| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 10:6-9 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Is it a real marriage?” Adam and Eve did not have a marriage license. Neither did Abraham and Sarah, Boaz and Ruth, Joseph and Mary, Aquila and Priscilla, or any other couple recorded on the pages of the Bible. Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not dismissing the importance of a government-issued marriage license. In 99% of all the weddings I have performed as a minister the couples had a marriage license – and they should have. There was no reason not to. However, there is a point to be made here. Historically there have generally been three forms or structures of marriage that have been acknowledged by societies as constituting a “legitimate” marriage. First, for thousands of years men and women have had their unions consecrated in a religious ceremony. That constitutes being married in the eyes of God. Second, in more recent history, some societies have instituted government-sanctioned marriage which requires a government-issued marriage license. And then some societies (including eight states in the USA), recognize what is known as “common-law marriage” as a legitimate form of marriage. (My state, Tennessee, has not codified common-law marriage but it does recognize common-law marriages initiated in and recognized by other states.) In common-law marriage the couple seeks neither religious nor government sanction, but still consider themselves to be married. The question for us today is, “Do Christian couples have to have a government-issued marriage license for their marriage to be a “real” marriage in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the Christian community?” Since there is no evidence of any couple in the Bible seeking or needing a government-issued marriage license for their marriage to be viewed as legitimate, do Christians have to have one in order for their marriage to be a real marriage? For most of history few societies have had government-issued marriage licenses. And for thousands of years Christian couples have been coming before God and before the Christian community dedicating their marriages to God, and their marriages were viewed as legitimate based just on that. Their secular governments had nothing to say about it. But what if Christians live in a society that does have the structure of government-sanctioned marriage and government-issued marriage licenses? Can a man and a woman still be married in the eyes of God and of the Christian community even if they are not married in the eyes of the government? For the answer to that question we will have to wait until tomorrow. Sorry, but this practice of avoiding simplistic answers to complex questions can take a little work and it can be a little time-consuming. Sometimes it requires more than a single one-page daily devotional message to discuss it. Deep discipleship can be like that. It takes time and effort to think these things through. So, hang in there with me. We will finish our thinking about this subject tomorrow. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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