Thursday, December 4, 2008

Covenant Marriage

Is the way we do marriage in America (and most Western countries) counter to the Biblical teaching on marriage? Doesn’t Paul say to avoid going to court with one another but to let the least in the Church settle any dispute?

After careful consideration of this question I must admit modern marriage is NOT the way God intended it. There are two ways to get married today. One is in a Church and the other is before a Magistrate. In either case if the marriage ends in divorce it is the Godless courts and laws that take over. There is no avoiding the fact that No-Fault Divorce has totally skewed right and wrong when it comes to divorce. The Bible has much to say on marriage and divorce. However, we will keep this post focused on the question at hand.

Marriage and divorce has been around as long as recorded history. In some cases civil authorities became involved in divorce and in other cases religious authorities held these courts. In modern America the rise of no-fault divorce has escalated to extremes the number and ease with which divorce takes place. For those with no religious convictions there is only the courts to appeal to for divorce. For those that believe in Christ there is another way.

Today courts honor 99% of all prenuptial agreements. In rare cases the courts will throw them out. This is usually due to both parties not having legal representation at the time of the signing of the prenuptial agreement. In some high profile cases, usually involving Hollywood types or high paid CEO’s and or Sports Figures, courts will throw out the prenuptial agreements due to some technicality. I’ve spoken with several lawyers from around the U.S. and have yet to talk to one where the prenuptial agreement was thrown out.

What can you do as a Christian to obey God rather than man? At the current time only three states allow for “covenant marriage” which basically binds a couple to go through the Church for any divorce settlement. You can Google “covenant marriage” and read many articles on the subject. Covenant marriage can be used like a prenuptial agreement. This would simply be a contract between to parties prior to marriage. In some states this covenant marriage can be agreed to after the fact.

Here is a link to one example of a pre and or post nuptial covenant marriage agreement.


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