To Believe, or Not to Believe

1Corinthians 7:12-14

7:12 “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. 13And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 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.”

What I want most for my marriage is for my hubby and me to serve the Lord together. This has been my desire and my prayer for many years. When my “him” and I first got married 10 years ago, I didn’t have the relationship with God then that I have with Him now. I have been on the road of spiritual growth for many, many years. As I have and continue to grow, I wish for my husband’s walk to be parallel to mine. I consider myself in the toddler stages and I still need to hold onto the table edge to remain standing as I take steps to draw closer to Christ. I often wonder when and if we will come to a place within our marriage of being equally yoked. When I have these thoughts, I’m always led to continue praying for my husband and our marriage and to allow God to have His way with him.

In Proverbs 31, Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character, my favorite verse is 31: 28 “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” I often attempt to plant seeds about the Lord and having a relationship with Christ to my husband and many times I’m left feeling as if I didn’t get through to him. This one verse is special to me because it is confirmation of how I want to live my life; as an example. I want my husband to see me living a life of obedience and serving the Lord, so that he’ll want to also. There are times when I become sad, frustrated and drained while witnessing my husband go through trials and tribulations, because I know that things would be easier for him if he would allow God to guide his steps. I have to remember that it’s not my battle, but the Lord’s.

1 Corinthians 7:12-14
7:12 “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. 13And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 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.”

In summary of these verses: 7:12 “Paul’s command about the permanence of marriage (7:10) comes from the Old Testament (Genesis 2:24) and from Jesus (Mark 10:2-12). His suggestion in this verse is based on God’s command, and Paul applies it to the situation the Corinthians were facing. Paul ranked the command above the suggestion because one is an eternal principle while the other is a specific application. Nevertheless, for the people in similar situations, Paul’s suggestion is the best advice they will get. Paul was a man of God, an apostle, and he had the mind of Christ.

7:12-14 “Because of their desire to serve Christ, some people in the Corinthian church thought they ought to divorce their pagan spouses and marry Christians. But Paul affirmed the marriage commitment. God’s ideal is for marriages to stay together-even when one spouse is not a believer. The Christian spouse should try to win the other to Christ. It would be easy to rationalize leaving; however, Paul makes a strong case for staying with the unbelieving spouse and being a positive influence on the marriage. Paul, like Jesus, believed that marriage is permanent (see Mark 10:1-9).

7:14 “The blessings that flow to believers don’t stop there but extend to others. God regards the marriage as “sanctified” (set apart for his use) by the presence of one Christian spouse. The other does not receive salvation automatically, but is helped by this relationship. The children of such a marriage are to be regarded as “holy” (because God’s blessings on the family unit) until they are old enough to decide for themselves.

Scripture Quotation and Summary are taken from the Life Application Study Bible (NIV).

If you are a believer and your spouse does not yet believe, it can take its toll on a marriage. If you are planting seeds about the Lord to your spouse and it seems as though nothing is happening, don’t give up. Be consistent! Pray without ceasing and know that God is on your side. Often when we plant seeds, it seems as though it’s in vain, however, a dear cousin of mine stated to me that “sometimes we are not the intended individuals to plant the seeds; we may have been called to cultivate the soil in preparation for the seed to be planted.” Just remember to be the Christian you want to see in your husband, and God will handle the rest.

Find the Jewel in You, See the Gem in Him!

Treazure