All my brothers and sisters in Christ and I are the temple of the living God as Paul wrote in the first letter to Corinth. (1 Corinthians 6:19) The Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father live in me. I am a son of the Lord Almighty. God dwelling in his people is only by grace. No matter the life circumstances nor my past, present, or future God will never leave his people.
I have a choice to who I will be with, not just friends, but especially a spouse. The choice a person makes concerning their spouse is important.
Paul says not to yoke with someone who does not believe in Jesus. Yoking is a farm term. Two oxen or another beast of burden are joined together by a board or iron so together they can plow a field. Yoking makes the work easier and quicker. Marriage is equated with yoking.
Paul instructs that Jesus’s people should marry each other instead of an unbeliever. This is wise because eventually different religious beliefs will be a source of contentions in marriage. Historically people of God will eventually compromise their relationship with either God and/or the spouse if the one they marry does not have faith in Jesus.
Finding a fellow believer in today’s age is not easy. It takes faith in God’s provision and love. Some find a loving Christian mate right away. Other’s find that they have to have the faith of Abraham who waited 25 years to have a son.
Knowing just exactly what another truly believes is not easy and perhaps is impossible. However, after some time we can make a reasonable conclusion that the person we are dating has similar beliefs or not. Searching can be fun and daunting at the same time.
Much conflicting advice exists and is confusing. Several years ago I asked a man I respected why people who are generally the same in beliefs will express so many different options about dating, weddings, marriage, and sex. He said, “You know why? It’s because it is just that. It’s their opinion. In the end, the man and woman have to decide what they believe is right and best and what they want.”
