Why It's Not Okay For a Christian to Date, Court or Marry a Non-Believer
It's safe to say that the enemy is having a field day in the area of unequal yokes (believers becoming romantically entangled with non-believers.) I would go as far as to suggest that it is the biggest danger and strongest area of temptation a Christian can face, especially for younger people. I hear it all the time and the list of reasons is extensive.
I succumbed as a teenager, so I’m also speaking from personal experience. After a painful break-up with a Christian, and having just been baptised, declaring my faith publicly, I fell in dramatic fashion. A man who seemed to be exactly what I was looking and hoping for appeared suddenly on the scene when I was still reeling and hurt from what had gone before. The only problem, he wasn’t a believer, well, not yet anyway, but that would change, wouldn’t it?
Determined that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes as so many of my peers, and thinking my situation was somehow different, I ignored the advice of everyone. I persuaded him to come to church with me. I resisted making the relationship official knowing what the Bible says about these things. But, my heart was committed and I was emotionally attached. I was walking the danger line and it was just a matter of time before I veered over the edge.
Six years later, my life a broken mess and a string of relationships with non-believers behind me, I woke up. I decided that enough was enough. Knowing the way home, I repented of my many sins, and returned to a patient and gracious God. That was twelve years ago, but, things could have been very different if I had heeded the warnings in Scripture or listened to those who were trying to get through to me. My life could also have been very different if I had married one of those men.
Let me ask you, do you recognise any of these? They may be spoken aloud or remain hidden in the heart:
“I’m the only Christian he knows. How will he be saved if I break up with him?”
“She was brought up in the church and our views are almost the same.”
“He’s from a good Christian family, his mother and sister are Christians.”
“God has told me that she is the one.”
“She’s willing to wait until we are married.”
“We’re just friends, I’m praying for her.”
“He’s been coming to church with me. I think he’s nearly ready.”
“Why would God have allowed our paths to cross if we weren’t meant to be together?”
“My pastor says it’s okay as long as we don’t have sex.”
“That Bible passage isn’t talking about romantic relationships.”
“I just have an inner sense that we are meant to be together.”
“I don’t think I’ll meet anyone else and I want to have a family.”
“My friends really like her, she fits in.”
“Everyone is getting married, I don’t want to be lonely.”
“I’ve waited for God and He hasn’t delivered, I’ll have to make my own happiness.”
“God can’t expect me to be alone forever.”
“My church leader said that sometimes God makes allowances.”
“I know of a couple where it worked out and he became a Christian. They are very happy”
“He is more moral than a lot of Christian people I know.”
“The Bible doesn’t apply to us today. Things have moved on.”
“She supports my faith and thinks it’s a good thing.”
“God knows my weaknesses and He will forgive me.”
“God wouldn’t want me to break the commitment I have made to marry her.”
“Once we’re married everything will be okay, she will believe because she loves me.”
“My situation is different and I know things will work out.”
“He accepts my faith and doesn’t want me to change.”
“We’re saved by grace, remember? God loves me too much to deny me this relationship.”
“My faith is strong enough to endure the temptation, I won’t fall away.”
“But, I love him and can’t imagine my life with anyone else.”
There are surely others that you have heard or maybe even wrestled with yourself. The devil has perfected his strategy having dealt with many subjects over the years. He whispers lies and takes us captive to the feelings and emotions that are racing in our hearts and minds. It’s practically impossible to be objective when we are already in the situation.
All sorts of Christians, from all different backgrounds, with perfectly good intentions have slipped into sin by listening to one or more of the lies listed above. If we tell ourselves something often enough, we start to believe it, whether or not it is the truth. We can dull our conscience until the guilt that kept us awake at night becomes a dull ache and then fades away almost completely. Not totally though, provided we are really saved, there will still be a sense that things are not quite right. Believe it or not, that is God’s grace, reminding us that we cannot be satisfied or fulfilled without Him even though He has been temporarily side-lined.
I cannot address those who don’t believe the Bible or who don’t see it as authoritative. Those people have more serious issues and cannot be called Christians in any real sense. Take away the Bible and there is no foundation for faith. The Bible is God’s Word and we should seek to obey it.
