Expert: Susan Milillo - 10/26/2008

Question
hi i am a young Muslim female and i want to know what Christianity views a marriage between a Muslim women and a
Christian man. thnx!

Answer
Hello, Ayesha,

   Your name is beautiful ! I have never heard it before.

    Christians who endeavor to follow the Bible need to become married only to another believer in Jesus Christ.  There are a couple passages that relate :  'Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship has light with darkness (II Corinthians 6:14),...' And, 'Let her marry whom she wishes only in the faith' (I Corinthians 7:39), and also 'How can two walk together unless they be agreed?' (Amos 3:3)
   I think, if someone just calls themselves a Christian, but there's no difference in their lives - I can see how he could live happily with a woman of another faith.  But if he truly knows Jesus Christ personally, which is what being a Christian is all about, his whole life will be transformed.  He will have certain principles about how he spends his time, what kinds of things he will allow in his home, etc.  
He will want to bring up his children in 'the fear and admonition of the Lord' (Ephesians 6:4) -- "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone; all things have become new" (II Corinthians 5:17).    He will be pursuing holiness according to the Bible.  
    Think very seriously about this, if you are considering marrying a Christian guy (I don't know if this is a personal question that you asked, or hypothetical) -- Christianity is all about Christ ALONE - not Christ AND other ways.  
    Regardless of what someone thinks of most of the verses listed above, I think the Amos one is very common sense - no matter who you are and what you believe.  You don't want to be intimately joined together with another person whose entire orientation to life and everything revolves around something that you cannot completely embrace in your own life.  I think there would be much tension, and confusion - if not for yourselves, for any future children.
    Can I ask you a personal question, Ayesha....  Have you ever considered the claims of Christ for your own personal self?  He has completely transformed my life - And even though I accepted Him as my Savior from sin and spiritual death when I was only three yrs. old,
He continues to renew me and draw me closer to Himself, and to what God wants for me.  He has proven His love and His trustworthiness to me time and again, and in so many undeniable ways.    Please give Him a chance to speak for Himself!!

   Most Sincerely,
      Susan