- Marriage is as old as man himself: Genesis 1:26-27 – both man and woman made on the 6th day; Genesis 2:20-24
- God and Marriage
- He originated it: Genesis 2:18-22
- He ordained it: Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6; Hebrews 13:4
- He ordered it (gave it its proper appointments) Genesis 3:16; 1 Corinthians 11:2-3, 8-9; Ephesians 5:23
- Marriage is a Covenant: Malachi 2:14-16
- Between a man and a woman – Genesis 2:23-24
- Between a man, a woman and God – Matt 19:4-6, 9 (1 Cor 7:10-11)
- Marriage by Definition
- From the Greek gameo (Strong’s 1060) – “to wed”. Likely from the Greek root gam = to bind or unite. Appears 29X in the NT
- In science (Latin), refers to the male or female reproductive cell that joins with its opposite to create a new organism.
- By definition, marriage requires two opposites.
- Common Law Marriage:
- We have long affirmed that marriage is a union that meets the criteria of both God and human govt, and in that order.
- Nine states recognize common law marriage, incl AL & TX
- Generally common law marriage is contracted by couples who hold themselves out to be married:
- They must cohabit; woman can take husbands surname; couple can file joint income tax return
- Simple cohabitation does not meet the CLM threshold; living together for 7 years does not constitute CLM. The state never assumes you are married.
- Common law marriage in Alabama requires couples at least 16 years of age to hold themselves out as married with pubic recognition of marriage after 181 days, and consummation.
- Common law marriages must be dissolved thru the civil courts.
- State-sanctioned unions do not necessarily constitute marriage. Changing the definition to include homosexuals doesn’t change what constitutes marriage any more than including siblings, dogs or farm animals.
- “Can I marry my dog?” retrieved 28.5 million hits.
- “Can I marry myself?” retrieved 49.1 million hits
- Polygamy / Polyandry – already being promoted and pushed
- “But if three, or four, or 17 people want to marry each other simultaneously and equally, why should they not be granted the same status as two people who want to become a legal family?” The Guardian Aug 30, 2012
- Reality Show “Sister Wives” already filed suit in federal court to challenge Utah’s law banning polygamy as unconstitutional.
- Pedophilia – Already numerous groups pushing to decriminalize such: e.g. NAMBLA
- Iran just passed a law permitting men to marry their adopted and stepdaughters so long as they were 13 years old.
- Muslim nations already permit girls younger than 13 to marry with consent of a judge. In Iran last year, more than 40,000 children b/w 10-14 were married, and nearly 100 under 10 were forced to marry last year.
- Federal recognition of homosexual unions further attack on the US Constitution and the “full faith and credit clause.”
- Art IV sect 1 – states within the US must respect “public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.”
- “So what does that have to do with the church?” Feds could force ministers to perform weddings for homosexuals or force churches to hire homosexuals under threat of imprisonment.
- Long story short – the government needs to leave God’s definition of marriage alone, AND needs to stop differentiating between married and single people for the purpose of taxation. The feds are actually contributing to unmarried cohabitation, with the fastest growing group of non-married cohabitants being couples over 65.
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