Think on this, saints of God, marriage is a sacrament. A sacrament is a ritual instituted by God, as a outward, and visible sign, of an inward and spiritual grace. Marriage is a ritual instituted of God, for it was God that performed the first marriage for it was God that jointed adam, and eve in holy wedlock. First of all let me help you in the selection of a spouse. Christians are only to marry Christians. For if that which is holy touches that which is unclean, it will not cleanse the unclean, but will corrupt, and make unclean that which is holy. Haggai 2:ll thus saith the lord of hosts: ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,. If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said no. Then said haggai, if one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, it shall be unclean. 2 Corinthians 5: be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? And what communion hath light with darkness?. And what concord hath Christ with belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?. And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God: as God hath said, i will dwell in them, and walk in them: and i will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and i will receive you. And will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the lord almighty. Beloved, before a person receives the holy ghost, before the inward man the soul comes to life, they cannot truly love, they may have a imitation love, a counterfeit love, but only after a person has received the holy ghost, can a person truly love: for God is love. L john 4:6 we are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us, hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 7. Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God : and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten son into the world, that we might live through him. Holy child if you want a spouse that will love you all the days of their life, marry a Christian, a spirit filled Christian. A person cannot love someone today and not love them tomorrow, for love never fails, never quits. Marry a person that has a quiet, and gentle spirit. For once you say the words "i do", once you have taken your wedding vows, you cannot come before the lord God and say you made an error. Ecclesiastes 5:4 when thou vowest a vow unto God defer not to pay it: for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin: neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? In this present world, there are multitudes of men that take to themselves concubines. A concubine is a woman that does all the duties of a wife, without the benefit of marriage. Under the law of moses' concubines were legal. The law and the prophets were until john the baptist came preaching in the wilderness, since that time the kingdom of God is preached and men are pressed into it. Under the new testament,under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, every man is to have his own wife, and every woman is to have her own husband. L corinthians 7:l ( the lord inspired the apostle paul to write these words to the saints at corinth ) now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: it is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. Beloved of God, the word benevolence means to be kind, and generous:therefore, husband be kind and generous to your wife, and wife be kind and generous to your husband? Listen carefully saints of God, when you are married your body is not your own exclusively. Husband your wife has certain rights as pertaining to your body. Therefore do not leave your wife for long periods of time. And wife, do not withhold your body from your husband, for if you do : the old serpent the devil, the tempter, will come creeping in, and cause you trouble. L corinthians7:4 the wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer: and come together again, that satan tempt you not for your incontinency. Saints of God, there is nothing wrong with a man or woman that wants toremain single. But if they cannot keep from having sex, it is better tomarry than to burn. L corinthians 7:8 i say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as i. 9. But if they cannot contain, let them marry : for it is better to marry than to burn. Holy children, if two people marry, and neither one of them are born-again Christians, and God calls one of them to repentance, and gives them the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the holy ghost. It isn't necessary for the person that receives the holy ghost, to divorce their spouse, for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. The spirit filled child of God will sanctify their spouse, and their children. L corinthians 7: but to the rest speak i, not the lord, if any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean, but now they are holy. Brothers and sisters in the lord Jesus Christ, the bible gives an account of a virtuous woman. The ideal wife, one whose price is above rubies. Proverbs 3l: who can find a virtuous woman ? For her price is far above rubies. Ll. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships: she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor: yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 2l. She is not afraid of the snow for her household : for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry : her clothing is silk and purple. 23. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 25. Strength and honor are her clothing : and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26. She openeth her mouth with wisdom : and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 28. Her children arise up, and call her blessed : her husband also, and he praiseth her. 29. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 30. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the lord, she shall be praised. 3l. Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her own works praise her in the gates. Christian men are to love their wives, they are to live with one wifeuntil death do they part. They are to be faithful to their wives, they're to live their lives in such a way,that their wives know that they love them, and know that they can trust them. Good husbands provide for their families. A man is to rule over his family, he is to teach his children to be God fearing. There is only one cause of action for divorce, and that is fornication. Fornication is a broad term, and covers all unlawful sexual relations. If a man divorces his wife for any reason other than fornication, he cannot remarry without living in adultery. St. Matthew :3 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 no 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. Beloved if you are a new convert to the Christian religion you may not be acquainted with what adultery does to the soul. Adultery destroys the soul. The outward body of flesh, and blood shall perish, it is the inward man the soul that shall live in eternity. Proverbs 6:32 but whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding : he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. Ll corinthians 4: for which cause we faint not: but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. ? Brothers and sisters in Christ, a man can put away his wife for fornication, and remarry without living in adultery, but a woman cannot. As long as a woman has a living husband she cannot remarry without living in adultery. If a man marries a woman that has a living husband he will be marrying into adultery. Romans 7:l know ye not, brethren, ( for i speak to them that know the law) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2. For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth : but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law : so that she is no adulteress though she be married to another man. Christian woman do not pave the road for your husband to commit adultery:do not bring some woman to your home to live, whether she be beautiful or otherwise, whether she be kin or not. Husbands do not let men come to your home when you are not there, have a firm rule no men in the house when you're not home, kinfolk or otherwise. Listen to me carefully, there is no pain like the pain of divorce, strong men will cry like a little child. Keep your family close to the church, and around Christian people. Beloved if a woman leaves her husband for some reason, and becomes another man's wife or concubine. If that woman gets in a condition where she has no man, should her first husband take her as his wife again? No, i do not believe that would be God's will. For she has polluted defiled herself by becoming an adulteress. Reading from the book of deuteronomy 24:l when a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house, 2. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife? 3. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house: or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife: 4. Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled, for that is an abomination before the lord.