Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicodemus1968
We can even ask what consummates a marriage?
I know a preacher that believes it’s the physical act between a male and female.
Or is it the covenant between the male and female that consummates the marriage?
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CONSUMMATE, verb transitive [Latin See Sum.] To end; to finish by completing what was intended; to perfect; to bring or carry to the utmost point or degree.
He had a mind to consummate the happiness of the day.
The consummation of a marriage is the end or completion of the act of marriage. (Act, not state or condition. The act is a short term event, the condition is a long term status resulting from the act.) Consummation of a marriage does not initiate the marrying but rather completes or finalizes it.
A marriage involves (usually) 5 parties: the groom, the bride, the groom's parents, the bride's parents, and God. The community also has an interest (hence the custom of witnesses) but additional witnesses are not always required.
There must be an intention to marry, the parties involved agree that what is happening is a marriage.
There is a covenant HOWEVER it need not be verbalised or written. Marriage is itself a covenant or agreement, so the basic "vows" are assumed and included even if not verbalised. But especially nowadays it is highly advisable that the covenant be publicly affirmed, which is to say the bride and groom publicly affirm their knowledge and acceptance of the terms of the marriage covenant.
There is a consummation, the two must be joined together not merely covenantally but physically as well. If a marriage is entered into, the final step in the ACT of marriage would be "and they two shall be one flesh". If that does not happen then the marriage (the act of marrying) has not been completed. This does NOT mean the marriage does not exist, though, because as soon as a betrothal is started the man and woman are reckoned as bound (although the bond has not been completed, and thus under certain circumstances I believe may be cancelled).
Marriage has been practically destroyed in western society over the last 100 years. The destruction has been going long before any of us here were born though. It began with removing parental consent, then decriminalizing adultery and abandonment, then easing requirements for divorces, then no fault divorce, the introduction of welfare for single mothers and the bias against fathers in so called "family courts", the relentless propaganda against traditional marriage by the government, recognition of "civil unions", "gay marriage", etc etc.
As a result, MANY Christians are embroiled in faulty, bad, or even unlawful marriages. It's a complete mess with FAR reaching long term effects and ramifications for both the church and society in general. At this point the only solution I see as viable is for the church to re-herald the WORD OF GOD on the subject and to teach what the Scriptural pattern is, and essentially excommunicate anyone who refuses to follow the Word. At least for any and all future marriages going forward. This is basically "how it used to be" anyway, and it worked for some 3500 years at least. Not that everyone behaved properly, but all disobedience was considered an aberration, rather than the norm as it is today.
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