Marriage, divorce, and remarriage (MDR): marrying non-Christians

Hi. I’m Weldon Langfield. Thank you for viewing. 1 Cor. 7:39 says, “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.” Does “in the Lord” mean widows must marry Christians? This is an area upon which good brethren disagree.

Yet, a Central California congregation withdrew from an elder’s widow who married a non-Christian. Some brethren strive to “err” on the side of “safety” (especially with other peoples’ marriages and circumstances). Yet, the Bible says all error is sin. Joshua 1:7 says, “Do not turn…to the right or to the left.” Let’s consider why widows aren’t required to remarry other Christians.