“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14, ESV
For years, Christians have used 2 Corinthians 6:14 when talking about dating and marriage. Recently, though, I have heard the argument that Christians have been using this verse incorrectly because Paul was not specifically talking about marriage in the surrounding passage.
There is some truth in that. When you read the passage in context, Paul is talking about spiritual compromise, idolatry, and the believer’s allegiance to Christ. He talks about righteousness and lawlessness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, and the temple of God and idols. So no, Paul did not sit down and write 2 Corinthians 6:14 as a marriage instruction.
But I think it is a mistake to go from saying, “This passage is not specifically about marriage,” to saying, “This passage has nothing to say about marriage.”
The entire point of the passage is that believers should not bind themselves to unbelief in a way that compromises their walk with Christ. Marriage is one of the closest and most binding relationships a person will ever enter. Two people are building a life together, making decisions together, raising children together, handling money together, deciding what their home will look like, and determining what values will guide that home.
If one person is trying to follow Christ and the other does not believe in Christ at all, that difference eventually touches almost everything.
Some will point to 1 Corinthians 7 and say Paul clearly told Christians to stay married to unbelievers.
He did.
“If any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.” 1 Corinthians 7:12, ESV
But that passage is dealing with an existing marriage. Paul is not telling a Christian to go marry an unbeliever. He is telling a Christian not to destroy a marriage simply because the other spouse does not believe. Those are two completely different situations.
Later in that same chapter Paul talks about a widow who is free to remarry and says: “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 7:39, ESV
That last phrase is important. Paul gives her freedom to marry whom she wishes, but he still says “only in the Lord.” That is much more direct than trying to make 2 Corinthians 6:14 carry the entire argument by itself.
The Old Testament gives us the same concern. Israel was warned repeatedly about marriages that would pull people away from God. The issue was not simply ethnicity. The concern was worship and faithfulness. Solomon is probably the clearest example. “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods.” 1 Kings 11:4, ESV
That is the danger. A person can love someone deeply and still be pulled spiritually in a direction they never intended to go.
So I do not think Christians need to pretend 2 Corinthians 6:14 is only about marriage. It is broader than that. Paul is warning believers about joining themselves to unbelief in ways that compromise their devotion to Christ.
Marriage absolutely fits inside that principle.
When you add 1 Corinthians 7:39, where Paul says a believer should marry “only in the Lord,” the direction becomes even clearer. A Christian should not knowingly enter a marriage covenant with someone who does not follow Christ.
That is not because Christians are better than unbelievers. It is because faith is not supposed to be one small part of a Christian’s life. Following Christ affects how we live, how we raise our children, how we handle our money, what we believe is right and wrong, and what direction we believe our family should go.
If Christ is at the center of one person’s life and absent from the other person’s life, eventually that difference is going to matter.
Bible Promise
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1, ESV
Reflection Questions
- If faith in Christ shapes the biggest decisions in life, what happens when husband and wife do not share that foundation?
- Are there relationships or commitments in life that are making it harder to follow Christ faithfully?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Help me to understand Your Word in context and not simply use verses to make them say what I want them to say. At the same time, help me recognize the principles You have given and apply them honestly to my life. Give me wisdom in the relationships I choose and help me put obedience to You ahead of feelings, attraction, or convenience. I want my relationships and my home to honor You.
I give You all honor, all the glory, and all of the praise. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen & Amen.
