I enjoy John Piper’s “Ask Pastor John” feature and often benefit from hearing (or reading) his answers to the more than 1200 questions he has taken on so far. It reflects a lifetime of studying Scripture and applying its principles. He recently answered a question on whether premarital pregnancy nullifies the principle of “unequally yoked” and I want to interact with it just a little. Here’s the question: A young couple at my church is unmarried, and they have a child together. They are now living in a state of chastity, apart. The man is not a believer. She is. They plan to marry, though I have advised her not to marry him unless he becomes a believer (based on 2 Corinthians 6:14–18). Categorically speaking, am I correct here? Or does the bringing of a child together into the world override Paul’s ‘unequally yoked’ principle?” Piper’s answer is unsurprising to those who are familiar with his ministry and theology. “I think Patrick’s interpretation and instincts are correct.” He points to 1 Corinthians 7:39 as a key text: “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” and points out, “That’s Paul’s explicit statement. Christians marry only people ‘in the Lord’ — who are Christians.” He says, “I think these commands from the apostle stand as the perpetual guide for marriage in the Christian church, and the fact that a person has had sex … Continue reading Does Premarital Pregnancy Nullify ‘Unequally Yoked’?