If you do take the Bible seriously, you need to know that it is clear on the subject of relationships between believers and non-believers. In 2 Corinthians 6 vs 14-16:
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God” (ESV)
I think John MacArthur’s comments on this passage are helpful here;
“This passage identifies two opposing worlds. The terminology is clear; One of those worlds is marked by righteousness, light, Christ, believers, and the presence of God. The other is marked by lawlessness, darkness, Satan, unbelievers, and the presence of false gods. And these two worlds are utterly different and distinct, so much so that they are mutually exclusive.
They cannot work together in common partnership; they cannot fellowship together. They are not in harmony with one another. One is old; the other is new. One is earthly; the other is heavenly. One is deadly; the other is life giving. One is wicked; the other holy. One is built on lies; the other is all truth.One perishes and the other lives eternally.” (https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-l...)
Personally, I never considered the arguments that the Bible passage didn’t apply or that God meant something different. I knew what the Bible said and that my decision to have a relationship with a non-believer was displeasing to Him, so I just stayed away from the church. Ultimately, I became a prodigal.
I wasn’t guilty of hypocrisy by claiming to live a Christian life—those that do are not just harming themselves but are also damaging the integrity of the church in the eyes of the world. Don’t claim to be a Christian if you are living in wilful disobedience and don’t try to justify yourself by blaming God. That’s what the religious leaders in Jesus’ day were doing and they were severely rebuked for it.
What about the occasional story about couples where one party wasconverted later than the other? From a different perspective, does God ever bless disobedience? The answer to that question is a definite “no.” So, those who believe that they have somehow been brought together by God and that He would have them disobey a clear command in Scripture are wrong.
There are instances where God is gracious to a person and brings good out of bad. He may forgive our wrong choices and use us anyway, but there are always consequences. Nine times out of ten, or maybe ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the non-believer ends up drawing the Christian away from Christ.
There are many sins in the mix in these situations but the main one is idolatry. We are placing a person ahead of our relationship with God. It is easy to become blind to the reality and irrational—the enemy makes us think that we mustbe with that person and it becomes the most important priority in our lives. Is another human being ever really that incredible, or have we been drawn into a fantasy world?
We forget that we serve a good God who loves us and knows the desires of our hearts. That He is all powerful and more than capable of leading us to the right marriage partner at the right time. We attempt to do God’s work for him and make a mess of it. We are impatient and impulsive and forget that our hearts are sinful and lead us astray. We think that we can handle it and that we know what we are doing. We place ourselves on God’s throne and suffer the consequence.
God’s commands are there for our benefit and protection. He didn’t make them up to ruin our fun or for the sake of it. Think of the long-term consequence of becoming emotionally entangled or even married to a non-believer
1. Unless they see the truth, the partner you love is on their way to hell
2. What about your children? How can you teach them the right way if you are divided
3. Your priorities, values, focus and purpose in life will be fundamentally different
4. Your hobbies, holidays and use of time will be at odds with each other
5. There may be arguments about financial priorities, career prospects, gender roles
6. In time, there will be fights about church, personal devotions, beliefs, the Bible
7. Guilt—a nagging sense that you have sinned and are trapped in the situation
8. Different views about love, marriage and relationships
9. The loss of the opportunity for unity in a marriage with God at the centre
10. Greater likelihood of divorce—a marriage that is divided from the outset may fail
11. The church in disarray as disobedience is seen as the norm and others follow the example
12. God is grieved and your relationship with Him is damaged
Again, I’m sure there are many more that only those who have suffered through them will know.
This post is really a warning to those that are not yet married not to fall into the enemy’s trap. Don’t shut out the voices of those who care about you or isolate yourself from other believers. Don’t allow yourself to be drawn away from your church family thinking you and your partner can go it alone. Listen to the advice of Christians who have made mistakes and heed what they say. You are not invincible and your situation is not different. Talk to your church leader by all means, but if they tell you something that contradicts the Bible, you must obey God rather than men. They will have to give account for their carelessness.
This is not a message about Christian dating, so I’m not going to offer suggestions in that area. I will just say, that it is better to be single than to be with the wrong person, and then either end up falling away from God, or in the middle of a messy divorce a few years down the line.
Wait and pray, if God has someone for you, you can be sure that He will bring that person along when the time is right.
