And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man whether thou shalt save thy wife? 1 Corinthians, Chapter 7, verses 13-16.
God gives His approval for staying in a good marriage with a non-Christian spouse, because you might be able to lead your spouse to Christianity through your relationship with God. On the other hand, I think it says that if you’re in an unhealthy relationship, whether the person does or doesn’t profess to be a Christian, God absolves us from our marital commitment.
Now, some may think this passage doesn’t apply to them because God only absolves them if their partner is a non-Christian. Do you really think a person is a Christian just because they say they are? Don’t you think they are supposed to be a “Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is Christian,” by really living a life that reflects their belief in Jesus?
So, if a spouse drinks up all the money in the house and there’s no money to pay for food or clothes for the children, do you really think God considers this person a Christian? If a spouse is so involved in drugs or other vices and causes constant turmoil in the family, do you really think God considers this person a Christian? If a spouse has a hard day at work and hits the kids or you, do you really think God considers this person a Christian just because they profess to be one?
I think that God is saying the “till death do you part” portion of your marriage vow doesn’t apply because God said, “A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases.” Sure, God would like all marriages to work out and doesn’t want people to leave just because they feel they may have missed out on all the fun that they think their single friends are having. That isn’t what this is discussing.
God loves the non-Christian, the alcoholic, the drug addict and the abusive person, all of which can turn their lives around and become Christian. This would have to be more than just saying they are a Christian. They would have to really live their lives as a Christian.
Sometimes we just aren’t the ones who can bring these people to God. Male or female, we have to be able to assess whether we are in a healthy environment for ourselves and our children. If we aren’t, we are absolved from the “till death do you part” commitment, because being in an unhealthy or life-threatening environment isn’t what God would want for any of us.
Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.
This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please
share your connections.
