Sunday, August 24, 2008

Where to get married? MM #1

"A Marriage made in Heaven", is a phrase that most people would desire to have describe their marriage. A lofty goal indeed, but one fraught with disappointment. Marriages are not made in heaven, but in the day to day experiences of life. Some feel that if only they were married in Church or a religious ceremony they would have better success in their home. Experiences of thousands of couples over my 40+ years of observation, show me that there is no correlation between where or what kind wedding ceremony and marital success. I have searched the Bible intently, for a wedding ceremony that I could use in modern times and found, -- NONE--, ZERO! What I did find is a large body of information revealing how one becomes a husband or wife, how we are to treat one another and what our responsibilities are to each other and to God.
In Gods design for marriage there is no ceremony required, no government approval required, no licence or registration required and no certificate required.
What is required is honesty, committment, kindness and obedience to Gods law of how we treat our fellow man.
Bottom line is this, a man and woman that is married, (recognizing the above requirements) on the beach or in the woods, by a Justice of the peace or a Judge or even solemn vows of commitment to each other are just as married in the sight of God and have just as great potential for success as anyone else and in some cases, greater.
Love? That's another MM#

1 comment:

Hugh McBryde said...

There is no precedent or mandate or example of marriages performed by civil or religious authorities in scripture.

All examples of first marriages where detail is involved, need parents.

Though there is nothing wrong with having a marriage in a church or registered by the state, there is no need for it either.

Churches would have an advice and consent role ONLY when it came to marriages arranged freely (usually second ones) by the parties involved directly, and then they would examine eligibility to marry only.