What is Marriage? (Part 1)

Marriage is among the most important adult decisions a person will make in their lifetime. With divorce being so common in today's society, however, are people making the right decisions when they marry? And how many people actually know what marriage really is?

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines marriage as the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.

The United States of America has often been thought of as a Christian nation with much of its system of values being rooted in the bible. Because of this, it's fitting to now consider what the bible says about marriage. In the 2nd chapter of the book of Genesis, verse 24 the writer is speaking of Adam and Eve who are widely considered to be the first husband and wife to marry ever. As far as how they were declared married, the verse states that Adam said, "therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

In the United States, marriage is not legally recognized unless a license is first granted, followed by a certificate being filed with the county of that state after the couple says, "I do". Though this is a legal marriage criteria, most people within this society also don't recognize a marriage without this criteria being met. Let's, then, look closely at what this all means.

Black's Law Dictionary defines license as "A revocable permission to commit some act that would otherwise be unlawful". If we are to apply this definition to a marriage license, we see that marriage is illegal without permission first being requested of the state in which a couple plans to marry. While no actual law exists that says that two people must marry with the permission of legal authorities, the mere definition of license means that two people who don't first seek lawful permission to marry are doing something illegal if they proceed in making a marriage commitment to one another.

In the minds of most people of the Christian faith, marriage was first instituted in the book of Genesis as previously quoted above. Meaning that marriage preceded the formation of the United States of America. How, then, did it become necessary to ask an American state for the permission to do something which was already being done before the state even existed?

To those who subscribe to the idea that permission is mandatory and also believe that marriage was first created with Adam and Eve, have you ever questioned at what point was the United States of America even given the authority to grant permission for people to marry?

Understanding the history of marriage in the United States and how it parallels, or doesn't parallel, with marriage as detailed in the bible is important for people who place their faith in the bible to first understand before they request permission to marry.

Please tune in again for more in this series detailing the facts of marriage as it is described in the bible in comparison and contrast to how it was established under the laws of this nation. Hopefully you have already begun to think about the issue and are seeking to understand what marriage actually is so that you are informed enough to make an intelligent decision that will affect the rest of your life.