Piper Encourages Excommunication of Christians who Marry Unbelievers
Pastor John Piper spurred on churches to remove Christians who marry an unbeliever from church membership in order to “sober the disobedient believer, wake them up, and win them to a repentant and obedient heart and restoration.”
In an Ask Pastor John article posted to his blog, Piper explained three layers of sin to emphasize the serious nature of a Christian who rejects the counsel of church elders against marriage to an unbeliever.
“First, the professing believer is defying and rebelling against an explicit command of the New Testament of God. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:39, ‘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.’ ‘Only in the Lord’ means only to a person who is in the Lord—a believer, a follower of Jesus,” he said....
Gayle P wrote: Dr Piper was referring to Christians who knowingly and defiantly marry unbelievers
Or they may unknowingly commit this sin. It is still sin! But who has contributed to this, and is guilty?
Those who by their deliberately ignorance, along with those who through their silence and uninvolvement, allow the church to present a confused anti biblical message. They all carry the guilty of counselling someone to sin!!
The Church (believers) need to present a clear biblical position. What someone does with it is up to God to deal with within their heart.
The reason that there's so much confusion here is because too many so called Christians have participated in making this so. Those christians that like to hide within the warm feelings of piety they get from claiming grace for their unworthiness, their piety that stands as their idol. God and sin is lost.
Mat 15:8 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. The cross, is what sin looks like to God. And if God has declared something a sin, you have no right to be smug in letting others believe otherwise!
The title and first paragraph are misleading. They should state that Dr Piper was referring to Christians who knowingly and defiantly marry unbelievers. I felt Dr Piper was overreacting until I read the article. Unfortunately others will also feel there’s an overreaction but not read the article for clarification thus doing Dr Piper a disservice.
Buckeyes wrote: (TMC) @ Adriel flagrant disregard for both Scripture and the Church
That's right Buckeyes, this is someone who, despite being forewarned & counseled against marying an unbeliever, did so anyway. This is a flagrant disregard of both church & scripture.
In the early Church, as gentiles were coming to Christ, there were situations where as one spouse came to the Lord and another didn't, God was saying do not break up the marriage. This is true today too of an ALREADY married situation.
For someone going INTO the marriage, Gods word is clear, you are to marry ONLY IN THE LORD, (a believer!!)
99% of Churchianity is sold on a false tradition of marriage that had replaced what Jesus had said what a marriage is, and the seriousness of it. Of the many today that cling to their tradition in defiance of Scripture, along with those who when they are required to say something but out of their silence add to a confused message given by the church, carry the greater guilt of this rebellion.
JN9:41 Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
Like that man pastor Piper is calling for discipline, the church is just as guilty of rebellion against God.
Wow, I am honestly quite astounded by the comments here! Of course it is true in 1 Cor. 7 that a Christian should try to live in peace with their unbelieving spouse, but this in no wise negates the clear teaching of Paul on church discipline—both passages are true. 1 Cor. 7 is clearly primarily addressing Christians who came to Christ out of the gentile world but whose spouses did not. Although I have not listened to Piper’s podcast yet, I believe I agree with the premise. If a Christian knowingly disobeys God and hardens their heart to marry a non-believer, they must repent of their sinful rebellion. I don’t think this would mean divorce (in light of 1 Cor. 7), but it should mean a complete change of heart about their high-handed rebellion against the Lord. The goal in church discipline is always repentance, and the motive is always love. But love requires hard, right, and Scriptural things.
All my life I've thought that the goal was to present the gospel to non believers. This is the only time I've heard of kicking someone out because of being one.
"We get a steady stream of really tough pastoral questions for Pastor John in our inbox. Thanks for sending them, and thank you for your patience with us as we try to work through as many of them as possible. Here’s one of those questions, from a listener named Eric, a pastor. “Hello, Pastor John! I’m a pastor wondering what should be a corrective course of action when a Christian knowingly marries an unbeliever. The believer was forewarned and went ahead with the union anyway. Now the marriage has been formalized. So how should we, the church, now respond?”
Thank you for the quick scripture recovery for the sanctification that a believer can bestow on a non believeing family member. Piper apparently is more motivated by separation rather than the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and the station in the life of a believer. If a believer is I’m uttered against their spouse thane his prayers may not be answered. Worse, if a believer doesn’t forgive, as forgiven by God- then God will not forgive the believer of their trespasses. Now, that gives me chills of fear. Or, if a believer’s sin Seared his conscience - dulled him to his own sin. Terrible. The believer will be judged for his actions, do we have an eternal perspective any longer?
He’s addressing a very particular set of circumstances involving informed flagrant disregard for both Scripture and the Church- not all marriages that happen to consist of believers and unbelievers.
""First, the professing believer is defying and rebelling against an explicit command of the New Testament of God.""
Baloney!!!
Chapter seven as QC points out below, actually refers to a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever - 1Cor 7:12ff. Therefore in GOD's eyes this is a situation which HE accepts.
So lets stick to the ONE Book which God wrote and not Pipers sundry reflections.
Also an UNbeliever may be one of the elect not yet converted. Thus a saved person pending. One of God's servants.
Piper apparently is narrowing the field of God's providence.
Hello MRED my comment was because Jim is a Biden Harris democratic supporter. He is anti trump which is fine but then don’t vote at all. Regardless of trumps flaws I cannot see a true believer choosing Biden over trump. I can see true believers not voting for anyone of them but not any democrat. Sad to say but this guy Jim is as much a believer as Benny jinn or Creflo dollar
Jim Lincoln why do you quote the Bible when you vote for people who follow the lbgt movement who murder babies want communism who sell this country out for billions to China. Just curious
While I agree with the general principle to marry only within the faith in the Lord, there is more to 1 Corinthians 7 than that verse:
And unto the married I command, not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled unto her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the remnant I speak, and not the Lord, If any brother have a wife that believeth not, if she be content to dwell with him, let him not forsake her. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, if he be content to dwell with her, let her not forsake him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified to the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified to the husband, else were your children unclean: but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart: a brother or a sister is not in subjection in such things: but God hath called us in peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thine husband? Or what knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? - 1 Corinthians 7:10-16
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