it is rather unfortunate that some husbands stay at home and expect their wives to meet household needs. The Scriptures clearly address this in 1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
  3. Are both the potential husband and wife walking in the spirit? As Christians, we are encouraged to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:17-6:5; Colossians 3:16-22). Undoubtedly, a spirit-filled husband and wife will have a “successful” marriage. Together, they will grow spiritually and control their household in a way that is pleasing to God.
  4. Is the future husband willing to love and treat his wife well? It is important to understand that God has commanded a husband to love and treat his wife well (Ephesians 5:25-33; Titus 2:6-8; 1 Peter 3:7, 8-9).
  5. Are both the potential husband and wife having a forgiving spirit? When an argument occurs, what happens? Does one of you have an elephant’s memory and repeatedly blame the other for your differences? Are you both humble or faultfinders? It is worth pointing to God’s call for us to have a spirit of forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31-32).
  6. Is the future wife willing to submit to her husband? Or, does she want control over her husband? Remember that God has commanded a wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-23; Titus 2:4-5 and 1 Peter 3:1-6, 8-9).
5) Engagement period is genuine, fun, and done in the Will of God – Ephesians 5:25-27

Engagement is a trial period. This is a time of exclusive commitment to one another. It is a trial period that should be broken in case of any serious problem or area of incompatibility. However, the future wife should be able to respect and consequently be in submission to her future husband. Likewise, the future husband should be lovingly leading her into spiritual things (Ephesians 5:25-27). It is highly important for couples to maintain sexual purity throughout the engagement period. It is also recommended that the couple stay off any passionate kissing until the wedding day.

6) Marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work – Genesis 2

Genesis 2 makes us understand that marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work. Genesis 2:15–17 reports how Adam is Prophet/Priest/King in the garden kingdom where God has put him to rule within the constraints of God’s ultimate kingship (symbolized by the two trees: blessing and life for living under his rule; curse and death for rebelling against His rule). The rest of the chapter clearly details how Adam is incapable of fulfilling his calling to be prophet/priest/king alone. So, God presents Eve to Adam as a helper together with whom he will carry out the work and bring glory to His Name. Following this, we can say that marriage is a partnership. “It is not good for man to be alone” is not just true because man is lonely but also because man alone is incompetent. This is true even before the fall of man.

7) Marriage is harmed by sin – Genesis 3

Going through Genesis 3, we discover how marriage gets messed up by sin. Adam and Eve go from naked and unashamed to hiding from one another. In the curse, the Lord God pronounces how marriage post-Fall is a battle of one sinful will against another: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). By this, we understand that all marriages are hard. However, in a Christian marriage, spouses have the opportunity to call one another to submit one’s sinful will to God’s perfect will. By marrying a non-Christian, you lose out on the blessing of having a spouse who calls you to submit your will to Christ.

8) The Old Testament warns against marrying unbelievers – Genesis

Across the Biblical book of Genesis, we see the significant effort being put in place for the people of God to marry only those who believe in Him. In Genesis 24, we clearly read about the extra mile that Abraham went in order to secure a believing wife for his son, Isaac. Likewise, in Genesis 27:46–28:9, we read about Rebekah and Isaac’s disgust at the marriage of their son to Canaanite/Hittite woman. Note that, this isn’t racism: it’s religious. In the conquest of Canaan, the Lord God gives strict prohibitions against intermarriage: Deuteronomy 7:3–4 says, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” This very prohibition is repeated in Joshua 23:12.

9) New Testament texts imply the prohibition to marry unbelievers remain – 1 Corinthians 7:39

There is sufficient text in the New Testament to make us believe that the Old Testament prohibition to marry non-believers still holds. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” In addition, 1 Corinthians 9:5 says, “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” This suggests that having an unbelieving wife would at least disqualify from ministry.

