Should Christians date non-Christians?

‘For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God…’ 1 Kings 11:4.

King Solomon was considered as the wisest man in the world, yet this great leader fell away from God and the kingdom of Israel was divided because of his disobedience. His fall from grace was caused by the relationships he had with women who did not share his faith; in the end they pulled him away from God.

The people who we spend our time with have a great influence on our lives. When we spend time with a Christian who is on-fire for God, we find ourselves inspired by them to live a better Christian life and we end up wanting to be closer to God. But if we spend time with someone who is lost in this world - the values that they share often influence us for the worst.

Choosing whom we date is even more important than choosing our friends, because we could end up marrying them! Should we give our heart to someone who is resisting the Lord’s will for their lives? Should we share our lives with someone whose core values are opposed to our Christian values? How can we seriously consider seeking God’s will for our lives, if we are dating someone who is in rebellion to the Lord’s will for their life?

The Apostle Paul wrote that we should not be ‘unequally yoked’ (2 Corinthians 6:14). The yoke in Bible times was a piece of wood that was placed across two animals, who were working together in the field to share the burden. If they both went in different directions, both would struggle in pain. If one was strong and the other weak, one would end up bearing most of the burden and the work would be twice as hard.

In our relationships we are ‘yoked’ to people and they can pull us away from our values and beliefs; however if we find someone who is heading in the same direction and who shares our values and beliefs, we would both receive strength from each other and the work would be easier. Which one do you want?

Who should I marry? Go
Relationships with the opposite sex. Go
Who should I have a relationship with? Go