Name: Marriage, divorce, and remarriage.
Availability: InStock

Course Content

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What This Free Course Covers

This free course currently contains one lesson focused on a specific question: if an engaged couple makes an oral covenant before God to never separate, does that covenant itself make them married if the engagement later ends? The lesson answers carefully from biblical reasoning rather than claiming an early Christian source, since the speaker says this exact question is not discussed among the early Christians.

The discussion distinguishes engagement or betrothal from marriage, using Joseph and Mary as a biblical example of a serious betrothal that still was not the same as being husband and wife. It also considers why fornication could be grounds to end a betrothal, why vows before God should not be made lightly, and why a person in this situation may seek release before God and possibly with church leaders.

The lesson is especially helpful for students wrestling with the seriousness of promises, engagement, and the boundary between intending marriage and actually entering marriage.

Engagement and betrothal Marriage before God Joseph and Mary Fornication and separation Vows and pledges Biblical reasoning Pastoral caution Seeking release

What You Will Study

Whether an oral pledge during engagement constitutes marriage before God
The distinction between intending to marry and becoming husband and wife
How Joseph and Mary’s betrothal is used as a biblical example
Why betrothal could involve a serious legal or covenantal commitment
Why fornication is discussed as grounds for ending a betrothal
The danger of making vows that depend on another person’s future actions
The need to take vows before God seriously while also seeking mercy and release when appropriate

Questions This Course Helps Answer

Does a covenant made during engagement automatically make a couple married before God?
Is betrothal the same thing as marriage?
How does the example of Joseph and Mary help explain betrothal?
Why was Joseph described as needing to put Mary away rather than simply walk away?
Can fornication be grounds to break an engagement or betrothal?
What is the difference between planning to become husband and wife and already being husband and wife?
Should an engaged couple make a vow before God that they will never separate?
What makes vows before God serious?
Are there vows a person should avoid because they depend on another person?
What might someone do if they made a serious pledge during an engagement that later ended?
Can church leaders be involved in seeking release from a pledge?
Does a broken engagement necessarily mean the person is unable to marry in the future?

Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

If an engaged couple makes a covenant before God to never separate, does it constitute a marriage if the engagement is broken?

This lesson considers whether an oral covenant made during engagement should be treated as marriage before God. The speaker argues that engagement or betrothal is serious, but still distinct from marriage, and urges caution about making vows that depend on another person.

Does an engagement vow make a couple married before God?
How does biblical betrothal differ from marriage?
Why does the lesson refer to Joseph and Mary?
How should someone think about a serious pledge after a broken engagement?

Marriage, divorce, and remarriage.