I succumbed as a teenager, so I’m also speaking from personal experience. After a painful break-up with a Christian, and having just been baptised, declaring my faith publicly, I fell in dramatic fashion. A man who seemed to be exactly what I was looking and hoping for appeared suddenly on the scene when I was still reeling and hurt from what had gone before. The only problem, he wasn’t a believer, well, not yet anyway, but that would change, wouldn’t it?
Determined that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes as so many of my peers, and thinking my situation was somehow different, I ignored the advice of everyone. I persuaded him to come to church with me. I resisted making the relationship official knowing what the Bible says about these things. But, my heart was committed and I was emotionally attached. I was walking the danger line and it was just a matter of time before I veered over the edge.
Six years later, my life a broken mess and a string of relationships with non-believers behind me, I woke up. I decided that enough was enough. Knowing the way home, I repented of my many sins, and returned to a patient and gracious God. That was twelve years ago, but, things could have been very different if I had heeded the warnings in Scripture or listened to those who were trying to get through to me. My life could also have been very different if I had married one of those men.
Let me ask you, do you recognise any of these? They may be spoken aloud or remain hidden in the heart:
“I’m the only Christian he knows. How will he be saved if I break up with him?”
“She was brought up in the church and our views are almost the same.”
“He’s from a good Christian family, his mother and sister are Christians.”
“God has told me that she is the one.”
“She’s willing to wait until we are married.”
“We’re just friends, I’m praying for her.”
“He’s been coming to church with me. I think he’s nearly ready.”
“Why would God have allowed our paths to cross if we weren’t meant to be together?”
“My pastor says it’s okay as long as we don’t have sex.”
“That Bible passage isn’t talking about romantic relationships.”
“I just have an inner sense that we are meant to be together.”
“I don’t think I’ll meet anyone else and I want to have a family.”
“My friends really like her, she fits in.”
“Everyone is getting married, I don’t want to be lonely.”
“I’ve waited for God and He hasn’t delivered, I’ll have to make my own happiness.”
“God can’t expect me to be alone forever.”
“My church leader said that sometimes God makes allowances.”
“I know of a couple where it worked out and he became a Christian. They are very happy”
“He is more moral than a lot of Christian people I know.”
“The Bible doesn’t apply to us today. Things have moved on.”
“She supports my faith and thinks it’s a good thing.”
“God knows my weaknesses and He will forgive me.”
“God wouldn’t want me to break the commitment I have made to marry her.”
“Once we’re married everything will be okay, she will believe because she loves me.”
“My situation is different and I know things will work out.”
“He accepts my faith and doesn’t want me to change.”
“We’re saved by grace, remember? God loves me too much to deny me this relationship.”
“My faith is strong enough to endure the temptation, I won’t fall away.”
“But, I love him and can’t imagine my life with anyone else.”
There are surely others that you have heard or maybe even wrestled with yourself. The devil has perfected his strategy having dealt with many subjects over the years. He whispers lies and takes us captive to the feelings and emotions that are racing in our hearts and minds. It’s practically impossible to be objective when we are already in the situation.
All sorts of Christians, from all different backgrounds, with perfectly good intentions have slipped into sin by listening to one or more of the lies listed above. If we tell ourselves something often enough, we start to believe it, whether or not it is the truth. We can dull our conscience until the guilt that kept us awake at night becomes a dull ache and then fades away almost completely. Not totally though, provided we are really saved, there will still be a sense that things are not quite right. Believe it or not, that is God’s grace, reminding us that we cannot be satisfied or fulfilled without Him even though He has been temporarily side-lined.
I cannot address those who don’t believe the Bible or who don’t see it as authoritative. Those people have more serious issues and cannot be called Christians in any real sense. Take away the Bible and there is no foundation for faith. The Bible is God’s Word and we should seek to obey it.
If you do take the Bible seriously, you need to know that it is clear on the subject of relationships between believers and non-believers. In 2 Corinthians 6 vs 14-16:
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God” (ESV)
I think John MacArthur’s comments on this passage are helpful here;
“This passage identifies two opposing worlds. The terminology is clear; One of those worlds is marked by righteousness, light, Christ, believers, and the presence of God. The other is marked by lawlessness, darkness, Satan, unbelievers, and the presence of false gods. And these two worlds are utterly different and distinct, so much so that they are mutually exclusive.
