Define Marriage as you understand it.
- Thread starter bellatori
- Start date
I believe it is a covenant we enter into with our spouse before God and witnesses, and my personal opinion is that it is better to do this independent of the civil government, i.e. without obtaining a state-granted marriage license, so that they have no jurisdiction over your marriage or your children.
I don't think I can post links, but there is a great article about this on the internet called "5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Obtain a State Marriage License" and can probably be found using the title as a search. Very thought-provoking.
I don't think I can post links, but there is a great article about this on the internet called "5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Obtain a State Marriage License" and can probably be found using the title as a search. Very thought-provoking.
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murron
Matt 5:39, Matt 18:21-22, Gal 5:22-23
for me, this is a trick question. You see, as a person, I define marriage in a certain way - be that through ceremony or legal document. What I'm not so sure about is what God defines marriage as. To my knowledge, God did not provide a ceremony for Adam and Eve, nor did He provide them a legal document to prove they were married. Likewise, Adam and Eve did not profess their undying love for each other to acheive marriage. What married them was the fact that God designed Eve specifically for Adam; nothing more, nothing less. Because of this, I'm inclined to think that marriage in earthly terms is one thing and marriage in the sight of God something else entirely. That doesn't mean marriage can't be the culmination of both; when we marry that person which God designed for us we fulfill both sides of it ...earthly legalistic way, and in God's sight. I don't think God is beholden to respect our legal papers, I don't believe our legal papers dictate what God views about our lives.
Just my two cents.
Just my two cents.
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murron
Matt 5:39, Matt 18:21-22, Gal 5:22-23
I really wish you enabled PMs on the site, lol This is the second time you've made a comment that I wanted to respond privately to. I don't think I can respond in this thread without dragging it way off topic, and I'm not really inclined to start a whole other thread on a subject that would be so similar to this one.Blue Impulse said:I don't think the legal papers dictate what God views about our lives either, but at the same time, God told us to obey the law of the land (something that gets said *after* Adam and Eve of course)..
And the law states we need that all-important-to-the-government stupid piece of paper that says "marriage license" on it.. if we don't have it, we aren't considered married under the law. So if we are calling ourselves married and yet are doing so against the legal system, is this not disobeying the law?
Thus we sort of get into a hairy area about.. if you are disobeying God through disobeying the law, how can you: cohabitate, have sexual relationships, have children, etc. as you would in a marriage if you technically are NOT married? These things would all be done in sin since you aren't adhering to the law before you..
Romans 13:1-7 states: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."
We must obey the law in order to obey God.. the only time this does not apply is if the law contradicts God's word.. aka if the law stated we could not teach about Jesus Christ, Christians would teach anyway I'm sure, as not to contradict the spreading of the gospel.
hmm.. but thats more of a debate I suppose.Just something to think about.
~ ~
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LiberatedChick
Contributor
I agree with Blue Impulse in that we have to follow the laws of the land and so must be legally married going through with the ceremony/certificate signing etc that is required. In the UK, there's only two ways you can legally marry...in a Church of England church or in a civil ceremony in a registered building. Both require witnesses, both require you to say certain things, both require you to sign a certificate and both require you to declare your intention to marry sometime before so anyone with objections can come forward. The only difference between the two ceremonies is ones religious and ones allowed no religious content. If you want to get married here you have to have one of these two ceremonies. There's no other way to do it...can't just have a private ceremony, can't just say what you want, can't just have no ceremony and start calling yourself Mrs.B instead of Miss.A and say you're married. If you don't have the marriage certificate you're not married.
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So then, how does "common law" marriage fit into all of this? In my state if a couple resides together for 5 years nad has at least one item i nwhich they are bothnamed on (i.e., bank account, mortgage or car loan, apt. lease, etc...) they are considered "common law" husband and wofe, no ceremony or marriage license required.
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5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Obtain a State Marriage License
by Pastor Matt Trewhella
Every year thousands of Christians amble down to their local county courthouse and obtain a marriage license from the State in order to marry their future spouse. They do this unquestioningly. They do it because their pastor has told them to go get one, and besides, "everybody else gets one." This pamphlet attempts to answer the question - why should we not get one?
