Christian Marriage, an Essential Right

Scripture empowers a fundamental right of all parties to marry or remarry with only three limitations:

• Disallowing “Christian marriage” in any claim of a believing Christian to marry a person who is not a believer.

• Disallowing “Christian marriage” in the breach of the laws of affinity (Lev.18).
• Disallowing “Christian marriage” in any breach of the laws of consanguinity (you cannot ever marry your parent, a sibling, an aunt, an uncle – direct, blood relationship). These hygienic laws have been one of the cornerstones of Western civilization for two millennia, yet few Christians know these laws concerning Christian marriage prohibitions even exist (Lev. 18).

State licensure laws violate Biblical injunctions concerning Christian marriage and Christian divorce (seek competent spiritual and legal counsel to handle this issue if necessary). That explains how the same sex issue has such legal power. The Bible does not authorize the state to legitimize marriage. It does give the state the authority to deal with divorce, violation of consanguinity, and affinity according to the civil mandates given in Scripture.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers… – Romans 13:1

For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid …– Romans 13:4

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. – Romans 13:9

This latter verse agrees with Deuteronomy 24:1ff allowing even the adulteress to remarry. It is explicitly stated there.

That does not mean she got off without sanction. The Old Testament “put to death” individuals in such civil matters by disinheritance (Adam and Eve for example were cast out of the Garden as a direct consequence of Christ’s warning “In the day you eat thereof, you will surely die.”).

Adam physically died over nine centuries later. But, he and his wife were “put to death” by being exiled (disinherited from Paradise) that very day.

This fact explains a number of issues:

•   Christ did not endorse the stoning of the woman taken in adultery.
•   Nor was He denying Moses in the case.
•   There was no record of an adulterer being put to physical death in the Old Testament.
•  The two harlots (harlots are adulteresses in the Bible) who stood in court before Solomon as known harlots were not put to death then or later.
•  When God divorced Israel in the Old Testament (Jer. 3:8), Israel was exiled (sent into Captivity).

 Yet, God “remarried” Israel and brought His people back into His married relationship with Himself.

If we deny the right to Christian marriage (which includes remarriage), as specified in the Scriptures, we are culpable of violating St. Paul’s prophetic injunction in I Timothy 4: 1 – 3. We may be unwittingly participating in a “doctrine of devils”.

Please refer to The Marriage Plague for more information

- submitted by Chrys Ostom

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