Looking at the name of this forum, my question is quite simple, I can completely understand why I should choose to have a Christian partner as my wife however, what is the actual harm in dating a Non-Christian? I'm trying to list down advantages/disadvantages of dating a non believer:
Advantages:
1. You get to learn about the opposite sex. I mean apart from the faith aspect, both Christian and Non-Christian ladies would like their guys to be courteous and polite. So similarly, there are quite a few other factors which a guy could also learn by dating a non-believer.
2. You get to learn more and more about your own self. Now for example, you have your likes, dislikes and interests and you usually look at compatibility in those areas. However, when you date someone, you'll get to know about things that you wouldn't like, things that you think you can do with and finally things that you'd love in a relationship. Most importantly, there are certain aspects about you that would need trimming or changing and by dating someone, it could eventually make you a better individual overall.
3. Last but definitely not the least, you could be a testimony to the non-believing partner. Your partner and their family could look at your life, could hear your words and could be in your prayers all the time resulting in people coming to know God.
All in all, I have an opinion that you could always date a non-Christian and it could definitely help you in being a person of integrity. Now here's what I think are the disadvantages:
1. If you fall in love with a non-believer, it could seriously hamper your walk with God. Why? Because now, your priority could shift from God to this person. Which also reminds me, if dating a non-believer means that you should forfeit your time with God (it could be your personal prayer time, the time you spend for bible studies, the time you've allocated for church activites, etc.) then it is a matter of deep concern. So if you think that your time/walk with God is being interfered with, then you'd rather not date a non-believer.
2. Sometimes and I seriously mean Sometimes, it is possible that the sense of morality of a non-believer might not quite be like that of a believer. But then to be honest, I've personally seen quite a few non-believers not being so hell-bent in being sexually active as much as some believers. Now in this case, if lust takes over you, you could fall into a pit so deep that it would take a lot of effort to get out of it and then there's also the problem of guilt...
One last point but I feel it is applicable in both cases is, what if you get married but as time has passed, things are not the same anymore. There are arguments, constant quarreling, suspicion, infidelity and even worse, neither you nor your spouse could not really teach the importance of Christian values to your kids... But hey, this could happen with both, a believer or a non-believer.
To conclude this lengthy post, the best thing to do is always pray and seek guidance from Jesus. We are so blessed to have a comforter and a counselor so great and so loving. But at the same time, I don't think that God wants me to close my mind off from dating a non-believer at all.
What do you think? Should a Christian only and only date a believer? Do you think the negatives outweigh the positives when it comes to dating a non-believer?
2. Born again Christian who only hears and is not doer of the Word
3. Born again Christian who is a believer and doer of the Word
1. The first one is associated to the devil. A non starter. If you want to get into a reverse gear in your Christian life just engage that one.
2. Majority of people are in the second category. Most people claim they are Christians but their behavior is that of prodigal son. Before you even meet the person you can identify him by his language. Guys we are Christians lets read the Bible line by line and stop skipping some verses to suit us.
3. Its very rare to meet third category. Those are real saints. Although some slip away at times, they are easy to tune into the right way.
