August 13, 2010

Marriage - Part 3

Blessings Saints!

So, we have seen that Jesus affirmed the truth of the Lord through His Word that…

• God created
• God created male and female
• God established the relationship (marriage) where the man leaves his father and mother, cleaves to his wife and the two would become one
• God joins the male and female together.

Matthew 19
 1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
 2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
 3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Marriage is not to be between male and male nor female and female.
As a matter of fact from the Word, true covenant marriage can only occur between male and female.

That which is being celebrated by the world as “gay marriage” is not true marriage.
It is the creation of man.

How did we arrive at this point?

There are undoubtedly several factors.
Here are a few thoughts.

The church has done a poor job of teaching what true covenant marriage is.
The church has allowed the state to usurp the authority of God.
The church bows in deference before the state.
This should not be.

Marriage is not a contract reached under license of the state.
Marriage is covenant established by the joining together of God.

A little law stuff here...hang with me…

I was wondering about these things several years ago. Decided to investigate.
So, I took my Black’s Law Dictionary, 6th Edition, the Centennial edition, and began to check definitions. I looked up the following words in the order that will be presented.
I was amazed.

The first word I examined was “license.”
License - The permission by competent authority to do an act which, without such permission, would be illegal, a trespass, a tort, or otherwise not allowable.

Simply put, a “license” allows one to do something which otherwise would not be allowed.

(I hasten to say that most of the “licenses” of today are unconstitutional...but, that is a discussion for another time. )

So, does this mean that one must receive a state endorsed license to be married?
Is the state the “competent authority” for true marriage?
What of the history of such?
Did George and Martha Washington have a state license? (Not that I can find.)
Did Lincoln? (Not that I’m aware.)

Then what is occurring here?

Next, I examined…
Marriage License - “A license or permission granted by public authority to persons who intend to intermarry…”

WHOA!
Wait!
“Intermarry”? I could not believe what I was reading.

So, I went to “intermarry”…this definition totally shocked me into awareness of the truth that had been lurking in the back of my mind. These two words confirmed everything.
Intermarry - (see “Miscegenation&rdquo

I knew what “miscegenation” was. Now I wanted to know the “law definition.”

Miscegenation - mixture of the races. Term formerly applied to marriage between persons of different races.

Upon future examination one learns that “races” is not limited to that of black/white. It referred to Polish marrying Irish, etc. etc.

The biblical truth is that there is no such thing as “race”.
We are one blood.

I reached the conclusion that the “marriage license” was man’s attempt to control marriage. Once this was declared to be “illegal” under the “equal protection clause” of the Constitution, the “race” part ceased. But, the “licensing” continued.

I suspect it is a healthy revenue stream.
I also know that it opens doors of control and manipulation.

The Lord does not give us a prescribed process whereby a couple “gets married.”

There is no ceremony from Scripture by which we must prescribe...unless one accepts the multi-day, apparently heavily imbibing marriage celebration of the Jews in Jesus’ day (Jesus’ first miracle - Water into Wine.)
In the Old Testament we see “...brought her into his mother’s tent.”

Genesis 24:67
And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

True marriage is the joining by God of a man and woman into a mystical, holy union that is not to be set aside by themselves or man.

Societies have many varied forms of celebrating and acknowledging such.

Marriage is to be declared and celebrated.

One of the best ways is a way of the past...a family Bible. You know the big, coffee table Bible with all the birth/death/marriage/etc. info at the front? By putting the information in the Bible, it becomes a legal document within our nation.

So, where does that leave us?

I know the arguments.

Some will say, “well, if you do not have a state license then you are not married.”
This is not true. Even the state acknowledges a marriage after a period of time. You have heard of “common-law” marriage. This is simply the state acknowledgement of a marriage (I believe after 7 years). It is derived from the common-law which predates our nation by centuries.

Some will say, “well the state has authority to require…”
Not when it comes to marriage.
Marriage is ordained by God.
Marriage is covenant executed by God.
The state has nothing to do with it.
Not our state.
Not another state.

Marriage is not contract.
Marriage is especially not contract created by man.

Some will say, “well, it really does not matter…”
Yes it does.
I’ll give you a couple of practical things. Things which I have seen for decades and which are growing in frequency.

First, the state punishes those who are married with state licenses...particularly through taxation.
Second, the state especially punishes those who we call “senior citizens.”

Here is what happens...have seen this repeatedly. A story based upon fact...

A man has been married for 40 years...his wife falls ill...suffers years, then goes to glory.
A woman has been married 50 years...her husband goes to glory.

The two meet.

Times a’wast’n. They fall in love.

Allow me use round figures (actual numbers change).

The man receives $1500 a month in state retirement.
The woman receives $1500 a month in state retirement plus the pension from her first husband’s life work.

They want to marry, but if they do, they will go from $3000 a month to $2000 and the wife will lose the pension.

One of the major demographic groups that is experiencing an explosion in “living together” is the senior adult population.

It is often for this reason.

They do no realize that marriage is not predicated upon the “license” of the state.

This is an evil being perpetrated upon those who should be receiving the greatest honor.

(There is an especially hot place in the lake of fire for those who abuse children and the older.)

Finally, (thanks for your forbearance) what does this have to do with “gay marriage”?

The varied judicial rulings that have been coming through the years are based upon man’s law, man’s interpretation and man’s agenda.

The rulings are not based upon a covenant understanding of marriage.

Marriage licensed and controlled by the state is not true marriage.

I say let Caesar have the things of Caesar.

Blessings!