Pastoral Staff Statement on Marriage
God’s ideal for marriage is one man and one woman for life (Genesis 1:27; 2:18-24). Because marriage was conceived by God, it is more than a legal contract. Genesis describes it as a “one flesh” union. Marriage is a sacred union or covenant of one man and one woman. Further, Scripture exhorts believers not to be bound together to unbelievers (II Corinthians 6:14). Therefore, all marriages performed by pastoral staff at First Baptist Church of Niceville must be preceded by premarital counseling.
In the New Testament, Jesus confirms God’s original intention of this sacred union (Mark 10:6-7). He further declared that what God has joined together, let no man separate (Mark 10:9). The apostle Paul celebrated Christian marriage by presenting it as a mystery of the sacred union of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:21-33).
Jesus in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 states that everyone who divorces except for sexual infidelity commits adultery. The Greek word for sexual infidelity in these two verses is porneia. In the New Testament the word covers every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse. The word also has a figurative meaning of desertion or abandonment. In the Septuagint, Israel is pictured many times as abandoning God for pagan idols (Jeremiah 3:2, 9; Hosea 6:10). Thus, Jesus indicates that a divorce for other reasons than sexual infidelity or abandonment is adultery. Couples with troubled relationships are to be counseled to hold to God’s ideal for marriage and exhorted to seek reconciliation and unity in Christ. Paul in I Corinthians 7:15 states that if an unbeliever leaves the believing spouse then the believing spouse is not bound in such cases. We understand this to mean the believing spouse is free to remarry.
A divorce that occurs before one’s conversion to Christ is forgiven because he/she is a new person. Old things pass away and a new being is created (II Corinthians 5:17).
What about those who have not lived up to God’s ideal of one man and one woman for life? Divorce is serious. In fact God states that He hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). Is divorce then an unforgiveable sin? According to I John 1:9 if true repentance and confession is made then God forgives sin and cleanses from all unrighteousness. When a marriage has ended in failure and there has been true repentance, there is forgiveness and the moral onus is past. When steps are taken to understand the dynamics that went into the failure of the previous marriage, and repentance and forgiveness is experienced, then that person may consider the possibility of marriage. Ministers, after wise and thorough counseling, may then choose to conduct the marriage service.
Recognizing the sacredness of Christian marriage, couples who are presently cohabitating and desire to be married may do so after fulfilling the premarital counseling requirement and agreeing to live separately with no conjugal relations until the time of the wedding ceremony.
