The Bible has guidance on marriage and choosing a life partner, especially when it comes to faith. Choosing to marry someone who doesn’t share your beliefs can bring challenges, as faith often plays a major role in family life and decisions. Today, we’ll look at what the Bible says about marrying someone with different beliefs and how this can affect your spiritual walk.
Also Read: What Does The Bible Say About Abandoning Friends
What Does The Bible Say About Marrying A Non Believer
2 Corinthians 6:14
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
This verse emphasizes the importance of not entering into a close relationship, such as marriage, with someone who does not share your faith. It highlights the fundamental differences between believers and unbelievers, and the potential conflicts that can arise from such unions.
1 Corinthians 7:39
“A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.”
This verse addresses the situation of a widow considering remarriage. It emphasizes the importance of marrying someone who is a believer, as they must belong to the Lord. This guidance is given to ensure spiritual unity and compatibility within the marital relationship.
1 Corinthians 7:12-13
“To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.”
These verses address the situation where a believer is already married to a non-believer. It advises against seeking dissolution of the marriage solely due to the difference in faith, as long as both parties are willing to live together. The believer is encouraged to continue cultivating the relationship and being a positive influence.
2 Corinthians 6:15
“What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?”
This verse expresses the contrasting nature of Christ and unbelievers. It highlights the lack of harmony and common ground between the two. The passage further emphasizes the importance of finding alignment and compatibility in faith when considering a life partner.
Ezra 9:14
“Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor?”
This verse is a prayer of repentance by Ezra, recognizing the seriousness of intermarriage with those who engage in sinful practices. It acknowledges that such unions can lead to spiritual compromise and calls for a commitment to follow God’s commands.
Deuteronomy 7:3-4
“Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.”
This passage contains a command from God to the Israelites, warning against intermarriage with those who do not worship the true God. It emphasizes the corrupting influence that can arise from such marriages and the potential consequences for the entire community.
Proverbs 31:30
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
This verse highlights the value of a woman who has the fear of the Lord. It suggests that her faith and devotion to God should be the primary qualities to be admired and revered, surpassing external attributes like charm or physical appearance.
1 Peter 3:1
“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.”
These words address married women who have unbelieving husbands. It encourages them to demonstrate their faith through their actions and behavior, with the hope that their husbands may be influenced and won over by the godly example set by their wives.
Proverbs 12:4
“A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.”
This verse speaks to the significance of a wife possessing noble character. It highlights the positive impact a virtuous and godly wife can have on her husband, symbolizing her as a valuable crown and a source of honor in his life.
1 Kings 11:2
“They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.”
This verse provides an example of the consequences of intermarriage with those who worship other gods. Despite having been warned by the Lord, King Solomon allowed these foreign wives to draw his heart away from the Lord, resulting in negative spiritual consequences.
1 Corinthians 7:14
“For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”
These verses address the concern of believers married to non-believers regarding the spiritual state of their children. It reassures them that the presence of a believing spouse in the home brings a level of sanctification and blessing, resulting in the children being considered holy in God’s sight.
Ruth 1:16-17
“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.'”
This passage showcases the commitment and devotion of Ruth, a Moabite woman, to her mother-in-law Naomi and to the God of Israel. Her willingness to leave behind her own people and embrace a new faith demonstrates a powerful example of marrying into faith and the strength of spiritual unity.
Malachi 2:15
“Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.”
In this verse, the focus is on the importance of a righteous and faithful marriage. It underscores that a union in body and spirit, dedicated to God, is intended to produce godly offspring. It serves as a reminder to honor one’s commitment to their spouse, particularly in the context of faith.
Hosea 1:2
“When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, ‘Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD.’
This verse sets the stage for the prophetic account of the prophet Hosea, who is instructed to marry an unfaithful woman as a symbol of God’s relationship with His unfaithful people. It serves as a reminder of the potential challenges and consequences that can arise from being unequally yoked in marriage.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11
“To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.”
These verses address the general command for married believers not to divorce their spouses. When facing the challenges that can arise from marrying a non-believer, this guidance encourages seeking reconciliation and maintaining the marital commitment, if possible.
Proverbs 14:1
“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”
This proverb highlights the impact of a woman’s actions on the well-being of her household. By building her house through wisdom and godliness, she positively influences her family. Conversely, acting foolishly can result in the destruction of her household.
Genesis 24:3-4
“…I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”
This passage recounts Abraham’s desire for his son Isaac to marry a woman from within their own family and faith. It demonstrates the importance of marrying within one’s own faith community and family line to ensure the preservation and continuity of the covenant relationship with God.
1 Timothy 2:9-10
“I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”
These verses provide guidance on modesty and propriety for women who identify as believers. Their focus should be on demonstrating godly character through good deeds rather than placing excessive emphasis on outward adornments or materialism.
Proverbs 31:10
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”
This verse extols the value and worth of a wife who possesses noble character. It emphasizes that her inner qualities and godly nature are of greater importance and value than any material possessions.
Ephesians 5:22-24
“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”
These verses address the role and submission of wives within the context of marriage. It emphasizes the need for wives to willingly submit to their husbands’ leadership, drawing an analogy to the submission of the church to Christ. This submission is to be practiced in a manner that aligns with God’s will.
Proverbs 31:23
“Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.”
This verse describes the influence and respect that a husband gains through his wife’s noble character and her godly actions. It emphasizes the positive impact a wife can have on her husband’s reputation and status within the community.
Ephesians 5:25
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
These words address husbands and their role in marriage. They are called to sacrificially love their wives, following the example of Christ’s sacrificial love for the church. This verse highlights the selfless love that husbands are to demonstrate in their relationships.
1 Peter 3:7
“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”
This verse instructs husbands on how to treat their wives with honor and respect. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing the equal worth and inheritance of wives, and how neglecting to do so can impact their relationship with God.