Topic: SHOULD A BELIEVER DIVORCE AN UNBELIEVING SPOUSE?
THEME SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 7:12-14 (NKJV)
[12] But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. [13] And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. [14] For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
MESSAGE:
We learnt from our previous devotion that a believer cannot marry an unbeliever. However, a marriage may already exist between a believer and an unbeliever; should the believer in this circumstance, divorce the unbelieving spouse?
Our theme Scripture didn’t mince words at all on this subject. The unbelieving husband or wife is sanctified by the believing spouse. This is because at marriage, the two become one flesh. As a result, children produced out of such union are holy, because one person in the union is holy.
On this basis, Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit admonishes, that, if any brother has a wife who does not believe, and SHE IS WILLING TO LIVE WITH HIM, let him not divorce her. In the same vein, he also admonishes, that, if a woman has a husband who does not believe, and HE IS WILLING TO LIVE WITH HER, let her not divorce him.
The key is willingness! Willingness on the part of the unbelieving spouse to live with the believing spouse. After all, the two are already one flesh; so, if the unbelieving spouse is willing to stay in the union, the believer should not divorce the unbeliever.