10) The New Testament reveals a clear and positive vision for marriage – Ephesian 5:21–33

Amazingly, the New Testament gives a clearer revelation of marriage: it’s a partnership that pictures the redeeming love of Christ for His Church. The main point of marriage is to picture the gospel of Christ (Eph. 5:21–33; Rev. 21:9–27). Beyond that, it also pictures the very relationship that exists between the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 11:3). Thus, to marry a non-believer is like two artists trying to paint two different pictures on the same canvas. While you are trying to paint the picture of Christ and the Church, your spouse is trying to paint something completely different.

What Should A Christian Do If He/She Is Married To An Unbeliever?

There are several challenges that a Christian who is married to an unbeliever encounter. Some of these challenges are having to choose between romance and winning a soul for Christ, difficulty to cultivate spiritual intimacy in the marriage, and the inability to build and maintain a quality marriage on the most crucial issue in the universe – Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, being married to an unbeliever can be one of the most difficult challenges in a Christian’s life. Remember that marriage is a sacred covenant that joins two people together in one flesh (Matthew 19:5). It is difficult for a believer and an unbeliever to live in peaceful harmony (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). If one partner gets to know about and believes Christ after the marriage, the inherent struggles of living under two different authorities quickly become apparent.

Most Christians in such situations usually look for a way out of the marriage, convinced that this is the only way to truly bring honor to God. Surprisingly, God’s Word says the contrary. It is of great importance for us not only to be content in our situation but also to look for ways to bring glory to God out of our challenging circumstances (1 Corinthians 7:17). Amazingly, the Bible specifically addresses those married to unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 7:12-14: “…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. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband…”

Looking unto God when you are married to an unbeliever

Christians married to unbelievers will need to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to profess Christ and live in the light of God’s presence (1 John 1:7). In addition, they should seek God’s transforming power to change their hearts and produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is important to note here that a Christian wife is obligated to have a submissive heart, even towards her unbelieving husband (1 Peter 3:1), and she will need to stay close to God at all times for His strength.

Amazingly, Christians are not meant to live solitary lives. That is, they can find support from outside sources such as the Church and Bible study groups. Being married to an unbeliever does not alter the sacredness of the relationship, so it should be the priority of every Christian to pray for his/her spouse and set a good example, thereby allowing Christ’s light to shine brightly in their life (Philippians 2:14). In the midst of your challenge, pray to the Lord God Almighty that if it is His Will, may He make you experience the truth that was revealed in 1 Peter 3:1—that an unbelieving spouse is “won over” and glory brought to His name.

How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry?

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 7:39 – “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Group 1 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 Corinthians 7:14 – “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Deuteronomy 7:3-4 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

2 Corinthians 6:15 – “What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,“

Group 2 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.“

Group 3 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”“

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Group 4 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 Corinthians 7:12-13 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Deuteronomy 7:3 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,”

Amos 3:3 – “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?“

Matthew 19:5 – “And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?“

1 Kings 11:4 – “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

Group 5 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 – “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.“

1 Corinthians 7:10 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband.”

Group 6 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

James 4:17 – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

James 4:4 – “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Group 7 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 Peter 3:1-2 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.”

1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.“

Ezra 10:11 – “Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Genesis 24:3 – “That I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,”

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.“

Group 8 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …“

1 Kings 11:1-43 – “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. …“

Group 9 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“

Hebrews 3:12 – “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,“

1 Corinthians 14:22-25 – “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Group 10 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

2 Corinthians 6:16 – “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.“

1 Corinthians 7:17 – “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

1 Corinthians 9:5 – “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?“

Luke 16:18 – “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.“

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Revelation 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Group 11 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Matthew 6:1-34 – ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. …”

Group 12 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …“

Group 13 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— …“

Group 14 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. ...”

Group 15 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

2 Corinthians 6:1-18 – “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; …“

Philippians 2:14 – “Do all things without grumbling or questioning,”

Group 16 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;“

Group 17 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Group 18 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Revelation 14:12 – “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”

Group 19 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.“

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;“

Group 20 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 Timothy 2:11 – “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.“

1 Corinthians 12:2 – “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.“

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

1 Corinthians 8:7 – “However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.“

1 Corinthians 8:4 – Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

Group 21 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 Corinthians 7:13 – “If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.“

1 Corinthians 7:16 – “For 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 7:12 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.“

Group 22 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Psalm 91:1-16 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …“

Deuteronomy 22:10 – “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.”

