By
James M Chaney (first published 1877)
"Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen"
(Matthew
28:19,20).
Note:
The author's position on marriage between a professing Christian and an
unbeliever is not clear.
However,
it is plain in Scripture that such marriages are unlawful:
"Then
his [Samson's] father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a
woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou
goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto
his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well." (Judges 14:1-3)
"The
wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be
dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the
Lord." (1 Corinthians 7:39)
"Be
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that
believeth with an infidel?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)
See
also Genesis 6:1-7, Nehemiah 13:23-27, etc.
The
Westminster Confession of Faith contains the following statement:
"It
is lawful for all sorts of people to marry who are able with judgment to give
their consent (Heb. 13:4; 1 Tim. 4:3; 1 Cor.
7:36
-38; Gen. 24:57,58):
yet is it the duty of Christians to marry only in the Lord (1 Cor. 7:39). And therefore such
as profess the true reformed religion should not marry with infidels, Papists,
or other idolaters: neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked, by
marrying with such as are notoriously wicked in their life, or maintain
damnable heresies (Gen.
34:14; Exod. 34:16; Deut. 7:3,4; 1 Kings 11:4; Neh. 13:25-27; Mal. 2:11,12;
2 Cor. 6:14)." [Chap. 24 (Of Marriage and Divorce) Sect. 3]
