Genesis 2:18 - One of the most important purposes of marriage is companionship: sharing common goals and interests. Failure to share a common religious faith is one of the major grounds for conflict in marriage.
A Christian should marry a faithful Christian for all the following reasons:
A faithful Christian will help, not hinder, your worship to God.
John 4:23,24; Hebrews 10:24,25 - We already learned that families should worship God together, especially attending public worship assemblies. When both companions are Christians, they commune together in song, prayer, the Lord's Supper, etc. They will agree about the need to give generously to support the church.
But if you do not marry a Christian, your spouse may not attend with you. Worse yet, he or she may attend a false religious group. He may actively oppose your attendance with the Lord's church. He may resent and oppose giving money to church.
Proverbs 15:8,29 - Even if your companion does not actively oppose your worship, you still lack the unity and support you need. God will not accept his worship as long as he remains outside Christ. [1 Corinthians 10:16,17]
A faithful Christian will pray with you, not hinder your prayers.
We have learned that Christians should pray to God together and pray for one another (James 5:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
1 John 3:22 - But if your companion is not a Christian, God will not hear or answer his prayer (Proverbs 28:9; James 5:16). He may even ridicule you for your prayers. If a young lady marries a young man who is not a Christian, who will lead family prayers before meals and other times when Christians would pray together?
A faithful Christian will help, not hinder, your Bible study.
We have also learned that Christian couples should discuss and study Bible principles together and encourage one another with God's word (Hebrews 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).
But a companion who is not a Christian may not be willing to study. If you initiate a spiritual discussion, the result may be argument and conflict. In all these aspects of worship, instead of being a source of strength, your companion will become a hindrance and discouragement.
A faithful Christian will help, not hinder, your efforts to teach God's word.
Acts 8:4 - Christians should share the message of the gospel with others [Hebrews 5:12]. This too is something we can help one another do in our homes (Acts 10:24,27,33).
Acts 18:26 - Like Aquila and Priscilla, Christian couples work together in this, inviting friends over to discuss religion and study the Bible. They can talk together and share ideas to improve their teaching.
But if your companion is not a Christian, he may oppose your efforts to teach. He may object if you invite others to your home to study, and may resent the time you spend in teaching. He may openly contradict the truth, and will surely hinder your teaching by his example.
A faithful Christian will obey and help you obey Bible teaching about marriage.
We have learned that truly good marriages must be based on Bible principles. Most marital unhappiness comes because people do not follow the Bible principles about marriage.
We will learn more of these principles as we proceed: husbands should love and provide for their wives, wives should submit to their husbands and be homemakers, etc.
If you marry a Christian, you have a right to expect him or her to obey the Bible. But you would have no reason from the very outset to expect a non-Christian to obey God's word. If he or she does not obey God's plan for marriage, how will you motivate him to do right?
A faithful Christian will encourage, not discourage, proper morality.
2 Timothy 3:16,17; Psalm 119:105 - Christian couples have a common standard by which to determine their moral beliefs and practices.
But if you marry one who is not a Christian, he may have (or may develop) habits you object to: drinking liquor, smoking, profanity, dirty jokes, gambling, dirty TV shows, suggestive clothing, even pornography or drug abuse.
What if he/she spends family funds on things you consider to be immoral? What if he/she is dishonest in business dealings or refuses to pay family debts? What if he wants to donate funds to causes that you oppose?
How can you appeal to him, if you knew all along that he was not living by the Bible?
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