Should I marry someone who is hiding his faith?
Question:
Dear Brother,
I accepted Jesus Christ a few years ago. I come from a Hindu family. I like a guy, and he was a Hindu too. As I kept on talking to him about Jesus, one day he accepted Jesus Christ. He said he can no longer view his old religion the way he used to, and he no longer believes in any of his previous gods. He took away his religious ornaments of his own will. He prays and reads the Bible. But in secret. He is afraid of his parents.
I asked him to confront his parents and tell them the truth. He doesn't want to hurt his parents by doing so. He wants me to lie to his parents that I am okay with doing Hindi rituals. Then he wants to move abroad to gain the freedom to attend church and choose his own religion. I don't want to do this.
Should I wait for him or should I move on? My marriage is already delayed. It is true I really like him, but I cannot act in front of his parents and compromise my faith. On the other hand, he waited for me too. And he told me it would be worse for him to marry a Hindu. His parents are strict.
Answer:
There is far more to becoming a Christian than claiming to accept Jesus. See "What Must I Do to be Saved?" and "How to Become a Christian." Your boyfriend is in the process of becoming a Christian, but he hasn't achieved the strength of faith to confess Christ before others (I Corinthians 10:8-10; Matthew 10:32-33).
No Christian would ask another to lie (Revelation 21:8). True love does not rejoice in unrighteousness (I Corinthians 13:6).
Whether you decide to wait to see if he will continue to grow and become a true Christian is up to you. He told you the terms under which he wishes to marry you, and you see them as unacceptable (and I agree with you). Whether that changes is not something I can predict.
