Although most wedding ceremonies include the phrase “until death do us part,” many couples interpret this as, “We are indebted to each other if this relationship is mutually beneficial.” And it turns out that in marriage, a man and a woman are bound in a way that is unlike any other human relationship. It`s absolutely unique. This is not a bad arrangement. It must not be abandoned at will. It is a binding commitment that includes laws, physical aspects, emotions, and spiritual dimensions. In their commitment to the unity of marriage, the couple promises to be faithful to each other if poverty and disease befall them. They swear before God and man to be faithful when they meet a more attractive, intelligent, and compassionate person. The wife vows to be faithful when her husband loses his well-paying job, his appreciation for men, his mental abilities or his youthful strength. She is committed to him, even if he does not meet the standard God has set for him, even if he does not love her as Christ loves the church. The husband swears to be faithful when his wife loses her beauty, charm or tenderness. Her commitment remains unwavering, even if she is submissive, disrespectful and unable to manage the household well.
Through it all, the two remain one flesh. [11] Now, for example, in an environment plagued by sexually transmitted diseases, it is not difficult to engage in the idea of monogamy, but not to engage in it because of a divine mandate, but to engage in it for human benefit. If we take such an approach, we will only do what we are told if we are able to see the benefits for ourselves. So if we don`t see an immediate benefit to doing what you`re told, then we`re not going to do what we`re told, “Monogamy sounds like a good idea because you could really get confused and die. That is why we are in favour of it. We are therefore in favour of it because it has an advantage that we can see immediately. But it is not the submission of heart and mind that sustains marriage and develops the kind of quality relationships that will be dramatic by the end of the twentieth century. It is an unreserved and unreserved confession of God`s divine mandate: one man, one woman, forever. That`s the plan! Well, I`m not talking about exceptions tonight.
And I don`t want to discourage some of you who already know that you don`t agree with this plan. Thank God for His forgiveness and for this morning`s message – at least, if not for the message, at least for the thought contained in the message. Despite the concept of covenant that we see throughout the Bible, we don`t often use the word covenant in conversations. Most of us have little understanding of the word. When we think of marriage, we usually do so in the form of a contract rather than a covenant. In reality, the two words are very different. One of my best friends with whom I played football all the years we were together in college, Frank Gamble, who rarely showed up for LBC conferences before half-past ten, whose hair ran down his back and whose fingers moved intelligently on the frets of a guitar with the expertise of an aspiring Eric Clapton. who was one of the funniest kids you can meet – in July, I deliberately went to his house with one of my other friends to find him in his wheelchair, absolutely doubly crouching, like that. And when he spoke to me, he had to raise his head that way.
Glenda, his wife, cuts his food, puts his glass in the right place and moves the straw for him. During ten solid years of twenty-two years of marriage, she was an absolute treasure in this man`s life. And some of you sitting here thought about running for it. “Because your porridge was burned? Because he worked seventy hours a week? Don`t be so stupid. There are others who live with partners who have episodes of depressive illness, blindness and multiple sclerosis, and they remain a living testimony to us of their commitment to accompany the alliance. The most common answer I hear to this question is that marriage is a form of contract between two people. However, marriage is not that simple. I work for a company, I have a contract with that company, I offer them a service and they provide me with money.
We have reached an agreement and both parties to this agreement should respect their side of the bargain. Contracts include services rendered and services received. Marriage is not an exchange of services. First, contracts are temporary and usually have a time limit; In contrast, covenants are supposed to last until “death separates us.” When someone views marriage as a contract, he or she says, “I`ll take you as your spouse and see if this relationship works.” When someone views marriage as a covenant, he or she says, “I will give you everything about myself, and I commit myself to this marriage for life.” As Tommy Nelson tells men, “When you get married, you will be measured for your tuxedo and your coffin at the same time!” The majority of states limit people to one living husband or wife at a time and do not issue marriage licenses to anyone with a living spouse. Once a person is married, they must be legally released from the relationship by death, divorce, or annulment before they can remarry. Other restrictions for individuals include age and close relationship. And that`s why, you see, at the wedding ceremony, the minister asks these questions of intent. He asks her, “Do you want to get married?” And since they`re only about three minutes away from the wedding, everyone hopes the answer is yes. But that`s what these questions are before they make vows. And questions of intent must be carefully weighed.
Because many marriages could be deliberately avoided if people understood what they are getting into. A contract can also be concluded by two people in secret. I can enter into a confidential contract with someone who will only be available to the public if that person violates that contract, and I involve the judicial authorities. My signatures and his signatures will be proof that such a confidential contract has been concluded. Marriage cannot be celebrated in secret, even a runaway cannot be composed only of a man, a woman and a judge, there must also be witnesses. A public oath must be taken for the marriage. The problem arises when you think of your marriage as a simple contract or a series of contracts. When this happens, you will have become secular in your thinking and will have abandoned the biblical view of marriage.
The Bible ultimately views marriage as a covenant, although contracts can be an important part of fulfilling your covenant. You see. And that`s what we need to teach our young people in particular. I wrote an entire chapter of the book,[10] titled “Before I Say I Do It.” And I wrote it as if I was talking to my own children. Because my heart is so trained that our teenagers are overwhelmed by garbage – pure and simple nonsense, supplemented by all kinds of confusion in magazines and songs and everything else, and offered as an alternative to a single form of moralism.