MARRIAGE BY COVENANT, Monogynous or Polygynous
Copyright � 1997, by L. Tyler
[email protected]
[email protected]
If you have decided that Mat. 5:33-37, James 4:13-17
and James 5;12 don't allow you to use the traditional
wedding vows and covenants because they involve
swearing and/or oaths (SEE APPENDIX SEVEN of Divorce & Polygyny), then
you might be interested in using and adapting the
following to your own needs. Also these covenants
are suitable for legal weddings, common law
weddings, and a wedding in concubinage (See the file LegalCalifPoly.txt).
A WEDDING AFFIRMATION***********************************
(Your name), will you have this (man, woman) to be your (husband,
wife) and will you , before God and these witnesses, solemnly affirm and
declare your marital intentions and expectations to (him, her), in all honor and
love, in all service and duty, in all faith and tenderness, to live with (him, her),
to comfort, keep (him/her), and cherish (him/her), according to the ordinance
of God, in the holy bond of marriage? (Answer, "I do" or "Yes").
I, (your name), take you, (the other's name), to be my wedded (husband,
wife); and I do solemnly affirm and declare before God and these witnesses that
I intend and expect to be your loving and faithful (husband, wife) to love and
to cherish each other; in plenty and in want; in joy and grief; in health and
infirmity; as long as we b oth shall live.
In token of our solemn affirmations and declarations, with this ring I
wed you; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit who
lives and abides in us. Amen (both repeat in unison)
I now pronounce you husband and wife. Do you have something to say
to us?
(in unison) We covenant before God and all of you present, that we are
husband and wife bound together to be one flesh in the Lord until death part
us. We covenant before God that it is our responsibility to compassionately
cherish each other according to His Word, the Holy Bible, to His glory and
honor. Pray for us.
ANOTHER WEDDING AFFIRMATION********************
________, do you accept and acknowledge ______ as your husband? Yes/I
do_______
Do you accept your responsibility to be faithful to him, in all virtue and
honor, in all duty and service, in all faithfulness and tenderness, to live with
him and compassionately cherish him according to the Word of God, in the
holy bond of marriage?______
Do you leave your parents and loyally bond with him to be one in marriage
submitting to each other in reverence to God?_______
Do you, ____________, commit yourself to him with all your heart, to
follow ________'s lead as unto the Lord in all matters showing honor and
respect?
__________, do you accept and acknowledge ___________as your
wife?_Yes/I do______
Do you accept your responsibility to be faithful to her, in all virtue and
honor, in all duty and service, in all faithfulness and tenderness, to live with
her and compassionately cherish her according to the Word of God, in the holy
bond of marriage? Yes/I do_______
Do you leave your parents and loyally bond with her to be one in marriage
submitting to each other in reverence to God? Yes/I do ________
Do you ________, commit yourself to her with all your heart to live wisely
with her;respectfully, compassionately and sacrificially cherishing her, feeding
her the Word, taking care of her and leading her by your example? Yes/I
do_______
ANOTHER WEDDING COVENANT*****************************
I, ___________, make a covenant with you this day. I take you ________as
my wedded husband before God and these witnesses. I acknowledge my fervent
desire and responsibility to faithfully cherish you as my husband, to
love you and honor you in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in
sickness and in health, all the days of my life. I make this covenant, not
boasting of or counting on my own ability to keep it, but trusting in God for
His Spirit's enabling and motivating, and His gift of length of days to honor
Him in the keeping of this covenant.
I, ___________, make a covenant with you this day. I take you _______ as
my wedded wife before God and these witnesses. I acknowledge my fervent
desire and responsibility to faithfully cherish you as my wife, to love you and
honor you in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in
health, all the days of my life. I make this covenant not boasting of or
trusting in my own ability to keep it, but trusting in God for His Spirit's
enabling and motivating, and His gift of length of days to honor Him in the
keeping of this covenant.
_________________________
The Couple's Signatures and Date
______________________________
The Witnesses' Signatures & Date
A WEDDING AFFIRMATION/COVENANT FOR POLYGYNISTS
_________, do you accept and acknowledge _______ as your
own (mate, lover, intimate companion, beloved, etc.)? Yes, I do!
> Do you accept your responsibility to be faithful to him, in all
virtue and honor, in all duty and service, in all faithfulness and
tenderness, to live with him and compassionately cherish him
according to the Word of God, in the holy bond of these your covenants?
Yes, I do!
> Do you accept your responsibility to be faithful to him, not
having any other lover>1., not leaving him for another lover>2.;
and not dismissing, releasing or repudiating him as your
own (mate, lover, intimate companion, beloved, etc.)>3.? Yes, I do!
