God's Standard In Marriage For Christian Believers Explained
What is the mind of God towards marriage? What is his will? God who instituted the marriage union has a standard for it. The scripture clearly shows God's standard is to be followed and observed by his children for he gives good husbands and wives to those who come to him. It takes a wise mind to seek the face of God earnestly to receive his choice of marriage partner as proverbs 19:14 says "House and riches are the inheritance of fathers and a prudent wife is from the LORD." Matt 7:11 also says "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? ". God understands and knows the partner who will complement you. He knows who will give you have and satisfaction, this is in the best position to guide you into the choice of partner. Remember Isaac and Rebecca. Furthermore, the scripture warns believers against marrying unbelievers - someone who has not been saved from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ. He is a sinner. He or she may be active in church and profess to be a christian, but there is clearly no evidence of such profession. Such should not be married by a child of God. Titus 1:16 "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." 1 Corinthians 6:14-18 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Deuteronomy 7:3-4 likewise spoke on the same which reads "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly." Do not esteem same advantages as beauty, same tribe, same church, same educational attainment, social status, wealth, family background or such others above the requirement of the scripture. Do not risk your eternal soul. It is better not to marry at all than to marry an unbeliever. In continuation, those who are already married should know that God is the marriage builder. He can repair every marriage union and solve every problem between husband and wife. Bring your marriage before the Lord. He would put it in order and give you peace. "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land." 1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." God who is very interested in our marriages has given us in the scripture his standard in marriage. Those who desire to serve him must keep this standard. Mark 10:6-9 "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. " The scriptural marriage is a union between one man and ONE WOMAN in holy wedlock. Those who marry more than one wives are sinners before God based on the dispensation we are now compared to the dispensation of old. It is the first wife the Lord recognizes, the others are likely prostitutes before him. The man who marries more women or keep concubines is commiting adultery against his wife and defiles the holy matrimony shall be judged by God. If he wishes to repent of his sins and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, then he must put away those women he is commiting adultery with, whatever the number of years they have stayed together, whatever the number of children they have gotten in the marriage. Seperation is required between him and the illegal women but not the children. He should remain with his first wife whom he married. The scriptural law of marriage binds a man to his wife and a woman to her husband as long as the other partner is alive. Romans 7:2-3 "For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." 1 Corinthians 7:39 "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." Divorce and re-marriage to another person is not allowed in terms of God. Whoever divorces and remarries when the other partner is still alive have no part in the kingdom of God. He or she is commiting adultery. Mark 10:11-12 "And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery." Matthew 19:6 "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. WHAT THEREFORE GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER, LET NO MAN PUT ASUNDER " If you are married to another woman or married to another man apart from your first scriptural binding marriage partner, you are in a wrong relationship and must dissolve it, if you want to please God. You should go back to your first lawful marriage partner or stay unmarried. 1 Cor 7:10-11 "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife." Saving for the cause of fornication explained There are those who say that adultery commited by one of the partners in a marriage union can result in scriptural divorce and remarriage. This interpretation came from the misunderstanding of the following scriptures. Matthew 5:32 "But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." Matthew 19:9 "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery."" The issue here that can cause divorce is fornication and not adultery. Unfortunately some Bible translations replace the word 'fornication' with 'marital unchasity' or 'marital unfaithfulness'. Many stumble by these renderings. Fornication is a sin commited by someone who has not entered into the marriage union. The following scriptures would give the understanding of the above scriptures Matthew 1:18-20 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." In this scripture Mary was called the wife of Joseph when they were still in bethrothal relationship and the marriage union had not yet been contracted. When Joseph taught that Mary had been pregnant due to fornication he made up his mind to put her away and he would have done so, except that God stopped him and gave him a clear explanation of Mary's pregnancy. Among the Jews the bethrothal stage of marriage was binding on the partners and they were not to seperate from each other but to enter into the marriage union at the appriopriate time. Jesus in Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9 above showed that fornication by either of the partners during bethrothal relationship can break the bethrothal bond and the other party could be free to marry another. This is in consonant with the uniform revelation of the New Testament. No scripture stands alone. Divorce is of the ungodly world and no divorcee enters the kingdom of God. Among Christ followers, we must note that when two believers are in bond to marry each other and one of them backslides from the faith, such marriage proposal must discontinue. The other partner has become an unbeliever and can no more be married to keep the standard of the scripture. If the backslider repents and gets restored with the believer and still feels persuaded to continue the marriage proposal, it is acceptable. He or she is not marrying a sinner but a believer. A man can also decide not to marry as long as he keeps himself from masturbation and fornication. 1 Corithians 7:37 "Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well." (1 Corinthians 7:37). Let us consider this that scripture again Matthew 19:9 "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." Seven facts to prove that adultery cannot cause divorce The following facts shows clearly that this scripture does not refer to adultery or marital unfaithfulness commited by a husband and wife who are already married. 1) Jesus said a husband and wife in a proper matrimonal relationship are no longer two but one flesh. This bond is made by God and man has no power to cancel it. No minister, church or custom has authority to dissolve the marriage bond between a husband and wife in a scriptural marriage union. Divorce pronouncement in a law court by a judge based on the laws of a country does not dissolve the scriptural marriage union because the laws of God are higher than the laws of any country. Matt 19:4-8 2) The grace of God in Christ Jesus gives the believer the power to forgive his fellow men for all sins including adultery even as Christ forgave him. Matt 18:32-33, Colossians 3:13. Anyone who practices the word of God would forgive the wife or husband for all sins and restore him or her to marital love, fellowship, rights and priviledges. 3) Jesus showed that adultery is as evil as every other sin in the sight of God, damnable and forgivable. John 8:4-11 4) Believers are instructed to remain bound to their unbelieving marriage partners as long as the unbelieving partner remains married to them. 1 Cor 7:12-13 5) God loves children and seeks to protect and save them, hence, he hates divorce. Divorce does a lot of harm to the children born in the family. 1 Cor 7:14, Mal 2:14-16 6) Adultery in marriage does not seperate some of the sinners around us in the world we live in. Should sinners become more reasonable, patient, loving and forgiving than the saints? It is not too much for a believer to forgive the adultery commited by his marriage partner. Matt 5:46-47, 20. 7) The Lord has confirmed this truth to his servants who met him face to face in a divine encounter. Divorce and re-marriage to another partner when the first is still alive is damnable in hell fire. Divorcees do not enter the kingdom of Heaven. Hebrews 2:1-3.
Use The App To Win N1m