1. The definition of a "license" demands that we not obtain one to marry. Blacks Law Dictionary defines "license" as, "The permission by competent authority to do an act which without such permission, would be illegal." We need to ask ourselves- why should it be illegal to marry without the States permission? More importantly, why should we need the States permission to participate in something which God instituted (Gen. 2:18-24)? We should not need the States permission to marry nor should we grovel before state officials to seek it. What if you apply and the State says "no"? You must understand that the authority to license implies the power to prohibit. A license by definition "confers a right" to do something. The State cannot grant the right to marry. It is a God-given right.
2. When you marry with a marriage license, you grant the State jurisdiction over your marriage. When you marry with a marriage license, your marriage is a creature of the State. It is a corporation of the State! Therefore, they have jurisdiction over your marriage including the fruit of your marriage. What is the fruit of your marriage? Your children and every piece of property you own. There is plenty of case law in American jurisprudence which declares this to be true.
In 1993, parents were upset here in Wisconsin because a test was being administered to their children in the government schools which was very invasive of the familys privacy. When parents complained, they were shocked by the school bureaucrats who informed them that their children were required to take the test by law and that they would have to take the test because they (the government school) had jurisdiction over their children. When parents asked the bureaucrats what gave them jurisdiction, the bureaucrats answered, "your marriage license and their birth certificates." Judicially, and in increasing fashion, practically, your state marriage license has far-reaching implications.
3. When you marry with a marriage license, you place yourself under a body of law which is immoral. By obtaining a marriage license, you place yourself under the jurisdiction of Family Court which is governed by unbiblical and immoral laws. Under these laws, you can divorce for any reason. Often, the courts side with the spouse who is in rebellion to God, and castigates the spouse who remains faithful by ordering him or her not to speak about the Bible or other matters of faith when present with the children.
As a minister, I cannot in good conscience perform a marriage which would place people under this immoral body of laws. I also cannot marry someone with a marriage license because to do so I have to act as an agent of the State! I would have to sign the marriage license, and I would have to mail it into the State. Given the States demand to usurp the place of God and family regarding marriage, and given its unbiblical, immoral laws to govern marriage, it would be an act of treason for me to do so.
4. The marriage license invades and removes God-given parental authority. When you read the Bible, you see that God intended for children to have their fathers blessing regarding whom they married. Daughters were to be given in marriage by their fathers (Dt. 22:16; Ex. 22:17; I Cor. 7:38). We have a vestige of this in our culture today in that the father takes his daughter to the front of the altar and the minister asks, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
Historically, there was no requirement to obtain a marriage license in colonial America. When you read the laws of the colonies and then the states, you see only two requirements for marriage. First, you had to obtain your parents permission to marry, and second, you had to post public notice of the marriage 5-15 days before the ceremony.
Notice you had to obtain your parents permission. Back then you saw godly government displayed in that the State recognized the parents authority by demanding that the parents permission be obtained. Today, the all-encompassing ungodly State demands that their permission be obtained to marry.
By issuing marriage licenses, the State is saying, "You dont need your parents permission, you need our permission." If parents are opposed to their childs marrying a certain person and refuse to give their permission, the child can do an end run around the parents authority by obtaining the States permission, and marry anyway. This is an invasion and removal of God-given parental authority by the State.
5. When you marry with a marriage license, you are like a polygamist. From the States point of view, when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, but you are also marrying the State.
The most blatant declaration of this fact that I have ever found is a brochure entitled "With This Ring I Thee Wed." It is found in county courthouses across Ohio where people go to obtain their marriage licenses. It is published by the Ohio State Bar Association. The opening paragraph under the subtitle "Marriage Vows" states, "Actually, when you repeat your marriage vows you enter into a legal contract. There are three parties to that contract. 1.You; 2. Your husband or wife, as the case may be; and 3. the State of Ohio."
See, the State and the lawyers know that when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, you are marrying the State! You are like a polygamist! You are not just making a vow to your spouse, but you are making a vow to the State and your spouse. You are also giving undue jurisdiction to the State.
When Does the State Have Jurisdiction Over a Marriage?
God intended the State to have jurisdiction over a marriage for two reasons - 1). in the case of divorce, and 2). when crimes are committed i.e., adultery, bigamy. etc. Unfortunately, the State now allows divorce for any reason, and it does not prosecute for adultery.
