However, as I also say in the article, true marriage is not a legal contract, but a unity of mind and heart. If you have this with your husband, then I believe you are married in God`s eyes, whether or not you choose to enter into the legal marriage contract. Since marriage is a covenant that can be freely entered into by two people, it must be attested by at least two or three people. This idea is confirmed in Matthew 18:16, where Jesus quotes Leviticus: „From the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact can be confirmed.” Ruth 4:9-12 shows that this is especially true of marriage, when Boaz seeks witnesses to obtain his right to marry Ruth the Moabite woman. There, witnesses even pronounce a marriage blessing. A civil marriage is a marriage in which there is no religious or spiritual element. However, there is a common misconception that a civil marriage is a common-law marriage or civil partnership, which is not the case. A civil marriage is a legal marriage ceremony – only without all the traditional religious aspects such as prayer, scripture readings, or a religious officiant. God is saying here that marriage is a covenant that He has witnessed and sealed. An obligation is a civil law agreement. A covenant is religious in nature and must be led by a religious leader. The breach of an obligation may take place by mutual agreement. However, a covenant is considered binding and can only be broken if God has provided for such a dissolution, such as adultery.
Let`s say a couple isn`t religious, they want complete creative control over their big day, or they follow wildly different religions and don`t want an interfaith marriage. Since faith-based ceremonies are likely to be out of the question, the bride and groom have two options: a civil ceremony or a spiritual ceremony. In a civil ceremony, the bride and groom marry under the law rather than under God. Marriage is often performed by a government official such as a justice of the peace, notary, judge, or district clerk, making it legally binding. Since the non-religious ceremony does not have to follow certain traditions, a couple has more freedom to personalize their venue, vows, clothing, celebrant, music and more. Some couples who opt for a civil wedding get married at City Hall or a courthouse, but these types of ceremonies can take place anywhere. Once married, they must submit to the laws of the state regarding marriage and its dissolution, but they are first bound by God`s laws regarding marriage and its dissolution. Therefore, they must first have biblical grounds for divorce before divorcing. Simple divorce under state laws does not exempt the believer from God`s laws governing marriage and divorce.
The result of a legal divorce for no biblical reason would be a legally divorced person who is still married to her spouse in God`s eyes, which is why Jesus said that those who divorce will be guilty of adultery. Governments that descend into socialism begin to enact laws that discourage Christian morality and ethics. The citizens of these governments are beginning to avoid marriage altogether. Socialists/communists hate Christianity because Christianity and capitalism complement each other, just as atheism and socialism/communism complement each other. [1] Many jurists have discussed the differences between religious marriage and legal marriage, so these categories are not my invention, although I have formulated them independently and without prior knowledge of the scientific literature. See, for example, Sonia Bychkov Green, Currency Of Love: Customary International Law And The Battle For Same-Sex Marriage In the United States, 14 et al. J. L. & Soc. Amendment 53 (2011); Lynn D. Wardle, Marriage and Religious Freedom: Comparative Law Problems and Conflict of Law Solutions, 12 J. L.
& Fam. 315 (2010). This distinction was also decisive for the Massachusetts Supreme Court`s decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, 798 N.E.2d 941 (Mass. 2003). However, a ceremony is not the key element of a wedding. On the contrary, the key to marriage is the unity of hearts and minds that I have mentioned. And indeed, there is very little mention of marriage ceremonies in the Bible. If a wedding ceremony had been spiritually very important, the Bible would have commanded it, or at least given some sort of guide to marriages. But there are few mentions of marriages in the Bible, none of them with instructions. It seems that, especially in the earlier Old Testament era, marriages were simply recognized by the family and community without any special ceremony or contract. Subsequent marriages seem to have become a cultural practice, and marriages are mentioned in Psalms and Gospels.
Some couples do not adhere strongly to a particular religion, or they consider themselves spiritual but not religious. If the bride and groom decide not to marry in a civil or religious ceremony, they can opt for a spiritual ceremony instead. The wedding will not follow the traditions of a particular faith, so the couple can personalize every detail as they wish. They may even include some aspects of traditional religious weddings, such as an opening prayer or a ketubah signature, but they still have complete creative control in accordance with their beliefs. Like civil marriages, spiritual ceremonies can take place anywhere, and a government official usually officiates the wedding. Friends or family members can also be ordained and marry the couple. Marriage is legally binding as long as it takes place in accordance with the law. But if a minister can preside over anyone, doesn`t that combine religious marriage and legal marriage? No. They remain separate and distinct, despite some overlaps. Many years ago, [the various states] decided to facilitate the process of allowing future spouses to obtain a legal marriage by allowing a couple to enter into a religious marriage and a legal marriage at the same time. [For more than a century], preachers have been able to perform religious and legal marriages. See [for example] N.C.
Gen. Stat. §§ 51-1 and 51-16. When I got married in 2000, our episcopal priest performed the religious wedding ceremony and shortly thereafter he celebrated the legal marriage, where my wife and [me], our two witnesses and the priest had to sign our marriage certificate. We then filed the marriage certificate with the Registrar of Deeds in Dare County, North Carolina. Thus, our episcopal priest presided over both our religious marriage and our secular legal marriage. On the other hand, some religions allow plural marriage or polygamy, for example, some Mormon sects (see „Sister Wives” on TLC or „Big Love” on HBO), Islam, some Jewish sects and many tribal religions around the world. Therefore, it would be perfectly acceptable for the followers of these religions for a man to have several wives. However, each state prohibits polygamy. A polygamous religious marriage – even if properly ordained and sanctified according to the principles of that religion – is not a legal marriage in any state.
If by virtual you mean that the presence of a spouse is required, it is determined country by country. But I think a divorce can take place without legal papers. Administrative formalities should be completed before another government-approved remarriage to comply with the laws of government agencies. Being unequal and equal under the yoke in marriage does not require the permission of governments. God instituted marriage. It is being with an unbeliever who causes the believer all kinds of difficulties, which result in diminished sanctification and the loss of peace. Therefore, freedom means remorse and obedience. If a government allows separation without going through paperwork, then it is better than unequal yoke until circumstances allow the paperwork to be done and confirmed. When one remarries a believer in the Lord before the legal system catches up with his divorce status, one puts oneself in a position where the appearance of evil is possible; However, as your own case shows, taking the steps we would like or in the usual order is not always an option. Remarrying with the cooperation of one government in the Lord before the previous marriage is dissolved by another government breaks the law and must not be done by God`s children.
A real divorce that has not yet been ratified by a government, and then a real remarriage to a child of God that has also not been ratified by a government, is possible, if necessary. Any effort to obtain ratification by the government should be made in the interest of all parties concerned. However, keep in mind that marriage is not just between two people. It is also a relationship that is recognized between family, friends and the community. And especially when things get complicated in marriage, social recognition and support of the relationship can be of great help in avoiding an inner spiral and explosion that can tear a marriage apart. The presence of family and friends at the ceremony helps to establish among them and in society in general a sense of participation in the relationship, difficult to establish if it was only a private commitment between the two people. When Bob and Norma Clark think back to the forty-eight years when they didn`t have a contract with the state that gave them certain legal rights, they know in their hearts that they were truly married.