Group 23 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Malachi 2:1-17 – “And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. …”

Group 24 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 Peter 3:1-6 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …“

Group 25 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

2 Corinthians 6:6 – “By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;“

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“

2 Corinthians 6:4 – “But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,“

Group 26 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

1 Corinthians 7:4 – “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

1 Corinthians 1:1-31 – “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— …“

Group 27 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Mark 10:8 – “And the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.“

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 28 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Matthew 22:1-46 – “And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ...”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Group 29 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Zechariah 14:1-21 – “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. …“

Group 30 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Proverbs 31:1-31 – “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ...”

Jude 1:6 – “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—“

Group 31 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Exodus 34:16 – “And you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”

Group 32 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Deuteronomy 21:10-17 – “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife, and you bring her home to your house, she shall shave her head and pare her nails. And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants. But you shall not sell her for money, nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her. ...”

Group 33 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

Ezra 9:1-10:44 – After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, …”

Group 34 – How Can I Know Who God Wants Me To Marry

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“

1 Thessalonians 4:8 – “Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

John 14:1-31 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ...”

Also Read
Bible Verses

Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Leave a comment
Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Discover Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry. Perhaps you love someone and are trying to determine if you should marry that person. Likewise, you might be in search of what it takes to find and marry the right person. In this writing, we’ll reveal the Biblical principles to guide you in making that decision. There is no book as old and rich as the Bible when it comes to getting information about marriage. The Bible tells us that God performed the very first marriage on the sixth day of creation week. Genesis 1:27, 28, NKJV says – “God created man in His own image…male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth’ ”. Marriage has been existing for as long as we have historical records.

Brethren, let no one deceive you, for marriage is a blessing from God to mankind. Indeed, God created marriage in the beginning. We should always keep in mind that it was God who initiated the very first marriage in the garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. We are trying to say here that marriage comes from God. God’s ideal for marriage was illustrated when he united Adam and Eve in an unbreakable bond. That is, one man and one woman joined together in a faithful and long-life commitment to each other. From creation, a husband and a wife were meant to work together for the establishment of a strong and godly family. Although human beings have not always followed this ideal path, it remains the best from God.

Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Before going deep into what the Bible says about who you should marry, there are a few things worth pointing to. It is without a doubt that there are currently lots of contradictions when it comes to handling the Christian marital aspect. A good Biblical foundation on what God is saying about marriage will prevent you from falling victim to unsound and diluted doctrines. The bond of marriage is so powerful that it joints two individuals into one flesh. The Bible is very clear on this divine truth. When God created Eve, “He brought her to the man. And Adam said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’ . . . Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24). This is an account of the very first marriage celebrated by God himself.

Is It Right For A Christian To Date Or Marry A Non-Christian?

As a Christian, dating a non-Christian is unwise, and marrying one is not an option. 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us not to be “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever. The imagery is of two incompatible oxen sharing the same yoke. Instead of working together to pull the load, they would be working against each other. Although this passage does not specifically mention marriage, it definitely has implications for marriage. The same passage further tells us that there is no harmony between Christ and Belial (Satan). Thus, there can be no spiritual harmony between a Christian and non-Christian. In addition, Apostle Paul reminds believers that they are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who inhabits their hearts at salvation (2 Corinthians 6:15-17).

Following the fact that the Holy Spirit inhabits the bodies of Christians, they are to be separate from the world – in the world, but not of the world – and nowhere is this more important to be respected than in life’s most intimate relationship – marriage. In the same light, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” It is important to understand that having any kind of intimate relationship with an unbeliever can rapidly lead to something that will become a hindrance to your walk with Jesus Christ. Note that we are called to evangelize the lost, and not to go intimate with them. However, there is nothing wrong with building quality friendships with unbelievers, loving them, praying for them, and treating them well. In fact, Christ commanded us to do this. But we should put limits for them not to corrupt our minds.