In either case, divorce or crime, a marriage license is not necessary for the courts to determine whether a marriage existed or not. What is needed are witnesses. This is why you have a best man and a maid of honor. They should sign the marriage certificate in your family Bible, and the wedding day guest book should be kept.
Marriage was instituted by God, therefore it is a God-given right. According to Scripture, it is to be governed by the family, and the State only has jurisdiction in the cases of divorce or crime.
History of Marriage Licenses in America
George Washington was married without a marriage license. So, how did we come to this place in America where marriage licenses are issued?
Historically, all the states in America had laws outlawing the marriage of blacks and whites. In the mid-1800s, certain states began allowing interracial marriages or miscegenation as long as those marrying received a license from the state. In other words they had to receive permission to do an act which without such permission would have been illegal.
Blacks Law Dictionary points to this historical fact when it defines "marriage license" as, "A license or permission granted by public authority to persons who intend to intermarry." "Intermarry" is defined in Blacks Law Dictionary as, "Miscegenation; mixed or interracial marriages."
Give the State an inch and they will take a 100 miles (or as one elderly woman once said to me "10,000 miles.") Not long after these licenses were issued, some states began requiring all people who marry to obtain a marriage license. In 1923, the Federal Government established the Uniform Marriage and Marriage License Act (they later established the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act). By 1929, every state in the Union had adopted marriage license laws.
What Should We Do?
Christian couples should not be marrying with State marriage licenses, nor should ministers be marrying people with State marriage licenses. Some have said to me, "If someone is married without a marriage license, then they arent really married." Given the fact that states may soon legalize same-sex marriages, we need to ask ourselves, "If a man and a man marry with a State marriage license, and a man and woman marry without a State marriage license - whos really married? Is it the two men with a marriage license, or the man and woman without a marriage license? In reality, this contention that people are not really married unless they obtain a marriage license simply reveals how Statist we are in our thinking. We need to think biblically. (As for homosexuals marrying, outlaw sodomy as God's law demands, and there will be no threat of sodomites marrying.)
You should not have to obtain a license from the State to marry someone anymore than you should have to obtain a license from the State to be a parent, which some in academic and legislative circles are currently pushing to be made law.
When I marry a couple, I always buy them a Family Bible which contains birth and death records, and a marriage certificate. We record the marriage in the Family Bible. Whats recorded in a Family Bible will stand up as legal evidence in any court of law in America. Early Americans were married without a marriage license.They simply recorded their marriages in their Family Bibles. So should we.
(Pastor Trewhella has been marrying couples without marriage licenses for ten years. Many other pastors also refuse to marry couples with State marriage licenses.)
by Pastor Matt Trewhella
Every year thousands of Christians amble down to their local county courthouse and obtain a marriage license from the State in order to marry their future spouse. They do this unquestioningly. They do it because their pastor has told them to go get one, and besides, "everybody else gets one." This pamphlet attempts to answer the question - why should we not get one?
1. The definition of a "license" demands that we not obtain one to marry. Blacks Law Dictionary defines "license" as, "The permission by competent authority to do an act which without such permission, would be illegal." We need to ask ourselves- why should it be illegal to marry without the States permission? More importantly, why should we need the States permission to participate in something which God instituted (Gen. 2:18-24)? We should not need the States permission to marry nor should we grovel before state officials to seek it. What if you apply and the State says "no"? You must understand that the authority to license implies the power to prohibit. A license by definition "confers a right" to do something. The State cannot grant the right to marry. It is a God-given right.
2. When you marry with a marriage license, you grant the State jurisdiction over your marriage. When you marry with a marriage license, your marriage is a creature of the State. It is a corporation of the State! Therefore, they have jurisdiction over your marriage including the fruit of your marriage. What is the fruit of your marriage? Your children and every piece of property you own. There is plenty of case law in American jurisprudence which declares this to be true.
In 1993, parents were upset here in Wisconsin because a test was being administered to their children in the government schools which was very invasive of the familys privacy. When parents complained, they were shocked by the school bureaucrats who informed them that their children were required to take the test by law and that they would have to take the test because they (the government school) had jurisdiction over their children. When parents asked the bureaucrats what gave them jurisdiction, the bureaucrats answered, "your marriage license and their birth certificates." Judicially, and in increasing fashion, practically, your state marriage license has far-reaching implications.
