The Covenant of Marriage Written by Pastor Thomas Waters
A covenant may be defined as a "formal, solemn, and binding agreement." A covenant is a promise confirmed by an oath of loyalty.
The Bible defines marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman (Malachi2: 14, Matthew 19:4-9). Marriage is more than private romantic words uttered between a man and woman. Marriage is a legally binding contract solemnized before witnesses. The marriage covenant is the glue that holds together the rest of society. Before families, nations, churches, or schools decline and fail - marriage does.
The root concept of a covenant is commitment, commitment unto death. That’s the origin and meaning of the wedding vow, “Until death do us part.” When a man and woman enter into the covenant of marriage, they are joining in as deep and strong relationship two people are able to make and experience. They are bound emotionally, physically and legally. The depth of this covenant commitment is expressed in Genesis 3:24. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Increasingly, Americans consider marriage obsolete, man-made and unnecessary. Forty-four percent of those between the ages of 18-29 consider marriage obsolete. More and more couples are opting to live together instead of marriage. This trend, however, is not without tremendous moral, social, educational and financial costs.
A report from the National Marriage Project and the Institute for American Values shows that the American retreat from marriage is, to quote the lead author of the report, W. Bradford Wilcox, “moving into the heart of the social order: the middle class”. In an era in which jobs and the economy are the overriding concerns, why should we care about the marriage? Because marriage is not merely a private arrangement between two persons. It is a foundational institution which impacts the spiritual, economic, social, and emotional welfare of countless children, women, and men.
God instituted marriage. God established marriage as a lifelong covenant agreement between one man and one woman. God ordained marriage as foundational to personal and social well-being. God’s order can only be ignored at great costs.
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