Unequally Yoked!
DO NOT be unequally yoked together with unbelievers! 2Cor6:14
Does ANYONE take this to heart and OBEY it? Paul was extremely emphatic about Light and Darkness coming together. He didn’t allow any wiggle room on this one. WHAT fellowship has Righteousness with Un-Righteousness or lawlessness? WHAT agreement is there between God and the World? A Sure Fire way to Shipwreck your faith is Marry an unbeliever or WORSE a Professing Christian who is totally deceived and Walking in Darkness! How Great is that Darkness, the Lord would Say.
Yet how many of you do just this? I know of a number of cases where Brothers in the Lord have complicated their lives by marrying an unbelieving or hypocritical woman. And of course this goes BOTH ways. Many women who claim to love God and serve Him, marry men who are practically reprobates. Understand also this is NOT addressing those who were already married and one spouse repents and becomes a follower of Christ. That is addressed in 1Cor7 thoroughly by the Apostle Paul. I am speaking of people who should KNOW better and disobey this important command resulting in chaos.
Certainly it’s extremely difficult to Marry in the Faith, especially today when the Entire so-called Church System is Corrupted to the core. But the Truth remains: ‘Come OUT from among them and be separate says the Lord. Do Not touch what is unclean!’ Perhaps those still unmarried or divorced should heed Paul’s advice and remain so for the Kingdom’s sake. Obviously this is HIGHLY personal decision and no one can really stop you from doing what you are determined to do. (not even God) But a decision this huge MUST be deliberated carefully and in Light of the Truth revealed to us in the Bible. God is NOT trying to deprive anyone of companionship here. He knows what is best for man in order to have a harmonious relationship for life. He said it’s not GOOD for man to dwell alone, (Gen2:18) Thus from the beginning, He has ordained marriage and never forbidden man to take a spouse.
But: ‘ONLY IN THE LORD!’ (1Cor7:39) is the Command. You Can’t marry someone on the assumption that they will eventually be converted to Christ by your example. WHAT about your example of disobedience in marrying them to begin with?! Remember, You Reap what you Sow. There are consequences to your actions! (no matter what the reprobated preaches are saying) Your faith in God is in SERIOUS Doubt from the start IF you go headlong into a Marriage with a person in Darkness. HOW could you proceed with a full knowledge of the Truth?! Perhaps you’re in Darkness as well. If you have no desire to Contend earnestly for the faith, Dig Deep and bring others into the Light of God, I would have to question you sincerity.
No wonder many of you are attracted to another worldly person. You’re lukewarm in the faith and have no burden whatsoever to unravel the lies keeping so many people in bondage to their sins. You accommodate everyone and NEVER Count the Cost of exposing their fallacies face to face. Marrying some person who claims to be a Christian because they attend church or have some kind of ‘Christian’ background, proves your lack of concern in the truth. Look at the Mess in the churches! The people have never Repented of their sins are still walking in the flesh. Everything about Church is designed to excuse bad conduct. Most marriages are already in shambles or fast approaching some kind of disaster. Divorce and re-marriage is rampant among professing Christians also, including the Pastors. Like the Pharisees Jesus rebuked, they think nothing of swapping out mates for ‘ANY’ reason and then claiming themselves Covered by the blood! HOW many cases can be sighted among them of divorced couples still attending the church and even teaching Sunday school, while they flaunt themselves with their current boyfriend / girlfriend before the entire congregation? It’s COMMON Practice!
In an environment where EVERYONE is assumed to be Saved and NEVER Challenged in the faith, you want to choose a spouse for life? Perhaps your desire to Wed is based more on desperation than faith. Surly Paul said it’s better to Marry than to burn with passion. (1Cor7:9) But perhaps your lack of self control is based more on the flesh than in the Spirit. Indeed a Pretty face can lead you astray, but external beauty does NOT reveal what’s in the heart. King Solomon was lead away from the faith by beautiful Pagan Women who lured him into the worship of idols. (1Kings11:1-10) Are you equal in Wisdom? Perhaps many of you should examine your own profession, who desire to marry outside the faith.
Undoubtedly the fleshly desire for intimate companionship is a strong emotion. But in Real Repentance you were supposed to have Crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal5:24, Rom6:4-6) In Genuine Conversion there is a Radical Heart Change followed in tandem by Newness of Life! THIS is why the Churches are so Dead to God. The Gospel they preach produces no Purity of heart or godly conduct. WHICH is the PURPOSE of the Commandment! (1Tim1:6, 6:3-4)
Natural attraction to the opposite sex is part of being human. The Bible shows Eve in the Garden (as a perfect being) looking upon the Tree of Life and seeing that it was Pleasant to her eyes and Desirable to making one Wise. (Gen3:6) Her normal desires of the flesh were not sinful in themselves. The same is true of admiring physical beauty. It’s the indulgence of these things that’s wrong. Why? Because it naturally leads to obsession and deeper sin. Again, God is NOT trying to forbid you the pleasures of life! He is giving you a means to avoid spiritual destruction through obedience to His commands. ‘If you do well will you not be accepted?’ He told Cain. (Gen4:7) The Way of Peace and harmony is in Loving God above all things in this World. Teaching His ways to your Children, Talking of them when you sit in your house, when you rise up and when you lie down. You bind His Commands before your eyes and Write them upon your heart! (Deut6:4-9)
Is it Worth forfeiting your eternal soul to satisfy your fleshly desires? That’s what this boils down to, whether you want to believe it or not. Inevitably you are going to imitate Solomon and Strive to Please your spouse over and above God merely because you desire their intimacy. Jesus said you were to Love and follow Him over and above friends, relations, spouse, siblings or parents. (Matt10:34-39) In comparison you should HATE them (Lk14:26) if they try to sway you from the faith! You think that binding yourself to a worldly person in Holy wedlock is going to Pass with God??? It may be pleasant here on earth and all the deceived professing Christians around you may also think its fine and dandy you got married, but the Bible is very clear about these things.
From the heart flow the issues of life. (Matt15:18) Your Deeds Reveal who and what you really are. You can silence your conscience to the convictions of the Spirit, but one day you will answer to God for your sins. (2Cor5:10) Don’t fool yourself into thinking that God is going to ignore this kind of disobedience. He Will Not! (Col3:25)