Is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?

Many people regularly ask whether or not it is a sin to marry a non-Christian. If you are one of such, then we think you are asking the wrong question here. The good question should be, “why would you want to marry a non-Christian?” Remember that God’s vision for marriage is that of a place where a “culture of two” is created. In fact, marriage is about sharing our lives, and about the “oneness” that emerges from that shared culture. Therefore, marriage becomes the central situation in which we grow to become what God intends us to be, the very context in which we lovingly raise our children to know and honor Him. Note that a great and successful marriage becomes a place of shelter, comfort, hope, and strength during challenging times, and a place of deep joy and thankfulness to God for His goodness.

In a Christian marriage, a shared belief in God provides a bedrock for the shared values that define the relationship and family. Thus, in light of God’s vision for marriage, the question, “is it a sin to marry a non-Christian?” reflects a strong willingness to settle. Marrying a non-Christian may, in the short run, bring satisfaction. But over time, the marriage is likely to become a source of pain as it is not centered on Christ. Today, there are many Christians around the world who are regretting their decision to marry a non-Christian. Although some still love their partners, they are missing so much of what God intended for their marriage. In situations that children are involved, the complications are higher. Imagine the case of a man asking the wife not to read Bible stories to their children nor pray with them because he thinks that God is a fantasy.

Why Christians Should Go For Christian Partners In Marriage

1) Christians are to marry only Christians – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” In this Biblical verse, we are made to understand that a Christian must only marry another Christian. The phrase “but he must belong to the Lord” refers to a Christian. However, this is not the only Biblical verse where Christians are warned not to marry a non-Christian or unbeliever. This command was given as inspired by God’s Spirit to help us avoid the heart-ache that accompanies a Christian who marries a non-Christian. Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

It is important to understand that the Greek word translated as “bound” literally means “to be pulled in opposite directions.” That is “bound” is a poor translation. The word truly refers to being pulled in opposite directions or being wrongly matched. This is to say that believers and unbelievers are opposites and they will pull in opposite directions. It is written in the Holy Scriptures that “What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness?” The couple will be pulling in opposite directions. The Christian partner will want to go to church, read the Bible, minister in the church, pray, obey God, and avoid sin. On the other hand, the unbelieving partner will not want to do any of these things and might even stand against them at home.

2) A Christian can marry any Christian of their choice – 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” We are made to understand by the Scriptures that an individual Christian is free to marry any believer that he/she wishes. The Greek word translated “wishes” is thelo. This word means “to wish, desire, want or to take pleasure in.” This is an indication that a Christian is free to marry any believer that he or she wishes. Since a Christian is free to marry any Christian that he/she desires, there are a few things worth considering. Both partners should see unto it that they share the same goals and visions for the future. This is a Biblical principle that can be adopted to make a successful marriage.

It is said that “make my joy complete by being of the same mind” (Philippians 2:1-4). The Greek word for “same mind” refers to being in agreement. It literally means thinking the same things. Likewise, Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Thus, it is very important for those planning to get married to see unto it that they are of like-minds. Also, both partners must understand and accept the differences in their backgrounds, cultures, and/or habits. 1 Peter 3:7 says to husbands: “live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” This means that a husband must know and understand his wife. He should know her weaknesses, attitudes, desires, and learn to treat her well.

3) A successful marriage requires a level of spiritual maturity – Genesis 2:21-25

Surprisingly, a successful marriage is not necessarily all about love but spiritual maturity. Behold, love was not required for the marriage of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:21-25). Adam was already alive and then Eve came forth. Note that they did not spend time before getting married. The Bible tells us that God created Eve and presented her to Adam. Interestingly, God did not ask Adam whether he loved his new wife nor did God ask Eve whether she loved Adam, her husband. Sinful behavior was not an issue yet. However, we can be confident that they in time loved each other, but that was not the primary reason that brought them together as husband and wife.

