The believer thus makes a sacrifice for Christ which his conscience approves, and which shows that he values eternal life too highly to run the risk of losing it. He feels that it would be better to remain unmarried than to link his interest for life with one who chooses the world rather than Jesus and who would lead away from the cross of Christ. But the danger of giving the affections to unbelievers is not realized. In the youthful mind, marriage is clothed with romance, and it is difficult to divest it of this feature, with which imagination covers it, and to impress the mind with a sense of the weighty responsibilities involved in the marriage vow. This vow links the destinies of the two individuals with bonds which nought but the hand of death should sever. {4T 506.3}

For Kristi skyld bringer den troende således et offer, som hans samvittighed billiger og som viser, at han værdsætter det evige (507) liv for højt til at ville risikere at miste det. Han føler, at det ville være bedre at forblive ugift end at knytte sin skæbne for livstid til en, som vælger verden frem for Jesus og som ville lede ham bort fra Jesu kors. Men det farlige ved at give en ikke-troende sin hengivenhed bliver ikke forstået. For det ungdommelige sind er ægteskabet klædt i romantik og det er vanskeligt at befri det for dette præg, som fantasien iklæder det og at bibringe vedkommende et indtryk af de vægtige ansvar, ægteskabsløftet indebærer. Dette løfte knytter de to mennesker sammen med bånd, som intet uden dødens hånd bør løsrive.