But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

If the unbelieving depart, let him depart. Translate, 'separateth himself:' offended with her Christianity, and refusing to live with her unless she renounce it.

Brother or a sister is not under bondage - is not bound to renounce the faith for the sake of retaining her husband. (So ; Matthew 10:35; .) The believer has not the same obligation in a union with an unbeliever, as in one with a believer. In the former case he is not bound, if the unbeliever wish to separate, to force such a one to stay in continual discord; in the latter, nothing but "fornication" justifies separation.

But God hath called us to peace. Our Christian calling tends to "peace" (), not quarrelling-therefore the believer should not ordinarily depart from the unbelieving consort (1 Corinthians 7:12). Better still it would be not to enter such unequal alliances at all (; ).

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