They cannot work together in common partnership; they cannot fellowship together. They are not in harmony with one another. One is old; the other is new. One is earthly; the other is heavenly. One is deadly; the other is life giving. One is wicked; the other holy. One is built on lies; the other is all truth.One perishes and the other lives eternally.” (https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-l...)
Personally, I never considered the arguments that the Bible passage didn’t apply or that God meant something different. I knew what the Bible said and that my decision to have a relationship with a non-believer was displeasing to Him, so I just stayed away from the church. Ultimately, I became a prodigal.
I wasn’t guilty of hypocrisy by claiming to live a Christian life—those that do are not just harming themselves but are also damaging the integrity of the church in the eyes of the world. Don’t claim to be a Christian if you are living in wilful disobedience and don’t try to justify yourself by blaming God. That’s what the religious leaders in Jesus’ day were doing and they were severely rebuked for it.
What about the occasional story about couples where one party wasconverted later than the other? From a different perspective, does God ever bless disobedience? The answer to that question is a definite “no.” So, those who believe that they have somehow been brought together by God and that He would have them disobey a clear command in Scripture are wrong.
There are instances where God is gracious to a person and brings good out of bad. He may forgive our wrong choices and use us anyway, but there are always consequences. Nine times out of ten, or maybe ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the non-believer ends up drawing the Christian away from Christ.
There are many sins in the mix in these situations but the main one is idolatry. We are placing a person ahead of our relationship with God. It is easy to become blind to the reality and irrational—the enemy makes us think that we mustbe with that person and it becomes the most important priority in our lives. Is another human being ever really that incredible, or have we been drawn into a fantasy world?
We forget that we serve a good God who loves us and knows the desires of our hearts. That He is all powerful and more than capable of leading us to the right marriage partner at the right time. We attempt to do God’s work for him and make a mess of it. We are impatient and impulsive and forget that our hearts are sinful and lead us astray. We think that we can handle it and that we know what we are doing. We place ourselves on God’s throne and suffer the consequence.
God’s commands are there for our benefit and protection. He didn’t make them up to ruin our fun or for the sake of it. Think of the long-term consequence of becoming emotionally entangled or even married to a non-believer
1. Unless they see the truth, the partner you love is on their way to hell
2. What about your children? How can you teach them the right way if you are divided
3. Your priorities, values, focus and purpose in life will be fundamentally different
4. Your hobbies, holidays and use of time will be at odds with each other
5. There may be arguments about financial priorities, career prospects, gender roles
6. In time, there will be fights about church, personal devotions, beliefs, the Bible
7. Guilt—a nagging sense that you have sinned and are trapped in the situation
8. Different views about love, marriage and relationships
9. The loss of the opportunity for unity in a marriage with God at the centre
10. Greater likelihood of divorce—a marriage that is divided from the outset may fail
11. The church in disarray as disobedience is seen as the norm and others follow the example
12. God is grieved and your relationship with Him is damaged
Again, I’m sure there are many more that only those who have suffered through them will know.
This post is really a warning to those that are not yet married not to fall into the enemy’s trap. Don’t shut out the voices of those who care about you or isolate yourself from other believers. Don’t allow yourself to be drawn away from your church family thinking you and your partner can go it alone. Listen to the advice of Christians who have made mistakes and heed what they say. You are not invincible and your situation is not different. Talk to your church leader by all means, but if they tell you something that contradicts the Bible, you must obey God rather than men. They will have to give account for their carelessness.
This is not a message about Christian dating, so I’m not going to offer suggestions in that area. I will just say, that it is better to be single than to be with the wrong person, and then either end up falling away from God, or in the middle of a messy divorce a few years down the line.
Wait and pray, if God has someone for you, you can be sure that He will bring that person along when the time is right.
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Stephen
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Apr 18, 2017 04:52AM
Outof interest, what do you define as "non-Christian"?
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I'm not sure that really answers my question. Does it include Orthodox? Catholics? Mormons? Regrettably, evangelical Protestants tend to appropriate the term 'Christian' as applying exclusively to themselves and to class everyone else (from High Anglicans through to atheists and Satanists) as the Belial in 2 Cor 6:14-16
Given that the Apostle Paul spoke definitively on marriage not in the fragmentary excursus we find in 2 Corinthians 6, but in an entire section of 1 Corinthians, how do you reconcile the teaching on marriages to non-believers Paul presents in 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 with the perspective you articulate here?
