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Is it ok for a Christian to marry an atheist?

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Is it ok for a Christian to marry an atheist?

It is NOT OK for a Christian to marry an atheist because the Bible teaches us not to do so in 2 Corinthians 6:14–18, which says:

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part does a believer have with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? You are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Therefore,

‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.’”

Let us break down this passage to get a deeper understanding of our topic of discussion.

What is the meaning of “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers”?

In this verse, the Apostle Paul is telling the brethren at Corinth that they should not enter into partnerships, especially long-term unions like marriage, with people who do not believe that Christ Jesus is the son of God and that He was sent on earth to die for our sins so that we may get eternal life in the age to come. This exhortation MUST be applied when a believer is contemplating marrying an atheist.

Before we continue with our discussion, it is very important to first understand what it means to be an atheist. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (9th Ed., 2015), an atheist is

“A person who believes that God does not exist”.

So the question is, if an individual believes that God doesn’t exist, tell me how you will convince such a person that Christ Jesus is the son of ‘God. A God who, to them, does not exist in the first place?

So you see, it will be very difficult for the two of you to agree on anything once married. The Bible says that for two people to walk together, they must be in agreement. We read this in Amos 3:3, which says

“Can two walk together unless they are agreed?”

The term ‘walk’ as used in this verse does not ONLY mean ‘walking on the road’. It means ‘partnering’ together with the aim of achieving a certain goal. It means working together as a team. It implies unity of purpose with the aim of achieving a particular objective.

According to the Bible, marriage is a lifelong commitment, not a short-term contract. God created this institution in Genesis 2:24–4, which says

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Marriage is a sacred union that was instituted for three main reasons: procreation, companionship, and meeting the conjugal needs of each other.

The procreation function of marriage is recorded in Genesis 1:27–28, which says

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said to them, ‘be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

The companionship function of marriage is recorded in Genesis 2:18, which says

“And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’”

Fulfilling the conjugal needs of each other is recorded in 1 Corinthians 7:3-5, which says

“Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

The question is, does the atheist you intend to marry believe in these principles of marriage as stipulated in the Holy Scriptures? Or put it differently: which manual(s) do atheists use as a reference point for the institution of marriage? Which rules govern the institution of marriage as far as atheism is concerned because it isn’t the Bible? These are some of the hard questions that a sober Christian should ask himself/herself before committing to a marriage with an atheist.

What is the meaning of “what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness”?

The Bible teaches that the throne of God is founded on righteousness and justice. We read this in Psalms 89:14, which says

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.”

Accordingly, when you become a believer in Christ Jesus, you are made the righteousness of God. This is recorded in 2 Corinthians 5:20–21, which says

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.”

Now, we have established that an atheist does not believe in God. This means that he does not subscribe to the laws and commandments of God as stipulated in the Bible. Because of this, we can deduce that an atheist is a worker of lawlessness.

It will therefore be wrong for you, a believer who represents righteousness, to marry an atheist, who represents the lawlessness recorded in 2 Thessalonians 2:5–12 as follows:

“Do you not remember that when I was with you, I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining him so that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteousness and deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Atheists refuse to receive the Good news, which is the message of salvation through Christ Jesus. They instead choose to believe the lie that God is nonexistent. Consequently, what awaits them, according to this Bible passage, is CONDEMNATION.

My question to you who intend to marry an atheist is this: would you love to marry someone whose end you know is going to be CONDEMNATION? Certainly not! We would all love to see our loved ones saved, just like us.

What is the meaning of “what communion has light with darkness”?

A believer is expected to walk in the light, as expressed in 1 John 1:5-7, that says

“This is the message that we have heard from Him and declare to you: that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

From this passage, we learn that God is light, and therefore the only way we can walk in the light is by abiding in Him and Him in us through Christ Jesus. Now, the atheist believes God does not exist. Tell me, then, how can he walk in the light, which, according to him, does not exist in the first place? So why, O fellow believer, would you want to enter into a serious and binding commitment, such as marriage, with a person who is walking in darkness because he or she has refused to recognize ‘the LIGHT’, that is, God? In other words, what kind of communion or fellowship will there be between you, who represent the LIGHT, and the atheist, who represents the DARKNESS?

What is the meaning of “what accord has Christ with Belial”?

Christ Jesus represents the righteousness of God, while Belial represents wickedness personified by Satan. This verse informs us that righteousness cannot agree with wickedness, which is represented by the kingdom of darkness.

As a believer, when you decide to marry an atheist, you are actually opening yourself up to wickedness, which may end up compromising your Christian walk.

What is the meaning of “what agreement has the temple of God with idols”?

Finally, the Bible says that, as a believer, you are the temple of the living God. This means that God dwells in you.

The Bible teaches that when two people get married, they become one flesh. We read this in Mark 10:7-8, which says

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.”

Now, when you, as a believer, choose to marry an atheist, the two of you become one flesh. In the process, you end up defiling the ‘temple of God, which you are. The end result will be discord in that marriage, which will eventually result in separation and divorce.

Conclusion

This article sought to establish whether it is okay for a Christian to marry an atheist. Using the scriptures, we have demonstrated that it is actually wrong for a believer to marry an atheist because, by so doing, he or she will be acting contrary to what the scriptures say. The Bible teaches that a believer should not be unequally yoked with the unbeliever because there cannot be fellowship between righteousness and lawlessness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, a believer and an unbeliever, and God’s temple with idols. At the end of the day, it is either your choice or God’s word. If you love God, you will choose to abide by His word. On the other hand, if you choose your path, destruction awaits you. I leave you with a very instructive scripture found in Proverbs 14:12 that says:

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

I hope the information was helpful. Thank you.

Related Post: Is it ok to marry a divorced man

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Prayer to become a born-again Christian

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness;

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent by your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with The Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

Congratulations friend! You are now a born-again Christian!

Welcome to the Family of God!

Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Shalom.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/

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