What defines a marriage?
Does the government justify a marriage? Well let's say you live in the jungle and there is no government, does this mean that nobody can righteously have children? Or if an evil government decided the world was overpopulated and nobody was allowed to get married, do they have this authority to nullify the will of God? Obviously not, so marriage is not justified by a legal certificate.
Is marriage justified by an oath to God? Certainly an oath to God has a lot of weight, but by this definition, atheists cannot be married. Does a Christian believe that it is okay to marry an atheist's wife because his vows are invalid? Obviously not, so an oath to God is not a requirement of a marriage.
So then what is marriage justified by? In my opinion: a marriage is created by oath between a man and woman to eachother. When a man and woman tell eachother they love eachother and want to be together, this is what marries them. A couple sleeping together, therefore, is not adultery if done out of genuine love, and if they have the intention of being together their whole lives. However, if that couple breaks up and sleeps with someone else, then that is adultery.
Adultery is a sin because it is wrong to hurt someone who loves you.
Does the government justify a marriage? Well let's say you live in the jungle and there is no government, does this mean that nobody can righteously have children? Or if an evil government decided the world was overpopulated and nobody was allowed to get married, do they have this authority to nullify the will of God? Obviously not, so marriage is not justified by a legal certificate.
Is marriage justified by an oath to God? Certainly an oath to God has a lot of weight, but by this definition, atheists cannot be married. Does a Christian believe that it is okay to marry an atheist's wife because his vows are invalid? Obviously not, so an oath to God is not a requirement of a marriage.
So then what is marriage justified by? In my opinion: a marriage is created by oath between a man and woman to eachother. When a man and woman tell eachother they love eachother and want to be together, this is what marries them. A couple sleeping together, therefore, is not adultery if done out of genuine love, and if they have the intention of being together their whole lives. However, if that couple breaks up and sleeps with someone else, then that is adultery.
Adultery is a sin because it is wrong to hurt someone who loves you.