In fact, love was not the primary basis of marriage in the Old Testament era. A good example is Isaac and Rebekah. We are told in Genesis 24 how Abraham sent his servant back to his home country to the Ur of the Chaldeans, to find a wife for his son, Isaac, from among his relatives. The servant prayed and asked God to guide him, and behold, God guided him to a woman named Rebekah. Genesis 24:58 recounts how Rebekah agreed to return with the servant and marry Isaac. She was not asked if she loved Isaac because she had not yet met with him. Genesis 24:62-67 tells us that when Rebekah arrived and met her new husband, she entered his tent and became his wife. Love was not the basis for their marriage. Rather, it was respect and commitment. However, they grew to know and love each other.

4) A Christian partner will make it easy and/or possible for you to honor God’s commands – Leviticus 22:31

Leviticus 22:31 says “So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord.” If you desire God’s favor and abundant blessings in your marriage, then it is important to see unto it that you and your partner are keeping His commands. For those still planning to get married, it is worth evaluating their potential spouse for an obedient heart to God’s commands. This is what we refer to as figuring out and understanding the spiritual walk or behavior of your future husband or wife. Below are a series of questions that you can consider in order to better understand your partner’s spirituality.

Questions to consider:
  1. Is your potential spouse willing to have children? Remember that in Genesis 1:28, God commands couples to have children.
  2. Will your potential husband be able to support the family? Today, it is rather unfortunate that some husbands stay at home and expect their wives to meet household needs. The Scriptures clearly address this in 1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
  3. Are both the potential husband and wife walking in the spirit? As Christians, we are encouraged to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:17-6:5; Colossians 3:16-22). Undoubtedly, a spirit-filled husband and wife will have a “successful” marriage. Together, they will grow spiritually and control their household in a way that is pleasing to God.
  4. Is the future husband willing to love and treat his wife well? It is important to understand that God has commanded a husband to love and treat his wife well (Ephesians 5:25-33; Titus 2:6-8; 1 Peter 3:7, 8-9).
  5. Are both the potential husband and wife having a forgiving spirit? When an argument occurs, what happens? Does one of you have an elephant’s memory and repeatedly blame the other for your differences? Are you both humble or faultfinders? It is worth pointing to God’s call for us to have a spirit of forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31-32).
  6. Is the future wife willing to submit to her husband? Or, does she want control over her husband? Remember that God has commanded a wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-23; Titus 2:4-5 and 1 Peter 3:1-6, 8-9).
5) Engagement period is genuine, fun, and done in the Will of God – Ephesians 5:25-27

Engagement is a trial period. This is a time of exclusive commitment to one another. It is a trial period that should be broken in case of any serious problem or area of incompatibility. However, the future wife should be able to respect and consequently be in submission to her future husband. Likewise, the future husband should be lovingly leading her into spiritual things (Ephesians 5:25-27). It is highly important for couples to maintain sexual purity throughout the engagement period. It is also recommended that the couple stay off any passionate kissing until the wedding day.

6) Marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work – Genesis 2

Genesis 2 makes us understand that marriage is a partnership in doing God’s work. Genesis 2:15–17 reports how Adam is Prophet/Priest/King in the garden kingdom where God has put him to rule within the constraints of God’s ultimate kingship (symbolized by the two trees: blessing and life for living under his rule; curse and death for rebelling against His rule). The rest of the chapter clearly details how Adam is incapable of fulfilling his calling to be prophet/priest/king alone. So, God presents Eve to Adam as a helper together with whom he will carry out the work and bring glory to His Name. Following this, we can say that marriage is a partnership. “It is not good for man to be alone” is not just true because man is lonely but also because man alone is incompetent. This is true even before the fall of man.

