 | Dr. John Click, has been the Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church for 27 years now he is the pastor emeritus. He’s a graduate of Baylor University with a BA and Southwestern Seminary with a BD. He received his DMin at Midwestern Seminary. He has served in numerous positions in the Southern Baptist Convention, including: President of the Kansas/Nebraska Convention, Executive Committee of SBC, North American Mission Board, International Mission Board, and Houston Baptist University Board. He has traveled to preach in Europe, Central and South America and the Far East. Dr. Click is the founder and first President of Harvest Communications, which is a TV production company specializing in producing teaching materials for Para- Church organizations. You may contact him for comments or questions by e-mail at: Jcclick99@aol.com. |
Religion
2008-08-01 09:35:00
Marriage of Christians and unbelievers
Question: 2nd 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?” Does this mean a marriage between a “believer” and a “non-believer” is invalid?
Answer: This question was answered by the Apostle Paul in his earlier letter to the one you quote.
First Corinthians 7:12-16 “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. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving man woman leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” (New International Version)
Clearly, the marriage is valid. It may not be clear what is meant by “the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife” (and vice versa). It must not mean that he has been saved; otherwise the later mentioned hope that he may be saved would be unnecessary. The New Living Translation may help. It says: “For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not have a godly influence, but now they are set apart for Him.” So the teaching of the two letters is: Marriage between a believer and non-believer is to be avoided... but if it exists because one of the partners has become a believer, it should not be disrupted but continued in the best possible way.
Salvation is a personal act of accepting Christ as Savior and Lord, and cannot be obtained through the acts of another person or one’s relation to that person. We may have a holy influence on our spouse or children, but their salvation remains a personal decision of their own.