From my own experience. They generally don't desire to grow humble through the leadership of someone else. We all have a need to grow in Godly principles - that's just some of the things what makes a believer and a Non- unequally yoked.
Natalie, I think your definition of a Christian was spot on. It is as simple as that. Has nothing to do with denomination, or works which many people have a hard time believing. It is a heart thing and very simple. Doesn't need to be complicated.
Natalie wrote: "David wrote: "Given that the Apostle Paul spoke definitively on marriage not in the fragmentary excursus we find in 2 Corinthians 6, but in an entire section of 1 Corinthians, how do you reconcile ..." That is the answer I anticipated. It should not be surprising, however, as a plain text reading of Paul requires one to have a response to the logical question: "If scripture teaches that there is no spiritual peril for the Christian in actually being married to a non-Christian, and that marriage may have benefit for their partner and their children, why is the act of getting married to a non Christian unacceptable?" You have an answer that you find satisfactory.
Natalie wrote: "David wrote: "Natalie wrote: "David wrote: "Given that the Apostle Paul spoke definitively on marriage not in the fragmentary excursus we find in 2 Corinthians 6, but in an entire section of 1 Cori..." Well, actually, if we listen to Paul, "God's best" is very clearly never marrying at all, as marriage represents a distraction from the apocalyptic reality of Christ, one we only undertake to subdue desire. The passage that is the subject of your blog is not discounted, but it cannot be taken on its own, as no single text can be taken on its own. All scripture must be interpreted in the context of other related scriptures, and all of them together can only be seen truly in the light of the Holy Spirit.
Great post, Natalie. I agree with you...it is not ok for a Christian to date an unbeliever. That is a message of old going back to the OT days where Israel was to be a peculiar people, and not mix with the nations surrounding them. That analogy applies today as well, but for Christians. The grass is not greener on the other side even though it may appear that way (sometimes).
Also, a Christian is a Christian, not a denomination, so I strongly agree on your take on that as well.
Thank you Natalie for sharing your thoughts on this subject; it is evident that this is something God has put in your heart. If I may share some of my own thoughts regarding this; only a while back I argued for such union, genuinely not seeing the sin in it. However, because of fierce resistance from several people from my church, I decided to pray and study this for myself and this is an excerpt of what I concluded: "Upon further reflection, our relationship and communion with God is of such a deep and complete level and so is our relationship with our spouse, that to have into this union a person who does not share in the same practices and beliefs, and cannot enter God's presence with you, means you cannot have a full and completely intimate relationship. Also, of interest are the verses of Ezekiel 44:7-9, which explain that an unbeliever is considered unholy by the Lord and if brought inside the "temple" it desecrates it. After being sanctified by the blood of Christ, we have earned the right to enter into the sanctuary of God, but we cannot bring along any unbelievers with us and thus defile His temple. We should not do this to our God; Israel was punished severely many times over this."
I do believe if we delve into the Word, we will find the answer not only to this but every other question we may have. God is indeed gracious.
Alina wrote: "Natalie, I think your definition of a Christian was spot on. It is as simple as that. Has nothing to do with denomination, or works which many people have a hard time believing. It is a heart thing..."Hmm . . . it does have to do with the heart, but, it only starts there, it goes on to include charity, forgiveness, good works, and so many things. And denominations do have a key factor, because, unfortunately, sometimes certain denominations only believe certain aspects of the Bible, or tradition (going solely off of Scripture can be dangerous as, thanks to that, we now have more than one denomination because everyone begins to think their "interpretation" is the right one). That, in and of itself, can be a problem for a marriage of people from two different denominations.
Yes, it should be simple, but, thanks to the devil and the worldly, it has to be a little bit more complicated to differentiate between the lukewarm and the soldiers of Christ. Yes, God, and only God, can read our hearts, but He wants us to spread His light to the whole world, and to sit back in comfort while others stumble around in ignorance (the great bane of man, as pointed out by the Ghost of Christmas Present) and/or in pain and poverty does not prove our love for Him. As it is said, 'actions speak louder than words' and, Christ Himself said, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of My brothers and sisters, you also did to Me" (Matthew 25:40).