3. When you marry with a marriage license, you place yourself under a body of law which is immoral. By obtaining a marriage license, you place yourself under the jurisdiction of Family Court which is governed by unbiblical and immoral laws. Under these laws, you can divorce for any reason. Often, the courts side with the spouse who is in rebellion to God, and castigates the spouse who remains faithful by ordering him or her not to speak about the Bible or other matters of faith when present with the children.
As a minister, I cannot in good conscience perform a marriage which would place people under this immoral body of laws. I also cannot marry someone with a marriage license because to do so I have to act as an agent of the State! I would have to sign the marriage license, and I would have to mail it into the State. Given the States demand to usurp the place of God and family regarding marriage, and given its unbiblical, immoral laws to govern marriage, it would be an act of treason for me to do so.
4. The marriage license invades and removes God-given parental authority. When you read the Bible, you see that God intended for children to have their fathers blessing regarding whom they married. Daughters were to be given in marriage by their fathers (Dt. 22:16; Ex. 22:17; I Cor. 7:38). We have a vestige of this in our culture today in that the father takes his daughter to the front of the altar and the minister asks, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
Historically, there was no requirement to obtain a marriage license in colonial America. When you read the laws of the colonies and then the states, you see only two requirements for marriage. First, you had to obtain your parents permission to marry, and second, you had to post public notice of the marriage 5-15 days before the ceremony.
Notice you had to obtain your parents permission. Back then you saw godly government displayed in that the State recognized the parents authority by demanding that the parents permission be obtained. Today, the all-encompassing ungodly State demands that their permission be obtained to marry.
By issuing marriage licenses, the State is saying, "You dont need your parents permission, you need our permission." If parents are opposed to their childs marrying a certain person and refuse to give their permission, the child can do an end run around the parents authority by obtaining the States permission, and marry anyway. This is an invasion and removal of God-given parental authority by the State.
5. When you marry with a marriage license, you are like a polygamist. From the States point of view, when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, but you are also marrying the State.
The most blatant declaration of this fact that I have ever found is a brochure entitled "With This Ring I Thee Wed." It is found in county courthouses across Ohio where people go to obtain their marriage licenses. It is published by the Ohio State Bar Association. The opening paragraph under the subtitle "Marriage Vows" states, "Actually, when you repeat your marriage vows you enter into a legal contract. There are three parties to that contract. 1.You; 2. Your husband or wife, as the case may be; and 3. the State of Ohio."
See, the State and the lawyers know that when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, you are marrying the State! You are like a polygamist! You are not just making a vow to your spouse, but you are making a vow to the State and your spouse. You are also giving undue jurisdiction to the State.
When Does the State Have Jurisdiction Over a Marriage?
God intended the State to have jurisdiction over a marriage for two reasons - 1). in the case of divorce, and 2). when crimes are committed i.e., adultery, bigamy. etc. Unfortunately, the State now allows divorce for any reason, and it does not prosecute for adultery.
In either case, divorce or crime, a marriage license is not necessary for the courts to determine whether a marriage existed or not. What is needed are witnesses. This is why you have a best man and a maid of honor. They should sign the marriage certificate in your family Bible, and the wedding day guest book should be kept.
Marriage was instituted by God, therefore it is a God-given right. According to Scripture, it is to be governed by the family, and the State only has jurisdiction in the cases of divorce or crime.
History of Marriage Licenses in America
George Washington was married without a marriage license. So, how did we come to this place in America where marriage licenses are issued?
Historically, all the states in America had laws outlawing the marriage of blacks and whites. In the mid-1800s, certain states began allowing interracial marriages or miscegenation as long as those marrying received a license from the state. In other words they had to receive permission to do an act which without such permission would have been illegal.
Blacks Law Dictionary points to this historical fact when it defines "marriage license" as, "A license or permission granted by public authority to persons who intend to intermarry." "Intermarry" is defined in Blacks Law Dictionary as, "Miscegenation; mixed or interracial marriages."
Give the State an inch and they will take a 100 miles (or as one elderly woman once said to me "10,000 miles.") Not long after these licenses were issued, some states began requiring all people who marry to obtain a marriage license. In 1923, the Federal Government established the Uniform Marriage and Marriage License Act (they later established the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act). By 1929, every state in the Union had adopted marriage license laws.
