prodigal2013

marry a nonbeliever? Notice that the question isn't is it wise or a good idea, but is it an actual sin and offense against God? 2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? But we know that people were married to nonbelievers. 1 Corinthians 7 12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. 13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. Some believe this passage refers to people who were married before salvation. 1 Corinthians 7 20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Second question: What does "the unbeliever is sanctified by the spouse," mean?

be open and honest with your sister..... I have been scared. I was babysitting the kids awhile back and found out that she was not where she said she was. It wasn't the first time, but it was the first time I knew for certain, so I confronted her. She threw me out of her house and didn't speak to me for a little while. She reached out to me later to apologize, but I have been afraid to say anything negative since then.

"Love her where she’s at right now not where she will be in the future or where she was at in your childhood. Those moments have either not happened yet or are in the past. Neither of which you have control over." I meant to quote this before and didn't. This really spoke to me. I have been comparing who she was before with who she is now. Thank you for the prayers.

I know my anger is something that needs to be let go of, and I have been working on that and praying about that. It's difficult because I take care of her children 3 days per week, so I feel especially involved in the situation because of the kids.

I don't mean "how do I love" in the sense that I don't love her. I'm confused about the proper way to show that love. Am I supposed to meet this man she is living with at her request? The holidays are coming around. Is he supposed to be invited and welcomed with open arms? What is the proper response to that knowing that she is married to someone else? Yes, my parents are Christians. If I meet this man and shake his hand and invite him into my home, am I condoning what is going on?

This has been affecting my family for nearly two years now. My sister ( not just my sister-in-Christ ) began an affair. No one knew, though there were signs. About one year ago, she told her husband of twenty years and moved herself and one of her children in with this other man. She refused to discuss it with any of us ( my parents or siblings ). Her husband tried to reconcile. She would come home for a night or two and then leave again. This went on for most of the last year. They have both confessed salvation. The current situation: they are not divorced. She continues to live with this other man. She will speak about it a little bit, but it's still not really up for discussion. She says she knows that what she did was wrong, but she does not want to reconcile with her husband and plans to stay with this other man. She considers this man and his daughter as part of her family unit. She says that she knows God forgives and loves her anyway. It's true that God forgives, but I haven't seen her repentant. Of course, I don't know what is going on in her heart. Her husband is also going down the wrong path. He started dating a woman and is sleeping with her. Neither of them seem to be interested in signing divorce papers, but neither of them want to reconcile at this point. My sister wants everyone to accept the situation and stop talking about it. She said she feels judged. She wants the new man in her life to be accepted. It looks like they will eventually get married. My mother feels that once a divorce happens, she will then meet with this other man and accept him as the person in my sister's life. She will not do it until then. My father feels that he will never accept this man and has no interest in meeting him. He also questions my sister's salvation. He does not stop point out the wrongness of the situation. As a result, my sister avoids him and will not answer his phone calls. My sister and I were always so close, and I have been angry for a long time. I was angry about the deception on her part, and I was hurt that she never came to me and confided in me. I was angry that she refused to discuss any aspect of it, making it the elephant in the room. I have gotten better with my anger for those things. She is making more of an effort to connect with me, though it's still uncomfortable because she has started bashing her husband for his behavior. I still have anger because my niece and nephew are very dear to me, and I have been watching them hurt. I have prayed about this. I just don't know what to do. She'll talk positively about this new man, and I just stay silent. I know that she will draw away from me if I say anything she doesn't want to hear. Let's say that within the next couple of years, she divorces and marries this man. What am I supposed to do then? How do I love her? How do I accept her new husband? Am I even supposed to? The world would tell me that this situation is none of my business. That if I want to love my sister and have her in my life, I must accept her choices. I have sin in my own life that makes me no better than her, so I also don't want to be a hypocrite.

Hebrews 10:25 - "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

I am not a regular church attender. I know I need to, and it's not just because it's the right thing to do. My understanding is that we are told in the Bible to fellowship with our brothers and sisters. We need that local body of believers and they need us. They aren't going to be perfect. Every church has its problems. It's important to get that time in every week to worship as a group and to learn from a Biblical pastor. We're spiritually stunted and doing a disservice to ourselves and other Christians if we don't attend. I was raised going to church every Sunday, and I became saved while already attending church with my family. Once I graduated highschool, I stopped going, and I have only attended sporadically since then. I don't find church boring, but I always find reasons not to go, and I can only say that it's a spiritual battle that I have not been dealing with (or allowing God to deal with).