THE WHY BEHIND GODS COMMAND If youve experienced the anguish of being a Christian wed to a nonbeliever, then you can readily understand why God has prohibited his followers from marrying outside the faith. He loves us so much that he wants to spare us from the emotional anguish, the clash of values, and the ongoing conflict that can result when one spouse is Christian but the other isnt. His goal isnt to unnecessarily limit our choice of prospective mates but to lovingly shield us from the kind of difficulties that we faced during the nearly two years we were spiritually mismatched. Do not be yoked together with unbelievers, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.... Paul was not issuing a blanket prohibition against Christians having any association with nonbelievers. he was far too realistic to expect that. In short, observed one scholar, Paul was saying:Do not form any relationship, whether temporary or permanent, with unbelievers that would lead to a compromise of Christian standards or jeopardize consistency of Christian witness. And why such separation? Because the unbeliever does not share the Christians standards, sympathies, or goals. The reason for this prohibition is simple: the yoke was a rigid wood and metal device that was fitted around the necks of two animals. If the animals were of the same kind and similar strength, they would work harmoniously together, equally sharing the load. But if they were from different species, like and ox and a donkey, or if one was smaller or weaker than the other, their out-of-sync gait would cause the yoke to pinch and choke them, bringing sever pain. So Paul was sternly warning Christians that pain would result if they allowed themselves to be harnessed to a nonbeliever in marriage. The natural consequence of being wed to someone outside the faith would be conflict over a myriad of issues, ranging from child-rearing to finances, and the possible choking of the Christians faith. The pattern is clear: we risk grave consequences if we dont heed Gods loving commands for our life. ~Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch by Lee and Leslie Strobel
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 00:05:41 +0000
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