How does god consider a marriage

Now sometime later that day, my wife and I filled out the necessary paperwork to register our marriage with the state. But that subsequent certificate we got from the government did not make us any more married than when we exchanged our vows before God. Our marriage began at the church, not later when the courthouse stamped our certificate. Marriage, as you can see, is a pre-political institution. It existed long before the state existed.

And all that recent governments have done is created legal protections and privileges that provide the married couple with some benefits. Now, but the state though, did not create marriages. And that, by the way, is why the state should not redefine marriage. Marriage is a God-ordained institution, not a government-ordained institution. Since, by definition, marriage can only be between a man and a woman, homosexual unions are not marriages. They cannot be. You may use some other term to describe their relationship, but to use the word marriage is incorrect.

The definition won't allow it. In your question, you state "He said they had made their vows to each other and consummated the relationship, He also stated that nowhere in the bible does it state you have to go through a 'ceremony' and he felt what they did was enough.

However, the Bible actually does take a different view. You see, marriage is more than just making a commitment to someone else. It is also entering into a holy covenant before God.

In Malachi, God is rebuking the people of Judah for not following His laws. There we read, " 'Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion, and your wife by covenant..

For I hate divorce,' says the Lord. For more on divorce, please see " Is Matthew 19 a Contradiction? God says here that marriage is a covenant, one witnessed and sealed by Him. A commitment is a civil agreement. A covenant is religious by nature and should be presided over by a religious official. Breaking a commitment can be done by mutual agreement. However, a covenant is considered binding and can only be broken if God has provided for such a dissolution - such as adultery.

Because marriage is a covenant to be entered freely by two individuals, is must be witnessed by at least two or three people. This idea is confirmed in Matthew , where Jesus quotes Leviticus, "Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. Ruth shows this applies specifically to marriage when Boaz seeks out witnesses to secure his right to marry Ruth, the Moabitess.

There, the witnesses even pronounce a marriage blessing on them. If we take all of the above into account, we can see that marriage is an institution not to be taken lightly. In fact, it is a union of the highest honor. Interestingly, this verse links the idea of marriage to legal custom. In Romans 13, Paul tells us that we are to be in subjection to governing authorities. In other words, we are to obey the laws of the land because God has placed those people in power.

Then, in verse 7, he writes, "Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

We know that marriage is honorable and the Bible commands us to render it honor properly. Further, it shows that we are to obey the governing laws and respect the customs associated with Biblical marriage. Our laws recognize the holy union of marriage point number 1 , require it to be between a man and a woman point number 2 , recognizes the covenant nature of marriage by sanctioning clergy to perform marriage ceremonies point number 3 , and requires witnesses point number 4.

Therefore, in order to give marriage proper honor and to render the proper respect to the governing authorities, legal marriage is both required and appropriate. It does not follow that legal marriage is not necessary in today's society. Taking all into account, the Bible clearly shows that an official marriage ceremony governed by clergy is entering into marriage appropriately.

Jesus blessed official marriage by performing His first miracle at the marriage feast in Cana John 2. His relationship with the church is compared to a bridegroom and his bride, again showing the holiness of the marriage relationship. It is an unfortunate commentary on our society that we've reduced the idea of marriage to one of comfort.

With Las Vegas 30 minute weddings and no-fault divorce, we are straying farther and farther away from the idea of the holy covenant God set forth. The woman had been hiding the fact that the man she was living with was not her husband. Living with a person in sexual union did not constitute a "husband and wife" relationship. Jesus made that plain here. Therefore, position number one the couple is married in the eyes of God when the physical union is consummated through sexual intercourse does not have a foundation in Scripture.

Romans is one of several passages in Scripture that refers to the importance of believers honoring governmental authority in general:.

These verses give position number two the couple is married in the eyes of God when the couple is legally married stronger biblical support. The problem, however, with a legal process only is that some governments require couples to go against the laws of God to be legally married.

Also, there were many marriages that took place in history before governmental laws were established for marriage. Even today, some countries have no legal requirements for marriage. Therefore, the most reliable position for a Christian couple would be to submit to governmental authority and recognize the laws of the land, as long as that authority does not require them to break one of the laws of God.

Here are some justifications people give to say marriage should not be required:. We can come up with hundreds of excuses not to obey God, but a life of surrender requires a heart of obedience to our Lord. But, and here's the beautiful part, the Lord always blesses obedience :. Stepping out in faith requires trust in the Master as we follow his will.

Nothing we give up for the sake of obedience will compare to the blessings and joy of obeying. As Christians, it's important to focus on the purpose of marriage.

The biblical example encourages believers to enter into marriage in a way that honors God's covenant relationship, submits to the laws of God first and then the laws of the land, and gives a public demonstration of the holy commitment that is being made.

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