Post #15: The Covenant of Marriage

by Donald Borsch Jr.

I am not married as the world understands it. I am walking in a covenant of marriage with my bride. Marriage is just a contract, an agreement, a willing decision to stay thusly provided the other person maintains your idea of what they should do for you. Marriage is shaky at best, and easily defiled.

I don’t have a marriage. I have a covenant with my bride that Christ Jesus has put His Name and His hand upon.

Marriage is a legal contract. Marriage is what the world has. People do put the Name of Jesus on it, so to speak, by having a marriage ceremony in a church, with some kind of clergy pronouncing their marriage as legitimate, but it’s just an agreement. Easily broken at a person’s choosing. The world has shown me this time and again, and I fully believe it.

I don’t have a marriage. I have a covenant. The Name of Jesus is upon it, and I cannot walk away from it, nor can I make it go away.

Marriage allows for selfish actions and attitudes to manifest without accountability. Marriage allows for emotions to dictate its credibility and validity. Marriage delights lawyers and wedding planners and owners of bridal shops. Covenant delights God my Father.

Marriage requires permission, testing, payment, and planning. Covenant requires Christ Jesus, and His blessings come free.

Covenant says, “As for me, I will__________________________, and I say this in the Name of Jesus, who is the witness to this covenant.” Marriage says, “I do, as long as you do, or until I decide I don’t want to do any longer.”

The covenant of marriage is based upon Jesus and His Bride, she being The Church He is building. Husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loves The Church. Husbands exemplify Jesus. Wives are told to submit to their husbands. Wives exemplify The Church. Covenant. The covenant of marriage under the Headship of Christ is powerful stuff, indeed, and is not to be so casually disregarded.

In simpler terms I have said to my bride that her “job”, if you will, is to obey, and my “job” is to serve. A great arrangement, based on our relationship as The Church to Christ Jesus our Head. My bride doesn’t want to be the husband and I do not want to be the wife. Again, a great arrangement. Equal worth, but different roles and purposes this side of Heaven.

Covenant (under Kingdom rule) trumps marriage (under worldy rule), and it is my wish to see Christians grasp this and embrace the truth that what they have is covenant, and not simply a Christian marriage. It goes so much deeper than that. Throughout human history, The Lord has always dealt with mankind through covenant.

Marriages are easily broken without concern from the world. It is basically accepted and shrugged-off. Covenant can be broken, yes, but woe unto the person who does so. God my Father does not favor covenant-breakers. So consider your marriage as a covenant, as it really is, and look to Christ as The Head for guidance on how He wants you to walk it out. He can be trusted for counsel. He knows a thing or two about covenant.

Simple.