In the 21st century, the once taboo idea of living together before marriage has become common practice. Why get married, you might ask, if you can live together without a legal commitment?
Marriage is more than a wedding ceremony and a license; it’s a special gift from God.
When a man and a woman say, “I do,” their vows are a sacred and holy commitment—a covenant with God and each other.
The relationship between husband and wife was defined in the beginning of time. The book of Genesis tells us how God created man and woman and gave them to each other in marriage. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Jesus, answering a question posed by the Pharisees, explained how marriage is a lifelong covenant. Matthew 19:6 states, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Without the commitment that marriage provides, there’s nothing to hold a couple together when trouble arises.
>>What about premarital sex? See what the Bible has to say about it.
A couple once asked Billy Graham, “As far as my girlfriend and I are concerned, marriage is just a piece of paper, and we don’t need it to prove we love each other. We’ve been living together for three years now, and we’re perfectly happy the way we are. What would you say to us?”
He responded:
If marriage were only “a piece of paper,” then your position might make sense. We could treat marriage casually, and approach it with a “take it or leave it” attitude. Unfortunately, that’s the way many people … see it today.
But have you ever asked yourselves what marriage is in God’s eyes? To Him, marriage isn’t just a nice social custom or a useful legal arrangement. Instead, it is a divine gift—something He ordained for the human race right from the beginning. God gave marriage to us. …
Marriage should not be just a pledge that a husband and wife make to each other, but a solemn vow they make to God. The Bible says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).
One thing is missing in your relationship: commitment. Yes, you may well love each other—but without marriage, you are not truly and irrevocably committed to each other. But something else is missing in your lives—and that “something” is God. Don’t try to live life without Him any longer, but by faith turn to Christ and make Him the foundation of your lives—and your marriage.
Before committing to walk down the aisle, ask yourself, “Am I ready to put aside things I want in order to serve my spouse?”
Most importantly, be sure that you both share a common faith in Christ.