What Should We Do?
Christian couples should not be marrying with State marriage licenses, nor should ministers be marrying people with State marriage licenses. Some have said to me, "If someone is married without a marriage license, then they arent really married." Given the fact that states may soon legalize same-sex marriages, we need to ask ourselves, "If a man and a man marry with a State marriage license, and a man and woman marry without a State marriage license - whos really married? Is it the two men with a marriage license, or the man and woman without a marriage license? In reality, this contention that people are not really married unless they obtain a marriage license simply reveals how Statist we are in our thinking. We need to think biblically. (As for homosexuals marrying, outlaw sodomy as God's law demands, and there will be no threat of sodomites marrying.)
You should not have to obtain a license from the State to marry someone anymore than you should have to obtain a license from the State to be a parent, which some in academic and legislative circles are currently pushing to be made law.
When I marry a couple, I always buy them a Family Bible which contains birth and death records, and a marriage certificate. We record the marriage in the Family Bible. Whats recorded in a Family Bible will stand up as legal evidence in any court of law in America. Early Americans were married without a marriage license.They simply recorded their marriages in their Family Bibles. So should we.
(Pastor Trewhella has been marrying couples without marriage licenses for ten years. Many other pastors also refuse to marry couples with State marriage licenses.)
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mostie
Active Member
I feel inclined to mention the business with Corrie Ten Boom back during the Second World War, when she was obtaining food cards, etc. through stealing in order to get food for the people that they were hiding from the Nazis. I know a lot of you have probably read her book, and recall that she questioned that what she was doing was illegal, and very much against the "law of the land"....I think it's one of those things where you have to look at all sides of it, and come to a moral decision one way or the other. This isn't to say im justifying 'wrong' or 'illegal'....it seems like such a hairy situation.
As for marriage itself and a marriage license...I used to always believe that unless you had that state marriage license, anything you did with your fiance was absolutely morally wrong. But then again, I think ...no, I know...im a product of my environment, and the way I was raised and taught as a child, especially through church. A few years ago, something happened in my life that almost forced me to look 'outside' the box, so to speak- and to realize that God doesn't always work within the parameters of my theology...what an eye-opener that was. As far as marriage goes...I believe it is two people who are completely committed to each other in every way--husband and wife....and I don't feel that it needs to be mandated through whatever state in order for it to be 'legal' in the eyes of God. I'm in a situation now where my significant other and I will marry, because we have immigration issues to deal with (he's canadian, im american), and for that reason, we'll do it. I don't believe it's right if it's two people who want a temporary commitment, to say there is no need for a piece of paper....but if it weren't for this immigration situation, I think I would opt not to.
As for marriage itself and a marriage license...I used to always believe that unless you had that state marriage license, anything you did with your fiance was absolutely morally wrong. But then again, I think ...no, I know...im a product of my environment, and the way I was raised and taught as a child, especially through church. A few years ago, something happened in my life that almost forced me to look 'outside' the box, so to speak- and to realize that God doesn't always work within the parameters of my theology...what an eye-opener that was. As far as marriage goes...I believe it is two people who are completely committed to each other in every way--husband and wife....and I don't feel that it needs to be mandated through whatever state in order for it to be 'legal' in the eyes of God. I'm in a situation now where my significant other and I will marry, because we have immigration issues to deal with (he's canadian, im american), and for that reason, we'll do it. I don't believe it's right if it's two people who want a temporary commitment, to say there is no need for a piece of paper....but if it weren't for this immigration situation, I think I would opt not to.
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searle29678
Wife, Daughter, Sister, and Friend
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I think it would be wonderful if Christians could simply stand in a church without a piece of paper from the state and declare themselves married. Especially if the two people involved know without a doubt they will be together forever. However, look at the number of people who divorce and remarry up to 5 or 6 or more times in their life. Without something stating to the state and the country in a public record people could "get married" and then divorce hundreds of times in a year leaving children and bills and property in the hands of the other spouse. Without that legal document all they have to say is we were just living together, or it was a one night stand and she got pregnant, etc...In a world of completely honest people we wouldn't have to have a marriage license. Without that record you could marry someone in every state in a year and leave them behind with no record of your ever having known each other. Instead of trying to buck the law that says we need a marriage license, which also can be searched to determine whether or not someone is legally married in another state, let's try to toughen divorce laws and make it HARDER to get a marriage license. In South Carolina, you go pay and wait 24 hours. Some places you don't even have to do that. If it's that easy now to get married, imagine what it would be like if we didn't have to apply. As far as witnesses go, there are people who have no families or friends and if they did they might not come to be a witness. In that case you would have to rely on strangers to witness and you can't necassarily find them when you need them to testify you were actually married.
