Bible Study

Title: When Your Spouse Isn't a Christian
Date: Aug 31, 2005
Topic(s): Relationships
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:12-14, Ecclesiastes 5:4

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Have you ever tried to walk with one shoe on and the other off? It's not very comfortable, is it? How about listening to music with one speaker that works fine but the other is blown? You just don't get the same quality of sound, do you?

That's kind of the way it is when one spouse is a Christian and the other isn't. The Bible calls this "unequally yoked." What should you do?

What Does God Say?

Some suggest that if your marriage is uncomfortable, you simply get a divorce. But consider what God says to you in Ecclesiastes 5:4: "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed."

• In what way was God involved in your wedding vows?
• What does God call those who break their vows?
• If you or your spouse was an unbeliever, are your vows as valid as those taken by believers? Explain your answer.

Sometimes there are days when you may wonder if it's all worthwhile. The apostle Paul addresses this issue in 1 Corinthians 7:12-14:

"But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy."

• Who benefits from staying in a marriage where the partners are unequally yoked?
• In what ways do these individuals benefit from the believer in the home?

My Thoughts

In what ways can you bring spiritual values into your home even though your spouse is not a believer?

My Part

Are you willing to stay in a marriage where your partner is not a believer? If so, pray the following prayer of commitment:

Dear Father, You know how difficult it is sometimes to stay in this relationship. But I commit myself to keep the vows I made when I got married. I pray that you will use me to draw my spouse and children to Yourself. Until then, I pray that you will give me the strength and courage to be your witness in this marriage. May they see Christ in me. Amen.

Additional Scripture to read: Malachi 2:14-16, Matthew 5:31-32, Mark 10:2-12

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