OceanSide church of Christ

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THREE PERESONS ELIGIBLE FOR MARRIAGE

Victor M. Eskew

 

            The institution of marriage is an extremely important institution.  It is divinely ordained.  In fact, it was the first institution that was established on the earth by God.  God created Adam first.  All of the animals had a companion.  Adam, however, was alone.  When the Lord assessed this situation, He said:  “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make an help meet for him (Gen. 2:18).  God’s solution was marriage.  “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept:  and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh:  she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:  and they shall be one flesh” (Gen. 2:21-24).  It is interesting to follow the actions of God in this passage of Scripture.  Notice, especially, these words:  “…and [God] brought her unto the man.”  Man did not create marriage.  Marriage is not an institution that evolved over the course of time.  Marriage came into being on the sixth day of the Creation Week.  It was divinely established by God, the Creator.

            Verse 24 of Genesis 2 is of vital importance in understanding the marriage relationship as God designed it.  “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:  and they shall be one flesh.”  According to Matthew 19:5, these words were spoken by God.  Several things are of importance in this verse.  First, a man leaves his father and mother and forms a home of his own.  Second, marriage is between a man and his wife, a woman.  Third, the word “cleave” means “to be joined as with glue.”  Marriage is not a temporary situation.  When a man and a woman marry, it is intended to be for life.  Fourth, the unity between the husband and his wife is described as “one flesh.” 

            Sadly, man has perverted and disregarded the marriage institution in many ways.  Marriage, divorce, and remarriage is common.  Men are marrying men.  Women are marrying women.  Some ignore marriage altogether and just live with one another.  In the remainder of this article, we want to set before you three persons who are eligible to be married.  The first person eligible for marriage is a person who has never been married before.  Most of the time these individuals are young people between the ages of 18 to 30.  Sometimes a person may wait longer than this to be married for the first time.  These individuals have never “tied the knot” in times past.  In their youth, they seek a partner who loves them and who is compatible for them.  They go to marriage altar in innocence and purity.  Marriage enables them to enjoy the privileges of sexual fulfillment one with another (See 1 Cor. 7:2-4; Heb. 13:4).  They pledge to one another their “undying love and devotion.”  Most of the time, they will promise to be true and loyal to one another “until death do us part.”  That pledge harmonizes with Paul’s words recorded in Romans 7:2.  “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth…”

            The second person who is eligible for marriage is the one whose marriage partner has died.  Let’s go back and read all of Romans 7:3.  “For a woman is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.”  Marriage is only binding while the husband or wife is alive.  Once the spouse has died, the marriage covenant is no longer binding.  A widow or widower is free to marry another person who is eligible to be married.  There have been many men and women who have benefited by having been married again following their first partner’s death. 

            The third person who is eligible to be married is one who has divorced his/her spouse because their spuse has committed fornication.  This exception to marriage for life is found in Matthew 19:9.  Let’s go back and look at the passage in its context.  The Pharisees came to Jesus with a question:  “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” (Matt. 19:3).  This is a pertinent question for today because individuals divorce and remarry for every reason imaginable in our society.  Jesus answered by pointing these Jewish leaders back to the very beginning.  “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:  and they twain shall be one flesh?  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.  What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder” (Matt. 19:4-6).  Jesus is very clear.  God never intended for a man and a woman to divorce.  Marriage is supposed to be a lifetime commitment.  The Jews then asked another question.  “They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?” (Matt. 19:7).  Jesus noted that this was allowed in the Mosaic law due to the hardness of the Jews’ hearts “but from the beginning it was not so.”  He then proclaimed His marriage law.  “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another committeth adultery:  and who marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matt. 19:9).  There is only one cause for divorce and remarriage, fornication.  If one’s spouse in commits fornication, the one who has been sinned against can divorce that individual and is free to remarry.  Those who divorce for causes other than fornication and marry again are in an adulterous marriage.  Paul affirms this teaching again in Romans 7:3.  “So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress…”  If a person marries, and his/her spouse commits fornication, he is free to divorce the sinful mate and remarry.  The second marriage is not an adulterous union.  Those who divorce for causes other than fornication and remarry commit fornication, and the one they marry commits adultery as well.

            Only three people are eligible to marry according to God’s law.  First, a person who has never been married.  Second, a person who has been married but has lost his/her spouse to death.  Third, a person who has divorced because his/her spouse has committed fornication while in the marriage relationship.  Many people have not been taught these principles from God’s Word.  Some do not believe that God could be this strict with regard to marriage.  Many choose to ignore God’s teachings about marriage.   Those who disregard God’s will do so to their own peril.  They will stand before God who created the marriage relationship and all laws governing marriage and be judged in the last day.  Here is a truth.  God knows exactly what His laws are that govern marriage.