Pst Akinrinlola Olumide
The belief that some marriages conducted outside the church is not holy or acceptable to God is false. Some pastors and ministers of God are behind this false claim. Most of them have been emotionally carried away by the doctrinal aspect of their churches against biblical position about marriage.
You see! Marriage is an institution established by God Himself (Gen 2:15-18) and it is very old and older than the church and other institutions on earth. Apart from Adam and Eve who were the genesis of marriage, the institution called marriage, is older than any human being or institutions.
There is absolutely no biblical authority that says your marriage is not biblically & spiritually binding because it wasn’t held or conducted by the church.
Marriage is not contracted in the church. It is a fatal error to think that marriage is contracted in the church. Marriage is contracted only with the gathering of families of the bride and bridegroom when the consent/approval of both parents are sought and given, whereby the bridegroom meets the dowry demands and other marriage requirements by the family as much as those demands do not conflict with the Bible. See Gen. 24 vs 57-61 on how a marriage is contracted. You can also read Colossians 2 vs 8 to avoid ungodly traditions.
Any marriage that is not contracted by both families is not contracted in Heaven. The moment both families agreed and approve the marriage with dowry demands met, the marriage is contracted regardless of what anyone is saying.
In striking the deal of a marriage, the approval of the state is also necessary to make your marriage legally binding after obtaining Parental approval by signing a marriage register. The families’ approvals in view here must involve the two families with all marriage rites fulfilled except where such dowry demands contradicts the word of God.
The church is a religious aspect where the blessings of God is sought upon the marriage. Going to church is to solidify the marriage where the couples will publicly entered into marital vows before the congregation of God and promise to be faithful to one another in the presence of the church (congregation) to show their level of seriousness and commitment to the marriage.
It doesn’t mean that the blessing of God on marriage cannot be gotten outside the church building as many erroneously believe. It doesn’t also mean that marriage vow cannot also be made outside the wall of churches. The building is not the church but the congregation of the children of God. The progress of every marriage is only in God’s hands and not in the building call church. These three stages can be achieved at a go provided the venue is acceptable to both families, the government, and the representative of God. The main temple of God is our body and not the church building as many think. The children of God can gather anywhere to seek God’s blessings upon their marriage. It doesn’t mean it must be under a church building or roof before a marriage can be blessed by God or before a pastor can bless a marriage. That your wedding wasn’t conducted in church doesn’t mean your marriage is not acceptable by God. The Bible says where two or more are gathered, there I am in the midst of them. ( Mathew 18:20).
The Purpose of church wedding has been misconstrued by many Pastors in the name of doctrine with lot of them telling church members that marriage is not acceptable to God if not conducted in the church, which in western culture, is called church wedding. From the beginning of creation, every country has a God given culture especially on how marriages are conducted. The idea of going to church is a western culture and I stand to be corrected. Even some of these western countries who started the idea of church wedding now conduct most weddings outside the wall of churches. There is no where or how a marriage contradicts the scriptures because it wasn’t conducted in the church. It is even biblically flawed for churches to conduct weddings not approved by couples’ families because it is only by the approvals of both families that a marriage is contracted in Heaven; and not by approval of churches or pastors. Many churches have lost their members including workers because of the threat from Pastors that the affected couples did not do proper marriage. Some churches will even go to the extreme of telling you who to marry or who not to marry. This is wrong.
I have heard some big churches telling their workers to marry the Will of God. This is also wrong. There is no more Will of God in marriage after Adams accused God of giving him Eve which lured him to commit sin against God by eating the forbidden fruit. Ever since then, God doesn’t choose for any man. He only guides us to marry the right person but never chooses wives for people again.
The Bible says he who finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtain favour from God. (Proverb 18:22). So, you have responsibility to find your wife that meet up your dream for a marriage. God will only guide you if you lean on Him but not to choose for you. It is an error from the church of God to be asking church members to be praying for the Will of God as this does no longer exist. God no longer give partners (husband and wife directly). Yes, you can pray for guidance, God could reveal things to you and guide you on a prospective partner but He won’t choose for you as it is your responsibility to find your love.
You only need some marriage tips to get it right as you pray for a good wife. You are to marry based on love, and maturity. Your partner must be matured, and must also be born again so that you don’t marry your opposite. You are not to marry based on pressure or money. Don’t manage any woman or man because you are desperate to get married. You must love the person. Don’t go into marriage by managing your partner because you feel it is getting too late. Anyway, Let me not bore you with some of these tips. It’s a message on its own.
My message is on the erroneous belief by some pastors and ministers that church wedding is the only genuine wedding. Thank God I did elaborate church wedding which is more than 6 years now. I am not actually writing against church wedding or discouraging marriage partners from doing church wedding. But I only want to correct the erroneous impression being created by some churches that marriages not conducted under the church roof or building is not acceptable.
It is a deceit from the pit of hell that any marriage that does not pass through the church is not acceptable to God. Even in some churches, you can’t become minister or pastor if your marriage is not church wedding except you do marriage correction. Ask them to quote the scriptures of the Bible that forbid you from working for God because your marriage is not a church wedding.
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