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I personally got a marriage license both times I was married. It didn't even occur to me not to.
It wasn't until the state I was living in kept having ballot issues regarding same-sex marriages that I even started thinking about marriage licenses, and my thought was, "If they let people of the same sex marry, then what does that say about my marriage? What's the difference?", and I started thinking that if this sort of thing became sanctioned by the state, then in order to be set-apart (usually translated "holy"), we in the body would have to come out of that somehow and maybe NOT getting a marriage license would be something we'd have to do to be a "peculiar people".
It was during this time that I received a copy of this article from a marriage restoration ministry I was involved with, and I thought Pastor Trewhella addressed the thoughts and questions I had so well, so I found it very interesting. And if it is true that the records of our own marriage certificates, family Bibles, wedding guest books, etc., are recognized by the courts, then it makes sense to do it how he suggests.
I do know this much: I obtained a divorce from the state and never once had to prove I was married with any documentation whatsoever. My and my husband's sworn affadavits were all that was required to satisfy the court that we were married and for how long. I also know that one of the forms of ID that the Social Security Administration (and perhaps other government entities) accepts is a baptism certificate, which is also issued by the church, so that lends credence to religious documents being bona fide. In addition, a will requires witnesses as well, and presumably sometimes those witnesses may not be able to be located or they may be deceased by the time the will is probated, so there must be some provision in the law for that sort of occurrence.
Anyway, I think it is food for thought and something to pray about and research more if you are a prospective bride and/or groom. It is moot for me because I'm already married, but it is something I will share with my children for when their time comes to make these decisions.
It wasn't until the state I was living in kept having ballot issues regarding same-sex marriages that I even started thinking about marriage licenses, and my thought was, "If they let people of the same sex marry, then what does that say about my marriage? What's the difference?", and I started thinking that if this sort of thing became sanctioned by the state, then in order to be set-apart (usually translated "holy"), we in the body would have to come out of that somehow and maybe NOT getting a marriage license would be something we'd have to do to be a "peculiar people".
It was during this time that I received a copy of this article from a marriage restoration ministry I was involved with, and I thought Pastor Trewhella addressed the thoughts and questions I had so well, so I found it very interesting. And if it is true that the records of our own marriage certificates, family Bibles, wedding guest books, etc., are recognized by the courts, then it makes sense to do it how he suggests.
I do know this much: I obtained a divorce from the state and never once had to prove I was married with any documentation whatsoever. My and my husband's sworn affadavits were all that was required to satisfy the court that we were married and for how long. I also know that one of the forms of ID that the Social Security Administration (and perhaps other government entities) accepts is a baptism certificate, which is also issued by the church, so that lends credence to religious documents being bona fide. In addition, a will requires witnesses as well, and presumably sometimes those witnesses may not be able to be located or they may be deceased by the time the will is probated, so there must be some provision in the law for that sort of occurrence.
Anyway, I think it is food for thought and something to pray about and research more if you are a prospective bride and/or groom. It is moot for me because I'm already married, but it is something I will share with my children for when their time comes to make these decisions.
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sculpturegirl
Well-Known Member
I do think that we ought to live by the laws of the land unless the are in direct contradition to the Word of God. I do not see how being married in the eye of the law is in contradiction to the Word of God. How then can we tell if we are fornicating or not?
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sculpturegirl said:
In the article I posted above, the pastor who wrote it gives 5 reasons why he believes obtaining a state marriage license is not consistent with the Word of God.
sculpturegirl said:
This can be determined by the prior establishment of the covenant, i.e. vows made before God and witnesses. It helps to study covenants in the Old Testament and especially the characteristics and features of Hebrew courtship, betrothal, and marriage, which is also a great study because it reveals a lot about our relationship to Christ as His bride and all the beautiful deeper layers of meaning to so many of the things He said that reveal His passionate Bridegroom type of love for us.
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