Cohabitation

The marriages you're describing ARE common law marriages. A lot of people confuse common law marriage with cohabitation, but they're nothing alike. A common law marriage IS a marriage. Cohabitation is a sin.

 

The issue is marriage licensing, and as of yet, there has been no biblical reasons given why it cannot be "yielded to the state" (which is a most odd way of putting it).

No it is not saying that at all. It is saying that there are certain steps that one must take to marry ... like being single, being of certain ages, etc. Furthermore, everyone does not have the "natural right" to marry.

The statute is that a church marriage is not a valid marriage, as I understand it. If you get married, it has to be a civil ceremony.

What do you mean by arbitrary? Is a six year old is allowed to marry? Or forbidden? What about a 10 year old? Or 16 year old? Or 18 year old? or 25 year old?

If a state imposes anti-biblical conditions before giving a license, then there is a case for not having one. But I am not aware of any who do that. Are you?

Your answers don't sound like you have studied it at all. Seriously, Aaron, you gotta have more than this. You managed to not answer the questions. There is not much hope for a meaningful exchange here.

 

If they were members of the church of which he was pastor he should have known.

 

Originally a marriage was a civil and not a religious ceremony.

 

That depends on country and religion. In some countries marriage was a religious thing, but perhaps came late in the churches........some churches.

Cheers,

Jim

 

I didn't say marriage licensing couldn't be yielded to the state. (You're not paying attention.) I said that some folks think that the ground they yield to the state in obtaining a license goes against their conscience. The license is a contract with the state and makes the state a third party in the marriage contract,* and this is the ground that some people in good conscience cannot yield. You can accept it or not, but don't pretend that licensing is no matter of conscience.

So you're a lawyer now? Honestly this is a statement of your opinion on the nature of a license, and not of legal fact. I did a little homework for you in my response above. I won't do anymore and I'm not going to argue points that you make in ignorance beyond saying, no, you're wrong; do your homework.

No, you're wrong; do your homework.

So you don't know what the conditions are for granting permission to marry in Brazil and Mexico, but you asked me to comment on them as if I would know?

You asked me when I thought a person would not be bound to yield to the state's prohibition of marriage. I told you.

Okay then.

Not yet, but some people balk at the third party issue, and they make a good case for it.

Some may balk at the birth control presentations now required in Hawaii, California and Virginia, especially Catholics.

Since you are interested in my opinion of foreign marriage statutes, China's compulsory birth control is definitely an anti-biblical one. (And, please, don't attempt to counter this as something unrelated to marriage in China. It's in their conditions for allowing marriage.

You didn't ask any meaningful questions.

* (This is the only homework I'll do for you.) http://www.summitohioprobate.com/CT_Marriage.htm

 

I've had too many "couples" rip me off too many times

There was a couple who came to me wanting to get married---they were "shackin'" up----and back then I didn't know no better so I agreed to marry them---the ceremony was at their house

Turns out---the bride had a handicapped son who was on disability----when she married this groom----it took a while for the thing to run through the system but---the handicapped boy stood to lose his SSI disability---as long as his momma remained single---he'd get it--but now she is "hitched" and he was gonna lose it

So---next thing I know---they are filing for divorce--the cotton pickin' judge granted the divorce---and the little fella kept receiving his SSI---and that man and woman are still living together in a sinful state of adultery/fornication!!---all of this so that the little boy wouldn't lose his SSI!!

There is not one word from one single verse in any one chapter of any one book of the Bible that says that the preacher MUST perform ceremonies---nor is there any one word . . . that says that the church MUST condone it

I've been "hoodwinked" by more bride and grooms than you can "shake a stick at"---its pitiful!!!

I had a fella pull up into the church parking lot where my wife and I were walking(for exercise)--I knew the fella--not a member of the church but who lived in the community----he says

"Preacher! Me and my girlfriend what to get married-----can you do the wedding? Its this weekend at her daddy's house!"

I said----"No, dude! I can't!"

He scratched off out of the parkin' lot madder than a wet hen----holdin' it against me cause I wouldn't marry them!!

God help us-----whats wrong with society!!

 

NCT, one of the options you gave deals directly with the issue of authority to marry. So you can't ask the question, pose some answers, and then object when someone actually interacts with your answers.

 

Having exprienced this personally, the preacher should have demanded #2 with us. God is gracious, because our marriage shouldn't have lasted a year, but God has allowed it to now flourish for 8 years come next month.

 

btw...I don't think #1 is a good option because it doesn't allow for dealing with the sin at hand. It makes it easy to just sweep the sin under the rug and pretend it never happened instead of bringing it into the light and calling for repentance.

 

no comment,,can't even see the wee, tiny print

 

What's the difference between 'common law marriage' and cohabiting (or 'shacking up')?

 

Not much difference.

 

Which brings to mind a question I have always toyed with, considering today's infatuation with same-sex marriages. How did marriage evolve into how we know it today ?

PL, you said without the license, they are still not married. Why ?
What makes civil papers the binding for the marriage ?
Where do we find government licensing marriages in the Bible ?

As for the OP, why, I will marry them, with or without the licenses. If they prefer to wait for the licenses, fine with me.

If they are indeed children of God, did Christ not know of this sin and this situation before ? Is this sin not covered by the blood ?

What makes this any worse than divorced individuals remarrying ?

Will God find them any more acceptable, if they "cut off" the sin right there and then, than they already are in Christ ?

 

Because that is what the law says, and we are to live under the law of the land.

The law that we are to submit ourselves to.

Nowhere that I know of. If you notice, I have never made that argument. My argument is that we are to live under the laws of the land as God commanded us to.

I don't think that is the issue. I am not opposed to marrying people who are living together. I have done it, and would do it again. As I tell them, one of my goals is to help you do right.

It depends.

No, but he will find them more pleasing to him if they do not continue in sin.

If a commitment is all that is necessary to be married, why do they have to come to you anyway? What part of the Bible says that a marriage has to be officiated by a pastor? Or by anyone?

It doesn't that I know of. So if you are right that a marriage license is unnecessary because it isn't mentioned in the Bible, you have to admit that you as a pastor are also unnecessary because it isn't mentioned in the Bible.

 

I had a pastor that told me he doesnt refuse anyone. He felt like if he said no they would just go to the JP and he would lose an oportunity to share the word and witness to them.

Be it right or wrong there is some validity to his statment.