<p>7:15 <em>Yet if the unbelieving departs, let him depart. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases- </em>The 'letting' presumably speaks of agreeing to the separation and not trying to stop it. The metaphor of &quot;bondage&quot; means just that- it is the language of slavery. It may not really refer to the 'marriage bond'; that is just a similarity in the English words for 'bond' and 'bondage'. The believing woman is not to accept effective religious and psychological slavery to an unbelieving husband.</p><p><em>But God has called us to peace- </em>&quot;Peace&quot; is elsewhere translated 'to set at one again' (Acts 7:26) and connects with the call to 'be reconciled' in :11. We have been called to live at one with others around us, believers or unbelievers. The woman should not automatically agree with the departure of her unbelieving partner but should realize that God's calling or intention is for reconciliation. But if that is not possible, then He doesn't want us to live in slavery to a situation which is spiritually untenable. Again we see here the acceptance of a less than ideal situation. God has called the beliving woman to peace with her unbelieving partner, but if due to the positions of another that is just not going to happen, then the Lord understands that. The only other reference to being called to peace is in Col. 3:15: &quot;And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts- to this you were also called in one body; and be thankful&quot;. The idea may therefore be that throughout all the trauma of marital break up, the sister was to remember that the peace of Christ was to rule in her heart, for this is the psychological position she has been called to.</p>