7) Marriage is harmed by sin – Genesis 3

Going through Genesis 3, we discover how marriage gets messed up by sin. Adam and Eve go from naked and unashamed to hiding from one another. In the curse, the Lord God pronounces how marriage post-Fall is a battle of one sinful will against another: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). By this, we understand that all marriages are hard. However, in a Christian marriage, spouses have the opportunity to call one another to submit one’s sinful will to God’s perfect will. By marrying a non-Christian, you lose out on the blessing of having a spouse who calls you to submit your will to Christ.

8) The Old Testament warns against marrying unbelievers – Genesis

Across the Biblical book of Genesis, we see the significant effort being put in place for the people of God to marry only those who believe in Him. In Genesis 24, we clearly read about the extra mile that Abraham went in order to secure a believing wife for his son, Isaac. Likewise, in Genesis 27:46–28:9, we read about Rebekah and Isaac’s disgust at the marriage of their son to Canaanite/Hittite woman. Note that, this isn’t racism: it’s religious. In the conquest of Canaan, the Lord God gives strict prohibitions against intermarriage: Deuteronomy 7:3–4 says, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” This very prohibition is repeated in Joshua 23:12.

9) New Testament texts imply the prohibition to marry unbelievers remain – 1 Corinthians 7:39

There is sufficient text in the New Testament to make us believe that the Old Testament prohibition to marry non-believers still holds. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says, “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” In addition, 1 Corinthians 9:5 says, “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” This suggests that having an unbelieving wife would at least disqualify from ministry.

10) The New Testament reveals a clear and positive vision for marriage – Ephesian 5:21–33

Amazingly, the New Testament gives a clearer revelation of marriage: it’s a partnership that pictures the redeeming love of Christ for His Church. The main point of marriage is to picture the gospel of Christ (Eph. 5:21–33; Rev. 21:9–27). Beyond that, it also pictures the very relationship that exists between the Father and the Son (1 Cor. 11:3). Thus, to marry a non-believer is like two artists trying to paint two different pictures on the same canvas. While you are trying to paint the picture of Christ and the Church, your spouse is trying to paint something completely different.

What Should A Christian Do If He/She Is Married To An Unbeliever?

There are several challenges that a Christian who is married to an unbeliever encounter. Some of these challenges are having to choose between romance and winning a soul for Christ, difficulty to cultivate spiritual intimacy in the marriage, and the inability to build and maintain a quality marriage on the most crucial issue in the universe – Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, being married to an unbeliever can be one of the most difficult challenges in a Christian’s life. Remember that marriage is a sacred covenant that joins two people together in one flesh (Matthew 19:5). It is difficult for a believer and an unbeliever to live in peaceful harmony (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). If one partner gets to know about and believes Christ after the marriage, the inherent struggles of living under two different authorities quickly become apparent.

Most Christians in such situations usually look for a way out of the marriage, convinced that this is the only way to truly bring honor to God. Surprisingly, God’s Word says the contrary. It is of great importance for us not only to be content in our situation but also to look for ways to bring glory to God out of our challenging circumstances (1 Corinthians 7:17). Amazingly, the Bible specifically addresses those married to unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 7:12-14: “…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. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband…”

Looking unto God when you are married to an unbeliever

Christians married to unbelievers will need to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them to profess Christ and live in the light of God’s presence (1 John 1:7). In addition, they should seek God’s transforming power to change their hearts and produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is important to note here that a Christian wife is obligated to have a submissive heart, even towards her unbelieving husband (1 Peter 3:1), and she will need to stay close to God at all times for His strength.

Amazingly, Christians are not meant to live solitary lives. That is, they can find support from outside sources such as the Church and Bible study groups. Being married to an unbeliever does not alter the sacredness of the relationship, so it should be the priority of every Christian to pray for his/her spouse and set a good example, thereby allowing Christ’s light to shine brightly in their life (Philippians 2:14). In the midst of your challenge, pray to the Lord God Almighty that if it is His Will, may He make you experience the truth that was revealed in 1 Peter 3:1—that an unbelieving spouse is “won over” and glory brought to His name.

Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?“

1 Corinthians 7:39 – “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“

Group 1 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 Corinthians 7:14 – “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

Deuteronomy 7:3-4 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

2 Corinthians 6:15 – “What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 6:18 – “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,“

Group 2 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.“

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“

Group 3 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”“

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Group 4 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 Corinthians 7:12-13 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Deuteronomy 7:3 – “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,”

Amos 3:3 – “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?“

Matthew 19:5 – “And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?“

1 Kings 11:4 – “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

Group 5 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.“

1 Corinthians 7:10 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband.”

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 – “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

Group 6 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

James 4:17 – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

James 4:4 – “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Group 7 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 Peter 3:1-2 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.”

1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.“

Ezra 10:11 – “Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Genesis 24:3 – “That I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,”

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.“

Group 8 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …“

1 Kings 11:1-43 – “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. …“

Group 9 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“

Hebrews 3:12 – “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,“

1 Corinthians 14:22-25 – “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Group 10 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

2 Corinthians 6:16 – “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.“

1 Corinthians 7:17 – “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

1 Corinthians 9:5 – “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?“

Luke 16:18 – “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.“

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Revelation 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Group 11 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …“

Group 12 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Matthew 6:1-34 – ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. …”

Group 13 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— …“

Group 14 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. ...”

Group 15 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

2 Corinthians 6:1-18 – “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; …“

Philippians 2:14 – “Do all things without grumbling or questioning,”

Group 16 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;“

Group 17 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Revelation 14:12 – “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”

Group 18 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Ephesians 5:11 – “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Group 19 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.“

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;“

Group 20 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 Timothy 2:11 – “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.“

1 Corinthians 12:2 – “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.“

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

1 Corinthians 8:7 – “However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.“

1 Corinthians 8:4 – Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

Group 21 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 Corinthians 7:13 – “If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.“

1 Corinthians 7:16 – “For 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 7:12 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.“

Group 22 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Psalm 91:1-16 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …“

Deuteronomy 22:10 – “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.”

Group 23 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Malachi 2:1-17 – “And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. …”

Group 24 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 Peter 3:1-6 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …“

Group 25 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

2 Corinthians 6:6 – “By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;“

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“

2 Corinthians 6:4 – “But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,“

Group 26 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

1 Corinthians 7:4 – “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

1 Corinthians 1:1-31 – “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— …“

Group 27 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Mark 10:8 – “And the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.“

Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Group 28 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Matthew 22:1-46 – “And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ...”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Group 29 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Zechariah 14:1-21 – “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. …“

Group 30 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Exodus 34:16 – “And you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”

Group 31 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Proverbs 31:1-31 – “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ...”

Jude 1:6 – “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—“

Group 32 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Ezra 9:1-10:44 – After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, …”

Group 33 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

Deuteronomy 21:10-17 – “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife, and you bring her home to your house, she shall shave her head and pare her nails. And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants. But you shall not sell her for money, nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her. ...”

Group 34 – Bible Verses About Who You Should Marry

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“

1 Thessalonians 4:8 – “Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

John 14:1-31 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ...”

Also Read

Bestofchristianity.com is a Global Media Ministry. As a Christian Website and Online Evangelical Ministry, Best Of Christianity focuses on the teachings of Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy spirit, and above all the Love of God. It uses the Bible as the foundation to knowing and obeying God. It steps in at the command of Jesus Christ to take the holy gospel to the four corners of the world so that those who believe in him can have eternal life. Under the authority of Jesus Christ, we are Apostolic and Prophetic sons and daughters of God sent out to set the captives free, heal the sick, bring deliverance, give sight to the blind, strengthen the lame to walk and above all lead souls to heaven. It is in the Christian light that we analyze topics like Prosperity, Wealth, Debt free, Credits, Finance, and Money in the Bible.

Ads Blocker Image Powered by Code Help Pro

Ads Blocker Detected!!!

We have detected that you are using extensions to block ads. Please support us by disabling these ads blocker.