> Do you accept your responsibility to not separate from him,
be separated from him, leave him, or put yourself apart from
him>4. unless it is to be alone and celibate with the hope
reconciliation>5. ? Yes, I do!
> Do you leave your parents and loyally bond with him to be
one in this covenanted union,submitting to each other in reverence to God?
Yes, I do!
> ______, do you commit yourself to _______ with all your
heart, to follow _______'s lead, as unto the Lord, in all matters
showing honor and respect? Yes, I do!
______, do you accept and acknowledge _______ as your own (mate, lover,
intimate companion, beloved, etc.)? Yes/I do!
> Do you accept your responsibility to be faithful to her, in all
virtue and honor, in all duty and service, in all faithfulness and
tenderness, to live with her and compassionately cherish her
according to the Word of God, in the holy bond of these covenants?
Yes/I do!
> Do you accept your responsibility to be faithful to her, not
leaving her for another lover>6.; not sending or puting her
away, not maritally dismissing , releasing or repudiating
her?>7. Yes, I do!
> Do you accept your responsibility to be faithful to her, not
separating yourself from her, not allowing yourselves to be
separated, not leaving or depart from her, not putting her apart
from you>8.? Yes, I do!
> Do you accept your responsibility to be faithful to her, not
sending her away, not asking her to go away or leave, not
maritally releasing or leaving her>9. Yes, I do!
> Do you leave your parents and loyally bond with her to be
one in this covenanted union, submitting to each other in reverence to God?
Yes/I do!
> _____, do you commit yourself to her with all your heart to
live wisely with her; respectfully, compassionately and
sacrificially cherishing her, feeding her the Word, taking care of
her and leading her by your example? Yes/I do!
With God's enabling and leading it is our solemn desire and
intent to
> lovingly cherish each other in good times and bad times
> unselfishly cherish each other in all conditions and under all
circumstances
> sincerely show honor and respect always to each other
> keep our covenated union pure, free from adultery and fornication
> do everything in our power to be to each other what each of
us needs
SO HELP US GOD!
I, __________, make a covenant with you, __________, this day.
I take you as my own (mate, lover, intimate companion, beloved, etc.)before
God and these witnesses. I acknowledge my fervent desire and responsibility
to faithfully cherish you as my own (mate, lover, intimate companion,
beloved, etc.), to love you and honor you in plenty and in want, in joy and in
sorrow, in sickness and in health, all the days of my life. I make this covenant,
not boasting of or counting on my own ability to keep it, but
trusting in God for His Spirit's enabling and motivating, and His
gift of length of days to honor Him in the keeping of this
covenant.
I, _________, make a covenant with you, __________, this day.
I take you as my own (mate, lover, intimate companion, beloved, etc.) before
God and these witnesses. I acknowledge my fervent desire and responsibility to
faithfully cherish you as my own (mate, lover, intimate companion, beloved,
etc.), to love you and honor you in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in
sickness and in health, all the days of my life. I make this covenant not
boasting of or trusting in my own ability to keep it, but trusting
in God for His Spirit's enabling and motivating, and His gift of
length of days to honor Him in the keeping of this covenant.
_______________________________
The Couple's Signatures and Date
Witnessed by God and ______________________________
The Witnesses' Signatures & Date
FOOTNOTES FOR THE POLYGYNOUS WEDDING
AFFIRMATION
>1. "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.">153. "You shall
not lie carnally with your neighbor's
wife�>154. "For this is the will of God. . . ..that no one should
take advantage of and defraud/cheat his brother
in this matter.�>155. A genuine Christian wife is bound to her
husband as long as he lives and she becomes an
adulteress when she is sexually intimate with another while he
still lives.[Footnotes:>153. Exod. 20:17. >154.
Leviticus18:20. >155. 1 Thess. 4:3-6.]
>2. "Whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits
adultery">144. The reason being that she is still
bound to him as wife.>145. [Footnote: >144 Mat. 5:32; 19:9;
Luke 16:18; except in the cases of 1 Cor. 7:12-
15,39; 1 Tim. 5:14. >145. 1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39; Romans 7:1-3. ]
"And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery.">148. The adultery
consists of both divorce AND remarriage. The reason being
that she is still bound to him as wife.>149.
[Footnotes:>148. Mark 10:12. >149. 1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39;
Romans 7:1-3.]
"if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will
be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies,
she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though
she has married another man."Romans 7:3.]
