I know this may sound crazy to many who will read this, but with all sincerity and thoughtful consideration, the church’s present ideas and perceptions concerning marriage are warped. What I mean by this statement is that when it comes to viewing marriage as depicted and exemplified in the Bible, its understanding and practice do not align with Scripture. I don’t even know how it happened that the church came to believe and accept our present way of marriage, and is convinced it is the way ordained by, or acceptable to God.
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I have found it interesting that the way the church deems marriage to be applicable is when two people of the opposite sex have gone before a minister or some other government official to officiate their stated vows. Yes, you read that right. I said “some other government official” other than the minister. Why did I say that, you ask? Well, when two people marry, the minister is a government official who performs the marriage on behalf of the state, as do other government officials.
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When the minister says, “by the power vested in me by God, I now pronounce you man and wife,” where is he getting his power or authority to make that proclamation? Right! He doesn’t receive it from God; he acquires it from the state through his government-approved religious organization, confirming he is a minister. Trust me, without a state-approved authorization, no one can legally get married by that minister. In other words, if the Apostle Paul, the minister of all ministers, did not have a license approved by the state in our day, even he would not be able to marry a couple, nor would it be acceptable.
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Even though we are led to believe by them that the minister has authority from God to marry anyone, the church still accepts the marriages of anyone who didn’t use a minister. And, in essence, if the minister possesses such godly authority, why do they need the state’s approval? I know of no one who goes to a minister to get a divorce. If a divorce is implemented, who authorizes it and issues the decree? Not the minister. Why not? Yet the church accepts divorce.
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There is no place in the Bible, Old or New Testament, where God’s ministers are portrayed as having any connection to, or the power to, join two people together in the sight of God or the government. In the New Testament, God’s ministers preached, prophesied, healed, and baptized, but they didn’t marry people. They understood that they were not called or had any authority to marry couples, but were called to bring the Gospel to the world by the power vested in them by Jesus Christ for the saving of souls.
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It depicts Christendom replacing marital reality with ritualism.
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My new book, BIBLICAL MARRIAGE: What You Haven’t Been Told, is now available.