The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Marriage between a Christian & an Unbeliever

This in itself is revealing; 1) Loving, biblical admonition and counsel have gone unheeded uncovers a resistance to necessary repentance. 2) IF from the second statement both professing believers are actually members of churches which do not practice discipline, there is far more amiss than the marriage issue. A church that has no discipline is most always one which has lots of theological errors as well. Why would a professing believer join such an assembly?

Q. How should believing relatives respond from here?

1. Should professing Christians who marry unbelievers be regarded as unbelievers themselves (until they acknowledge & repent of their sin)?
   Relationally, yes. To clarify, their profession should be considered spurious. Close association should be curtailed but communication should be left open if at all possible. Of course, if genuine repentance should be forthcoming, i.e., the engagement broken and the possible leaving of the church they are currently members of, then restoration should be openly sought.
2. Should believing relatives attend the weddings, or refuse to participate in the wedding festivities altogether?
   I think abstention from all aspects of these unbiblical marriages would be the proper choice. This is assuming of course, that the parents/relatives believe that those professing faith in Christ are genuinely converted. Should either/both deny the faith, then attending the wedding and/or festivities might be considered.
3. What kind of support should be offered or refused to such marriages, once consummated, by believing relatives?
   What kind of "support" are you referring to? Once the marriage is consummated, faithfulness, kindness, love, respect, etc., i.e., all that is required of a husband and wife according to Scripture still applies regardless of the spiritual state of either party. Those things should be impressed upon the minds of all involved.
4. Is it acceptable for Christian parents to disown a child who disobediently weds an unbeliever? And if Christian parents pursue such a course, should the siblings of that child also treat him or her as no longer being a part of the family?
   I'm not sure what "disowning" entails?? One cannot abrogate the biological tie. But one could decide to not include the individual from any inheritance should their be any. The parable of the Prodigal Son is very instructive as to what kind of relationship parents should have with errant children. The sin(s) committed are neither to be ignored nor diminished but wholly acknowledged. Yet, love for the child and a firm hope that there would be a returning first to God and then to the family remains. Constant prayer is one's strongest ally for all things are possible with God.

There is no denying that parents with such children are easily swayed by their emotions and often make wrong judgments in regard to their respective children. Standing firmly on biblical truth and counsel can often be difficult as that familial bond tends to cloud right thinking.

Tom suggested that one try to surmise the reasons why these professing Christians have sought out marriage with an unbeliever. Although that might help explain the external reasons for their action, e.g., love, infatuation, lust, loneliness, rebellion, etc., etc... we should not fail to realize that the true reason for these decisions is sin, plain and simple. And there is no 'excuse' for what they are planning to do. There are consequences, some dire, that always accompany sinful decisions, especially for those who profess to belong to the Lord Christ by faith.

That's my