>3. Mark 10:11 & 12 means TO SEND OR PUT AWAY, DISMISS
(FROM ONE'S PRESENCE), RELEASE AND
REPUDIATE. It could be done informally or formally and legally
as divorce. [Footnote: .>III.1 See also Matt.
1:19; 5:31; 19:3,7-9.]
>4. Mark 10:9 of the saved couple and in 1 Cor. 7:10 &11 of
the saved wife , and in v. 15 of the unsaved
mate, means TO SEPARATE ONESELF FROM ANOTHER, BE
SEPARATED; LEAVE, PART OR DEPART FROM, PUT
ASUNDER AND DIVIDE. It could be done informally or formally
as a divorce. God allows the Christian wife to
choridzo her husband as second best but still affirms that she
is bound maritally to her husband as in v. 39.
[III. footnotes: >III.2. See also active: Matt. 19:6; Mark 10:9;
Rom. 8;35,39;---passive: 1 Cor.
7:10,11,15;Acts 1:4; 18:2]
>5. " . . . a wife must not leave her husband; but if she does, she
must remain celebate or else be reconciled to
her husband." 1 Cor. 7:10,11
>6. 1. The husband "causes her to commit adultery" when he
divorces her for any reason other than sexual
immorality>146. The reason being that she is still bound to
him as wife.>147 In 1 Corinth. 7:5 we see that
her husband "causes her to commit adultery" because her
husband is failing to meet her marital needs and the
enemy of her soul tempts in her burning need. (On the other
hand: The wife is not said to cause her husband to
commit adultery when she divorces him for any other reason
than sexual immorality, probably because he is
free to be a polygynist.)[Footnote: >146. Matt. 5:32; 19:9.
>147 1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39; Romans 7:1-3.]
2. "Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,
and marries another, commits adultery." The
adultery consists of divorcing his wife for something else
besides sexual immorality AND then remarrying. If
he stayed married to his wife and married another, he became
a polygynist. On the other hand, it is implied
here that if he divorces his wife for sexual immorality and
marries another, he does not commit adultery. His
divorcing her does not cause her to commit adultery because
she is already immorally sexually involved with
someone else. His refusal to meet her sexual needs (1 Cor 7:2-
5) does not cause her to be immoral because
she is already being immoral. He is commanded not to be
intimate with her (1Cor.5:11) but his lack of her
intimacy will cause him to be tempted (1 Cor.7:5). If the
temptations overcome him and he is faling to control
himself, burning with marital desire, he comes under command
to marry (1Cor.7:9) and so remarries in the
Lord. [Footnote: >152. Matt 19: 9: Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18.152.]
>7. Mark 10:11 & 12 means TO SEND OR PUT AWAY, DISMISS
(FROM ONE'S PRESENCE), RELEASE AND
REPUDIATE. It could be done informally or formally and legally
as divorce. [Footnote: .>III.1 See also Matt.
1:19; 5:31; 19:3,7-9.]
>8. Mark 10:9 of the saved couple and in 1 Cor. 7:10 &11 of
the saved wife , and in v. 15 of the unsaved
mate, means TO SEPARATE ONESELF FROM ANOTHER, BE
SEPARATED; LEAVE, PART OR DEPART FROM, PUT
ASUNDER AND DIVIDE. It could be done informally or formally
as a divorce. God allows the Christian wife to
choridzo her husband as second best but still affirms that she
is bound maritally to her husband as in v. 39.
[Footnotes: >III.2. See also active: Matt. 19:6; Mark 10:9; Rom.
8;35,39;---passive: 1 Cor.7:10,11,15;Acts
1:4; 18:2]
>9. l Cor. 7:11 and 12 and of the woman in v. 13, means TO
SEND AWAY, ASK TO GO AWAY OR LEAVE, TO
RELEASE, AND TO LEAVE. This can be done informally or as a
formal divorce. So the word divorce can mean
many different things depending on one's culture, society,
motivation, intent and purposes. But the bottom line
is that the husband is commanded not to send his wife away,
nor to ask his wife to leave, nor release her nor
leave her. Even if she asks or commands him to leave, He is
under the Lord's command not to leave. Even if
she gets a court order, he is under God's order not to leave her
voluntarily.If the marshals/officials remove
him and his belongings, then he didn't leave voluntarily. He
was removed, but he did not relase or leave her.
Separate rooms, sleeping separately or etc. is not leaving or
releasing her as long as he is obeying 1 Cor. 7:1-
5 with her.l [Footnote: .^141 See also Mat. 13:36;; Mark 4:36.]
