Many Christians in the US were profoundly affected by the US Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay civil marriage throughout the US. I write this article not to change anyone’s mind on the topic, rather I submit this in the hopes that I can give the thinking person another perspective on the concept of Civil Marriage vis-a-vis Christian Marriage.
Consider the following logical exercise.
If these seven points are true…
- A Civil Marriage is a legal act of a government that approves/affirms a contractual agreement between two parties per whatever laws of that government that allow such an agreement. In the eyes of the government, only this is a marriage.
- Christian Marriage is the act of one man and one woman promising before God to remain in a never-ending monogamous relationship per Biblical Scripture. In the eyes of God, only this is a marriage.
- Christian Marriage existed long before Civil Marriage ever came into being.
- A Christian Marriage cannot occur between two people of the same sex or between a person and an animal/plant (per Biblical Scripture).
- A Christian Marriage can only occur between one man and one woman (per Biblical Scripture).
- A Civil Marriage can occur between two parties for any reason, so long as the government issuing the civil marriage has a law that allows for that particular civil marriage.
- A Civil Marriage could occur between two people of the same sex or even between a person and a tree (again, so long as that particular type of civil marriage is permitted by the laws of the issuing government).
Then these seven points must be true…
- A Christian Marriage is not equal to a Civil Marriage both in the eyes of God and the government. The two are separate concepts that exist apart from the other.
- A person can be Civilly-married, but not Scripturally-married.
- A person can be Scripturally-married, but not Civilly-married.
- If one man and another man are Civilly married to each other, this doesn’t make them married in the eyes of God.
- If one man and one woman are Scripturally-married, this doesn’t make them married in they eyes of the government.
- If one man and one woman are only Civilly-married, this doesn’t make them Scripturally-married. (This point might be difficult for many Christians)
- Finally, if the laws of a government allow a marriage between one person and a tree, those parties would be Civilly-married, but not Scripturally-married.