The Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas [MCCA] proclaims and upholds the Christian ideal of marriage as presented in the New Testament by our Lord Jesus Christ who quoted and amplified the creation story as follows: “From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” [Mark10:6-9; see also Genesis 2:18-25] [The Constitution and Discipline of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas [SO 83(2) (a), p. 200]
Marriage is a lifelong union between one man and one woman. It is the most comprehensive of human relationships encompassing emotional, physical, spiritual, legal and financial dimensions. Marriage fulfils the divine purpose of creation, that the love of a man and a woman should reach fulfilment and wholeness in mutual companionship, helpfulness and care. This is the ideal environment for children to grow up in security, responsibility, goodwill and harmony. [Prayer Book of the Methodist Church, p.223]
There are three basic models of marriage practised in the Western world – sacramental, contractual and covenantal:
* Sacramental: a permanent bond entered into as a means of obtaining God’s grace.
* Contractual: a legal contract voluntarily formed, maintained, and dissolved by two individuals at will.
This includes arranged marriages a type of marital union where bride and groom are selected by a third party
rather than by each other.
* Covenantal: a sacred bond between a man and a woman instituted by and entered into before God.
The MCCA upholds the covenantal model of marriage because it encourages monogamous and permanent relationships. The MCCA does not view marriage as a sacrament. Moreover it views marriage as more than a contract goes which satisfies legal obligations and that may facilitate relationships of convenience.
The Implications of the Covenantal nature of marriage
In Christian marriage, God’s divine purpose should not be substituted by society’s convenience and pleasure which discard the tenets of biblical marriage. The marriage covenant emphasises permanence, sacredness, intimacy, mutuality and monogamy.
* Permanence: Marriage is intended to be permanent since it was established by God [Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6] It constitutes a serious commitment that should not be entered into unadvisedly, and involve a solemn promise not only to the marriage partner but before God [Malachi 2:13-16; Matthew 19:8-9]
* Sacredness: It is a relationship before and under God and begins even before marriage with abstinence, keeping of oneself for one’s future spouse [Genesis 2:22- 24; 1 Corinthians 6:13b-20; 7:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5].
* Intimacy: Marriage is the most intimate of all human relationships, uniting a man and a woman in a “one flesh’ bond
(Genesis 2:23-25). It includes leaving one’s former kin and establishing a new kinship between the two persons previously unrelated. [Song of Solomon 7:10]
* Mutuality: Marriage is a relationship of free self-giving of one human being to another [1 Corinthians 7:3-5; 11:11;
Ephesians 5:21-33]. The marriage partners must be first and foremost concerned about the well-being of the other person and be committed to each other and treat each other with with dignity [Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18; Malachi 2:14;
Song of Solomon 2;16; 6:3; Colossians 3;18-19; 1 Peter 3:7]
* Monogamy: No other human relationship must interfere with the marriage commitment between husband and wife
[Genesis 2:18-25; Exodus 20:14, 17; Leviticus 20:10; Matthew 19:9; Matthew 5:27-28]
The MCCA recognises the widespread rejection of the tenets of marriage due to an aggressive liberalization and watering down of God’s word. This has resulted in a number of aberrations which are evident in society : lust [Romans 1:24; 2 Peter 2;10]; sexual orgies [Romans 1:26-27; 13:13; 1 Peter 4:3]; prostitution [Proverbs 5;1-23; 7:4-27]; sodomy [Genesis 19:5-7; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Jude 7]; incest [Leviticus 18:7-18; 20:11-21; 1 Corinthians 5:1].
It is therefore imperative that:
1. Members seeking to be married adopt the Covenantal model of marriage.
2. Members promote healthy interpersonal relationships.
3. Unmarried members practice sexual abstinence before marriage.
4. Couples engage in pre-marital preparation.
5. Couples seek marital counselling when necessary.
6. Couples participate in Marriage enrichment activities.
7. Members choose the path of marital relationship instead of common- law union.
8. Couples practise mutual submission and self-sacrificing love.
Affirmed by the Faith and Order Commission
Thursday, November 05, 2015, 12.05 hrs.