By bro Lee Tian Seng
We should not be surprised to see conflicts in the family over religion and choices when a couple does not have a common faith. We mentioned in Part 1 and 2 of this article that a Christian partner can be hindered in his or her worship, prayers, Bible study, teaching, obeying the teachings on marriage and the desire to live morally right. Now, consider three other reasons why you should marry a Christian:
Your relationship with friends and in-laws will not be hindered
If you marry a Christian, your spouse will want you to associate with Christians friends. Otherwise, you have may have to associate with your non-Christian spouse’s friends, who may have ungodly values or morals.
1 Corinthians 15:33 - Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
Your non-Christian spouse’s parents or your in-laws may not be Christians and there may be conflicts in relating to them. They may even hinder you from worshipping on Sunday and expect you to follow pagan traditions.
Your desire to raise godly children will not be hindered.
If your spouse is a Christian, then both of you can raise your children in the way of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4 - And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
But if your partner is not a Christian, he or she may disagree with you on how to bring up children in a godly way and object when you want your children to worship God and study the Bible. They may even hinder your children from obeying the Gospel.
Your desire to serve God and receive the eternal reward will not be hindered
Christian couples are united in seeking God first and serving Him but it may not be possible when one spouse is not a Christian. The non-Christian spouse may oppose when you want to spend your time serving God.
Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Christian couples want to live faithfully so that they will receive the eternal reward in heaven but it is sad to know that this is not possible if one of the spouse is not a Christian.
Revelations 20:14-15 - Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Your non-Christian spouse may cause you to give up your faith, just like Solomon’s wives.
Nehemiah 13:26 - Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin.
Therefore, we should consider all these things when considering marrying a non-Christian.