Bible Study Looking at marriage biblically

[I_love_Springtime]

This isn't a new view, and I know this is not a popular view in modern Christianity. But I'm going to propose that we may not be looking at marriage biblically now that we are a new creation under grace and not law:

I really believe marriage vows from the heart should be recognized in the church - without legalities and without a need for a license. Jesus said to leave father and mother and cleave to your wife - that's it - he didn't mention any papers or legal stuff involved. Let God judge the hearts of those who are unfaithful and divorce. Hebrews 13:4. Under the old covenant there were laws involved only because their hard hearts made them want to divorce for no good reason, and so Moses drew up a legality to protect the woman after the man has divorced her. But in the new covenant, Jesus still points out how it originated: God didn't require a license for Adam. And Jesus didn't mention it either when he said we underestimate the power of God in our lives, that in the Kingdom of Heaven we will be like the angels. Matthew 22:23-33. Angels represent created beings that are perfect, like we will be after the redemption of our bodies. They represent perfect creation in obedience, relationships, worship, etc. I believe the angels have committed relationships that are not based on a license or laws. They don't have to marry, in the traditional sense, because they have perfect relations. They vow in their hearts to be true, and that's what they practice. Faithfulness. Nowhere in the new covenant, where all things are new and the old has passed away, does God mandate legal practices to marry someone. Legalities are how the world and culture still does marriage. Furthermore, since marriage is a symbol of our union with Christ, and we don’t do our relationship with him by the letter or legalistically - why would we want to mix law and grace in marriage by mixing legalities and vows? Why not let our yes be yes and our no be no, and let God judge the hearts of the one who does wrong in the marriage (adultery, infidelity, etc.)? And if we're going to throw in the part about being obedient to governing authorities, I believe the institution of true marriage the way God intended it to be is more important to God than being under the law of the land. This is where the law of the land has gone too far.

I know this is so counter-religious. But there's a ring of truth in this that I can't shake. I try shaking it because I'm in a culture of society and religion that doesn't look at things this way, and I don't want to mislead anyone. So I'm taking it to a forum to discuss.

 

[JohnDB]

Here in America there are many legal protections and abilities married people have that are centered on the biblical definition of marriage.
Why shouldn't we take advantage of those benefits?
The secular world wants those protections and benefits but doesn't understand love...the foundation of marriage itself.

A legal document doesn't create a marriage...nor does a piece of paper dissolve one. It's mainly a document telling the state how to treat two people.

So...
I'm trying to understand more about what point it is that you are saying. My wife and I aren't even sure where our marriage license is. But it's not like we really need it.
Until we do because one of us dies or needs to speak for the other for emergencies.

We are joined in our efforts. We work together on the same goals. Each of us has unique abilities we bring to the table and support each others gifts with our own. Our own gifts blowing up the other's talents in ways that are unimaginable to us individually making those things huge in scope.

Every Christmas we work together on cookies, candies, and gingerbread. My wife can't cook the way I do. She helps get the materials together. She helps with sprinkles on occasion. She definitely organizes the children and candy when it's time for them to have fun with the gingerbread houses. Icing syringes and butter knives and aprons....all working together.
She is awesome at her parts. It wouldn't be even half as fun without her efforts.
She makes labels for the chocolates so people know before hand what they are picking up....(for some they just put one of everything in their mouth and then read the description)

We live, work, celebrate, and play together. I am her biggest fan and she is mine.

 

[for_his_glory]

I want to first touch on the angels first. Angels are essentially “ministering spirits,” (Hebrews 1:14) and do not have physical bodies like humans. Jesus declared that “a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luke 24:37-39).

The Bible classifies some angels as “elect” (1 Timothy 5:21) or “holy” (Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38). All angels were created to be holy, enjoying the presence of God (Matthew 18:10) and the beauty of heaven (Mark 13:32).

Angels have no gender (Matthew 22:30) and are innumerable (Hebrews 12:22). They are incarnate in human form at times (Genesis 18:2-8) for the purpose of ministry. Angels also express emotions (Luke 15:10), are wise (2 Samuel 14:20) and powerful (Psalms 103:20). Angels do not have the ability to marry as they are spirit beings, Matthew 22:30.

Gods' grand design was for man to take care of the earth and have dominion over all living things. God did not want man to be alone so He created a helpmate and she was called woman. The two were to multiply and replenish the earth with more helpers to till the land and help take care of Gods creation, Genesis 1, 2.

Gods will for woman was to be a helpmate to the man in every way, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, socially and physically. She was also created to bare the generations to come. A woman was not greater or less than the man, but was his equal.

There is no place in the Bible that constitutes having to have a marriage license. Man incorporated this into the law. In the Hebrew tradition a mohar or dowry was paid to the father of the bride by the groom in exchange for the daughter, Exodus 22:17. Genesis 2:23-25 explains the bond of marriage. The two are united as one in the eyes of God. Ephesians 5:22-29 wives are to submit to their husbands as unto the Lord for the husband is the spiritual head of the wife. Man is the provider and protector of his family. Husbands, you are to love your wives like Christ loves his church. This is an unconditional love that looks on the inside of a person and not the adorning of the outside. It is a love with a pure heart.

This submission also carries over to the bed that neither should deprive one another unless it is a mutual consent, 1 Corinthians 7:5 the principles for the married believer are explained in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16. As long as there is love and faithfulness the two should never depart from each other nor stray away for lust of the flesh.

Does God permit divorce; no he does not for what God has joined together as one flesh let no man separate it, Matthew 19:6. God joined man and woman together before sin entered into the hearts of man and woman, Genesis 2:18. When woman was deceived by the serpent in Genesis 3:1-13 and gave the man to eat of the fruit, man forgot what God told them not to do and they both tried to hide from God, but God knew what they had done and now was sin entered into the hearts of man and woman. This is why we are all now born with a sin nature because of the fall of man. Sin soon was found where no truth of God could be found. Mans hearts were now filled with the lust of the eyes and lust of the heart. Man sought after his own pleasures and soon made gods of their own to worship and bow down to. These gods were a way for man to justify their own pleasures.

1 Corinthians 7:10, Jesus commands the woman not to leave her husband and if she does she should remain unmarried, but in Malachi 2:10-16 the treachery that man commits against a woman which leads him to have an affair outside of the marriage or abuses the wife whether it be physical or emotional gives place to what was said by Moses in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 that if a woman is no longer pleasing to her husband then the husband should give his wife a written bill of divorcement and send her out of the house and this gives the woman the right to marry again, but she can never go back to her former husband if that marriage does not work out or her husband dies for now she is defiled to be with her first husband and this is an abomination to God.

For a good marriage to work one should study 2 Corinthians 6:14 be ye not unequally yoked together with non-believers for what fellowship hath righteous with unrighteous, and what communion has light with darkness. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ then you need to choose a mate that also believes in the faith of Christ. In some marriages people do not enter into a relationship with Christ being the center of it, but maybe one of them come to know the Lord and the other one refuses to have that personal relationship with Christ then we go back to what 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 says. If the unbelieving partner leaves the believing partner then this frees the believing partner from the bondage of the vows of marriage and they are free to marry again.

 

[Prycejosh1987]

Loving Christ is loving the head of the church, if we love each other there is unity in the church.