Marriage - Does God Mean What He Says?

Marriage - Does God Mean What He Says?

By

Bishop Nelson W. Ferguson

Senior Pastor Church of God of Prophecy

Minnie Street & Cordeaux Avenue

June 4th, 2004

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Marriage is God ordained. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them.” Genesis 1:27. Note verse 28. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them ‘be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”

This relationship was to be social as well as physical. In Genesis 2:18, the Lord said, “it is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him and help meet for him. The woman was to be by the side of the man. In verse 24, God intended marriage to be for life. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” ‘To cleave’ means to be glued to or bound together. People, marriage is a Covenant, a solemn binding agreement made before God and men. Marriage involves covenant.

When I got married, on June 19th, 1963, I told God I will stay with my wife until death; I will forsake all others and cleave to my wife. She said the same. We said that with two witnesses and many other people there, with a Bishop performing the ceremony. We entered into a covenant with God. It is a binding agreement made before God and man. Listen to the Prophet Malachi in Chapter 2 verse 14. “The Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth…….”

Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. Yes, you are seeing and reading correctly. I did say between one man and one woman. Not between two men or two women. God will never honour any two men or two women being married.

Marriage between persons of the same sex is an abomination before God, and God, who is righteous and holy, will judge harshly. Don’t forget the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God destroyed both cities because of the sex sin of Sodomy. Hear me people, God is a just God and He means what He says. I repeat, God will never honour any marriage between two persons of the same sex. Call them ‘gay’ if you may, call them ‘homosexual’ if you wish, I call them ‘sissies’. No matter what the name, unless you repent, you will perish in hell’s fire.

Marriage between a man and a woman is dissolved only by death. It’s a commitment to each other for life, and supersedes all other human relationships.

Well Pastor, How do you explain Matthew 19:9? Jesus said “you can put away for the cause of fornication.” You are right…..fornication is a Bible cause for putting away or divorcing. The question then arises “What is fornication?” To find the answer for fornication, we must go to the Bible. The Word of God should be final. God says what He means and means what He says. God’s word is our highest court of appeal and we must resort to the word to determine this matter. Let us read Matthew 19: 3-9 “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

5. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

7. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

8. He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

9. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.”

Now read Matthew 5:32 on the same subject. “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

These scriptures give fornication as a cause for divorce and this is the only Bible cause for divorce and remarriage. Of course we know that death of a spouse gives cause also, but fornication is the only Biblical grounds given for divorcing one party and being free to marry another.