Family and Faith Magazine June-July 2015 | Page 12

10 WOMEN CHRISTIAN MEN SHOULD NOT MARRY By Dr. Stephen Kim Family and Faith Magazine came across this thought-provoking article by Dr. Stephen Kim, Pastor of Mustard Seed Church in New York recently. The points made were the subject of vigorous agreement and staunch disagreement by readers. With June being a popular month for weddings we invite you to take a look and let us know your thoughts. Send comments to [email protected] or connect with us on Facebook. We would love to hear your feedback! 1 “ I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house . The Unbeliever Scripture is replete with exhortations against such marriages (in both the Old and New Testaments). Contrary to popular misconception, God’s prohibition against marriages to foreign women in the Old Testament was not due to racism. Instead, God was simply preventing the spread of idolatry. Israel, God’s chosen people in the Old Testament, represented what 12 familyandfaithmagazine.com ” (Proverbs 7:7-8) Christians would later represent in the New Testament. Hence, God’s prohibition against marrying an unbelieving woman in the New Testament (2 Cor 6:14) is simply the extension of God prohibiting a Hebrew man from from marrying a Canaanite woman in the Old Testament (Deut 7:3-4). “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you” (Deut 7:3-4). 2 . The Divorcee Jesus clearly taught that unless the first marriage ended due to a partner’s sexual infidelity, a second marriage is to be considered invalid and adulterous. A divorced woman, therefore, is off limits for a Christian man–unrepentant adultery being a sin that prevents one from obtaining eternal life