Biblical Marriage

Ask the Pastor Question-Is it true if you are not married in church, you are still single?

Well, the simple answer is no. Since marriage in our culture is a contractual negotiation honored by the Government it is a reality- as long as a license was purchased. Are you more married if you were married in church? No, but you may more accurately understand the nature of marriage. Biblical marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman and God. Usually done in front of witnesses, this covenant is before God and meant to be lived out with integrity. Soem folks say there are many types of marriages in the Scripture. This is a distortion of the biblical message. Jesus spoke very clearly in Matthew 19.4ff about marriage saying that "... in the beginning the Creator made them male and femaleand for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh."

So why not just pledge before God? Good point, except some people have used this line to avoid the public proclamation of marriage. Marriage is the building block of the family. Strong marriages equal a strong society. So we have to honor the societal rules surrounding marriage so that we may be legally regarded as "partners" in the ownership of homes, children, etc.

So we always ask that couples pledge bibically and publically when we perform weddings around here.