Scripture often refers to mixed-faith marriages, showing aversion to and the miserable consequences of such marriages. This is true of both the Old and New Testament (Genesis 24:3; Genesis 26:34–35; Genesis 27:46; Joshua 23:12–13; 1 Kings 11:1–4; Ezra 10:10; Nehemiah 13:27; 1 Corinthians 7:39; 2 Corinthians 6:14–18). The importance of seeking and finding a marriage partner who is a faithful, devoted child of God must be stressed, even in our present day. Differences of faith cannot be deemed trivial but will have dire consequences for husband and wife, as well as for the children. Church leaders must use the means of grace as well as the keys of the kingdom to warn against the sin of mixed-faith marriages.

Contrary to the humanistic view of marriage in our present age, marriage is a divinely instituted covenant, wherein God himself binds two people together with lifelong vows of love and faithfulness. God forbids anyone to separate what he has joined, except for the reasons that Scripture clearly expresses, namely, adultery and desertion. Leaders of the church must use the means of grace and the keys of the kingdom to warn against the sin of unlawful divorce, and the serious guilt that those incur who divorce their spouses for unjust reasons.