Thanks for your thoughts on this! I have always sought a man who is not only a Christian, but a Catholic as well. A bit picky, perhaps? Maybe, but, if there is only one man God has in mind for me, I can't just throw myself into the arms of the first good man who comes my way. I take marriage very seriously, and it's very unfortunate that so few others do too. The world would be a much happier place if marriage is taken with more seriousness, but, the devil is still out to get our souls, and will make a passing pleasure more appealing than a long-term joy (especially since that long-term joy involves sacrifice, countless sleepless nights with babies and sick children, the occasional disagreement with the spouse, because, let's face it, we're never going to fully see eye-to-eye, financial issues, gossip, and any other trial God allows to test the strength of the marriage). It is a long, hard process, but a long, hard process always bears the sweetest fruits.
Amy ♥♫ wrote: "Thanks for your thoughts on this! I have always sought a man who is not only a Christian, but a Catholic as well. A bit picky, perhaps? Maybe, but, if there is only one man God has in mind for me, ..."All good Amy, but remember that many 'Christians' don't view us as fellow believers at all (for example, https://www.chick.com/m/reading/tract...). Sadly, after a lot of attempts to build friendly relations with non-Catholic Christians, I concluded that in general the only variable was how much they desired to see our beloved church destroyed.
Stephen wrote: "Amy ♥♫ wrote: "Thanks for your thoughts on this! I have always sought a man who is not only a Christian, but a Catholic as well. A bit picky, perhaps? Maybe, but, if there is only one man God has i..."Yes, unfortunately, it's so sad. It only tells me I'm in the right place. And as for those who are questioning the Eucharist, what about the Last Supper, or are they interpreting it their own way now (which is more dangerous than having something set up to prevent that? The devil can work in more than one way, he isn't stupid)? Didn't Jesus say to "Do this in memory of Me"? Someone's clearly picking and choosing from the Bible for Jesus also gave to Peter and the Apostles the power over sins (or did they take that out of their Bibles?). It's really sad that, while this post claims that Helen is brainwashed, they're brainwashing other people into taking their word that everything we do started with paganism. My friends who converted to Catholicism through research can tell them something very different.
But, I have hope, Jesus also said that the doors of hell will not prevail against the Catholic Church, no matter how many times we fall. And, we also have the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has said that her Immaculate Heart will triumph as it is her Son's wish that the time of peace will belong to her. Also, it seems we are making a comeback, many seem to have grown tired of hearing things like that about the Catholic Church (not only that, but the path we are following in America is even less pleasing in God's eyes than anyone can claim that the Catholic Church is). They know we're the true faith because we still stand strong after two hundred years (Protestants and Baptists, and all other denominations came later). So, yes, while that post made me angry and cry at the blatant stupidity of that kind of thinking and the lies, I know God is stronger and He Himself will let those who truly seek Him know where He is.
The Catholic Church is far from being destroyed, in fact, we've been in need of some kind of persecution for a while now. If we really truly follow Jesus Christ, we will accept any kind of persecution that comes our way, for the servant is not greater than the Master, and if the Master underwent persecution, so too shall the loyal servants.
(Also, hence why I'm only seeking a Catholic. Did go out with a 'Christian' who, though he believed the Bible, didn't believe in the devil, and that's the worst place to be because the devil can use that to his advantage.)
Stephen and Amy, it would have been great if the church of Christ were not divided as it is; after all, for all those who have accepted Him, we are all one, as Paul says in his letter to the Galatians: "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus". Unfortunately, the devil has been hard at work from the beginning and has managed to poison the church - which started with the 12 apostles - and mix our theology and tradition with many pagan beliefs and practices. It was because of this deviation from the clear teachings of the Bible that 500 years ago Luther initiated what we now call The Reformation, basically stating that we should only believe and practice what the Scriptures clearly say, and not what the infected tradition commands. This gave birth to the now many Protestant denominations of today, which despite minor differences in theology and worship among them, all hold to the core beliefs and teachings of the Bible. It is these beliefs and doctrines that we still adhere to and defend, contrary to the many traditions of the Catholic or Orthodox church. Now, it is sad that many Protestants use harsh rhetoric and language when confronting the Catholic tradition, and I would even say unbiblical, because the Word encourages us to correct and admonish with love and humility, not with pride and self-righteousness. But our failures as believers do not negate the fact that the Word of God will always trump man-made traditions and will be the sole basis for our doctrine. If the Bible says something that I, my pastor, priest, or even the pope does not agree with, than we are all wrong, and the Bible right. And the Bible isn't really that difficult to interpret; if we pray for understanding and study the Word for ourselves, the Holy Spirit will always enlighten us.
