我覺得這問題應該已經有了比較“經典”的答案。 不過我也湊上兩句吧。My Chinese is not very good, so I apologize in advance for using English.

Well, there are two situations we can get into. One is a passive (被動〕 situation, where we do not have the choice. For instance, the fact that I'm born as a Chinese person is a passive situation. I could not have chosen otherwise. The second is a active （主動〕 situation, where I have freedom to choose which path to take. For instance, my citizenship right now is an "active" situation, where I can choose to remain a Chinese citizen or become an American citizen.

I think often the two becomes confusing is because active situations naturally become passive situations, once you make a decision. For instance, before I marry my girlfriend, I have a choice, so I would be in an active situation. However, if I'm already married, I no longer have a choice about my spouse (at least, Biblically I don't have a choice).

Before we bond ourselves to another individual with the covenant of marriage, we are still in an active situation. Therefore, we need to think carefully about how to use our freedoms to God's glory. God wants us to marry Christians, and discourage us from marrying non-Christians. I think this is irrefutable.

Why would God say this? Doesn't this limit my chances? Personally, I believe that this is God's mercy. He doesn't want us to be hurt. He wants the best for us. Marrying Christians is the best for us. Personally, if I have a girlfriend who is not a Christian AND she does not seem at all interested in becoming one, then I would be convicted to end the relationship. If she IS interested, I'll wait to see that she does become a Christian. Having the common bond in Christ is important to me, because God is so important to me. When I meet a mature Christian, I can automatically connect with his/her psyche. When I meet a non-Christian, I have to develop a close relationship through much time and effort. How sad if what is the single most important thing in my life is nothing more than a "good religion" or a "false god" to my wife -- especially if I am still in the "active situation" where I have a choice of whom to marry.

Now I were a non-believer and already married to a non-believer when I accepted Christ, I'm now in the passive situation. I really do not have a choice in selecting a Christian spouse. However, in this case, through loving my spouse and being obedience to the Lord, I can be an excellent testimony to my spouse. I need to honor God in this situation, because God gave me this situation.

To say that "I'm sure that God will help my girlfriend become a Christian after we are married" is very dangerous. First of all, God never promised that our spouses will all become Christians. Otherwise, we Christians should all seek non-Christians to marry to increase the size of the kingdom. By our obedience to the Lord, we however can give our non-believing spouses the "best chance" to become Christians, and they can be blessed to see the gospel in action on a first-hand basis.

Lastly, I can sympathesize with the pain of being in love with someone and unable to break off the relationship. My prayer for you is to wait, and to keep waiting for God's timing. In time, either she will become more interested in spiritual things or you will be convicted that she is not the one. The process is painful, but I think it'll be less painful than what might happen if you marry a non-Christian rashly.

However, it is more than just marrying Christians, it is about Christians who want to grow in their faith (even though they may only be babies in Christ, that's okay). To give a personal example, I have a friend who is dating a Christian. However, his girlfriend is not a growing Christian. Although he really likes her and really hoped and prayed to God that she would be the one for him, she is not a Christian who seeks to know God more. My brother is becoming more and more convicted that she is not the right one for him after all. It is a very painful process for my brother to go through. However, I'm happy for him that he realized this rather than rashly marrying her.

Now, if you do marry a unbeliever, I think