"You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14).
IDEA: A covenant and a contract are both important in a Christian marriage.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand the place covenants and contracts play in a Christian marriage.
I have a friend who is both a corporate lawyer and a minister. What do you think is the difference in the two roles?
We see the difference between a covenant and a contract in a marriage.
I. At a wedding altar before a minister, most couples make covenants of undying devotion and dedication to the one another.
We pledge fidelity and permanence no matter what circumstances may arise.
We consider our marriage as something transcending the law, something too sacred to be exhausted by a marriage license or a justice-of-the-peace.
II. Other couples opt for a marriage contract.
This is a written agreement stipulating property rights and conditions under which new arrangements might be necessary.
The “unexpected” and even the “disastrous” are regarded not as “trials” to be worked though but semi-predictable events that must be planned for.
Contracts may also be a convenient way to contemplate the end the relationship.
III. In a Christian marriage, we recognize the need for both a contract and a covenant.
Covenants designate a relation to God, but they do not–on their own–serve the practical and legal interests of the society in which the wedding takes place.
So we sign a contract when we get a marriage license and register with the state at the county courthouse. But this merely guarantees a civil, legal, sterile relationship.
Because we are made in God’s image, we long for a relationship with God and another human being reflected in a covenant relationship. It is more realistic for a marriage to operate in both realms with eyes wide open about which is which.