Are the marriages of the unsave recognized by God?

"unheard" is a very common and unfortunate choice of English words because it has at least two different connotations. One is: Do you perceive the sound? and another is: Do you go along with what I am saying? God "hears" everything. There is no sound that He cannot detect. When someone gets saved he enters into a new relationship with God and God has assumed an obligation to respond. He may say yes, or He may say no, or He may do nothing at all but, it is a purposeful nothing at all that He deems appropriate.

One really has nothing to do with the other. God instituted marriage for mankind in general, not just His children.

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

 

And where would this be found in the Bible? Why would Jesus teach the disciples the Lords Prayer if He only listened to pleas for Salvation?

 

I think maybe what he meant was until salvation God does not answer prayer.
At least thats what I thought anyway.

 

Hello Jeff,
great question. First let me address something you said then I will get to the question. You said you were for years seriously backslidden. I assume by that you mean that you lived in sin for many years. That is impossible for a real Christian. You might want to read 1John 2:19 and chapter 3 as well. Many people make the mistake of thinking they got saved and return to sin, but if the person turns back they never got saved. I am glad that you now have seen the light and I pray that your salvation is now real.

Now to the question on marriage. yes God does recognize the marriage of the lost. In the book of John the Lord confronts a woman at the well and says You have had 5 husbands and now the one you have is not your husband. (In other words she was shacked up with this last one.

The fact that she got married in a Vegas chapel changes nothing. She was married. As to now living in adultery I don't think so. I see nothing that is thumbing the nose at God in this. In other words I assume you two were not saying that you did not care what God says and married any way. You have confessed your sins and now live for God. Live as too people seeking the Lord. While it is not like someone who never divorced it is still a marriage and needs to be lived in God's sight.

 

Free,

The teaching you are trying to share with Jeff about his salvation is called the doctrine of perseverance and it is complete heresy. Someone most certainly can backslide and be in that state and still have truly been saved.

As far as the rest of your post, I am in complete agreement. Your wife has had two husbands in the eyes of God.

 

Jeff, my cousin and I were having this very same discussion recently, and he had some enlightening thoughts. Rather than reiterate what he said, I''ll post what he sent me via email:

"Technically speaking, a marital covenant is between two believers. However, to interpret that in the strictest of literal senses would open up a can of philosophical worms. For example:
If two Jews marry, is it marriage in the eyes of God, since they're not Christians? If two Muslims marry, is it marriage in the eyes of God, since they're not Christians? If two atheists marry, is it marriage in the eyes of God?

"Since we're speaking from the Christian perspective, then we're limited to interpreting that for the Christian. Marriage between a Christian and another person enters those two people into a covenant with God. The Bible does not limit that covenant to being valid only if entered into on church grounds. It's still entering into a covenant if you get married at the courthouse, on a ship, on a roller coaster, in the forest, at an amusemenat park, at a hotel, etc.

"Now, as far as the Christian attitude towards nonbelievers, the bible occaisionally referrs to a person and his/her spouse or household. That implies we are to consider to persons who are nonbelievers and married to be married as much as a believer."