Having said that, as far as I'm concerned, if anyone believes that they are sinners and they are saved through - and only through - Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross, having repented in their heart and confessed with their mouth that He is their saviour, they are Christians.
P.S. I believe all this side-discussion might have been avoided if Natalie would have used the word "believer" instead of "Christian" in her article, though for me personally she is correct. So many define Christianity as a lifestyle choice or traditional upbringing, as opposed to being a daily follower and servant of Jesus Christ.
Blessings
Ed says, "the Bible isn't really that difficult to interpret"; how is it then that there are tens of thousands of interpretations? Also, I wonder where he would say the Bible comes from?
Natalie wrote: "I'm surprised that this post seems to have generated a denominational debate.....at least it wasn't a predictable diversion!"Hahaha. I was thinking also, you posted why a believer should not date a non-believer....I think it has been proven risky for believers to date believers... :)
Susan wrote: "Ed says, "the Bible isn't really that difficult to interpret"; how is it then that there are tens of thousands of interpretations? Also, I wonder where he would say the Bible comes from?"Hi Susan. I had a feeling that statement would raise an eyebrow; perhaps I should have chosen better words and made my thought clearer.
What I meant to say is that when you pray for understanding and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through reading and studying the Word - the one who actually authored it - He helps you interpret it the way it was meant to. Unfortunately, we rely more on our own wisdom and understanding, which so often leads to misinterpretations and wrong doctrines. I know the Bible is complex and deep as well as prone to so many different interpretations and did not mean to actually imply that all of it is easy to understand, but rather "not impossible to get to its truth".
I hope that answers your question also. Blessings.
Ed wrote: "Susan wrote: "Ed says, "the Bible isn't really that difficult to interpret"; how is it then that there are tens of thousands of interpretations? Also, I wonder where he would say the Bible comes fr..."Thanks, I understand what you are saying, but it must be pretty impossible to get to it's truth individually, because there are an awful lot of people claiming truth and yet there can only be one Truth. And although, yes, the Bible was Divinely inspired, it was the Catholic Church that compiled it. It just seems to me that Jesus was far too wise to leave things up to mere men individually to decide things on their own (knowing how we are, as has been proven) without some Divine assistance as was instituted in the Church. Thinking of it merely rationally even, that just wouldn't make much sense to me. They worked so hard to stay in fidelity to what He taught in the beginning. Thanks for the response.
Natalie,Well written post and as a Christian brother I could not agree with you more one what you said. Be encouraged and stand firm in Lord!
God Bless!
Ed wrote: "Stephen and Amy, it would have been great if the church of Christ were not divided as it is; after all, for all those who have accepted Him, we are all one, as Paul says in his letter to the Galati..."My apologies for getting back to you so late, things have been crazy.
It would have been better is if Martin Luther fought the immorality within the Church rather than leave it and risk being trampled by the devil. Many others have done the same, why could he not? The devil has already proven that he can use Scriptures against us, he tried to use it against Jesus, and you know how that showdown went. We are mere mortals and do not have the wisdom of Christ, and sometimes, though we ask for it, still refuse it, thus practically allowing an open field for the devil. Why then are there many denominations? Why is it that, instead of trying to bring back to God what was already His, we leave it and create something new based on what we think He wants us to do?
As for the man-made traditions, that was what the early Church had for thirty or so years before the New Testament was finally written and put together. Some traditions even came from the Jewish traditions that were God-made. The major point is, is that the traditions should be the balance to the Scriptures and an aid to make sure we do interpret them correctly. If we go all traditions or all Scripture, there's a greater chance of falling into pride as, as noted above, there is more than one person who can interpret the Scriptures their way and say that they're right.
May I also point out, by noting that Luther did leave the Church that the Catholic Church is the one instituted by Christ and run by fallen men. There will be good men and bad men, every barrel has its bad apples. Just don't throw the baby out with the bath water because of it, please.
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