2 Corinthians 6:14 *Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness*?
One of those posts I read online sometime ago posited that there are unbelievers married to believers living in peace and harmony. While that may be true of some marriages, it should be clear to all that the God kind of love expected in such marriages will be absent.
In Ephesians 5:25 (NLT) Paul says, *"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her*". There is something in this text we must unravel.
The love a Christian husband is expected to have for his wife is compared with the love of Christ for the church. This is God's expectation for the Christian husband. A man that is not in Christ cannot love like Christ.
The love Christ showed the church is a transforming love not just an emotional love. Through that love, he is washing the church to make her holy and clean so that she can be without blemish. This is the fruit of that love and same is expected between Christian couple.
Ephesians 5:26-27.
[26] to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
[27] He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.
The scripture above cannot happen in inter religious marriage. At best, they may have some level of understanding and harmony but not the fruit of transformation God intends in marriage.
A home where Christ is the head through the husband is one of the reasons for marriage. The work of transformation that began when a man and woman met with Christ is to be continued all through their marital journey. Also, it takes a woman in Christ to respond to that love. Marrying an unbeliever alters this divine plan.
*A man or woman or woman who have not been to calvary should not be considered for marriage because he has not seen the author of marriage and will never understand the purpose it serves*.
I believe only those that are not serious with their Christian walk will consider marrying an unbeliever. Genuine believers will never give it a thought because it is clearly stated in scriptures that marriage should be between believers.
1 Corinthians 7:39 says, *"The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; ONLY IN THE LORD*".
Though the text above is directed to those remarrying yet the principle applies to all- marriage should be to those only in the Lord.