Our focus yesterday at Restoration City was on marriage, family and divorce as we studied Mark 10:1-16. It’s a difficult passage that causes many of us to wrestle with some of the rawest areas of our hearts. The message likely brought up some questions that many of us would rather avoid. But that’s not how we grow. So, I want to encourage you to engage the questions you have, press for answers, pray, think, discuss. To help in that, I’m going to devote this week’s blog posts to answering some of the most common questions that came out of Sunday’s message.
So, let’s get started with, “Why can’t I date non-Christians?” This question is interesting because it also frequently travels with a companion statement, “There’s no verse in the Bible that says I can’t date a non-Christian.” If we sat down for coffee, here’s roughly how our conversation would go:
ME: For the record, you’re right. There’s not one single passage in the Bible about dating, yet alone dating non-Christians. But there are several about who you should marry. Let me give you the two that are most relevant to this question:
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. (1 Cor. 7:39)
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Cor. 6:14)
So, it seems pretty clear that if you’re a follower of Christ, God’s will is for you to marry another follower of Christ. In the first passage, Paul is reminding widows that it’s okay for them to remarry but clarifying it should be “only in the Lord.” In other words, it’s fine for a widow to get remarried but only to Christians. It doesn’t make any sense to say your second marriage should be to a Christian but your first marriage can be to whoever. The second passage makes a broader point about the fundamental incompatibility of Christians and non-Christians in marriage by warning Christians not to be “unequally yoked with unbelievers.” Marrying a non-Christian is a formula for intense heartache and grief as you do your best to love Jesus in the face of your spouse’s apathy. The Bible warns us to avoid the pain of heading to church while your spouse heads to the golf course or mall.
YOU: “Ok, fine. I won’t marry him but what’s wrong with dating him?”
ME: Let me answer that question with two of my own:
Why is it so important to you to play with fire?
If you know the relationship isn’t going anywhere, what are you hoping to get out of it? And why are you putting yourself in a position to fall in love with someone you’ll never marry? By the way, it’s amazing how easily we forget about the “someone you’ll never marry part” when the “fall in love” part starts to happen. You’re honestly just flirting with temptation.
How would your date feel if you told them there was no chance of you ever getting married?
If the answer is relieved, you’re already in trouble on a whole other front. If the answer is disappointed, you’re being deceptive. You’re not honoring God or the other person by leading them on when you know this is nothing more than a fling.
YOU: Ok, but I have a friend who dated this guy and he started coming to church and now he’s a Christian and they’re happily married.
ME: I also hear about people winning the lottery. It’s still a really bad use of your money.
YOU: Don’t be a jerk.
ME: Ok. But just because it worked out well for someone is no guarantee that it’s going to work out well for you. If anything, consider your friend’s story as the example that proves the rule not a reason to pitch the Bible’s wisdom out the window. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with befriending someone who isn’t a Christian (it’s actually a really good thing), inviting them to church, introducing them to your other friends and praying they follow Jesus. If all of that happens, then, by all means, date them. But it’s just not wise to make dating your first move.
Did I leave out any other questions you might have on this one? If so, post them in the comments below and I’ll respond…or just share your thoughts.
Up next: So, what do I do if I’m stuck in a miserable marriage?
John McGowan 
Me: But I am the only Christian he knows. If I leave his life, there will be no one to tell him about Jesus.
Such a great comment – thanks for leaving it!
I guess I would reply with three different thoughts:
1. Hopefully you have other Christian friends of both genders. Introduce him to your guy friends or her to your girlfriends, as the case may be. If they don’t have any interest in meeting your other Christian friends, it’s a sign that they really aren’t all that open to your faith.
2. God is really, really big and has an amazing way of bringing other believers into the life of someone interested in the gospel. You aren’t the only hope of anyone’s salvation. Jesus is really good at making Himself known to those who are really looking for Him.
3. You never need to violate the wisdom of God to accomplish the purposes of God. God wants your friend in heaven even more than You do and the greatest odds of seeing that happen are through following the Scriptures and making the wisest possible choice.
Me: I am the only Christian he knows. If I leave him, there will be no one to tell him about Jesus.