The Celestial Law of Marriage

I promised a friend of mine that I would include an entry on my blog regarding why members of the Church of Jesus Christ accept the doctrine of celestial marriage as requisite to gaining exaltation when he suggests there is no Bible support. The following summarizes my feelings on the issue.

Marriage is Honourable... Adultery is Not.

Critics of the doctrine of celestial marriage frequently and, in my judgment, erroneously site Paul's letters in 1 Cor. 7 as a rejection of the doctrine. Though married themselves many of them ignorantly champion the doctrine of celibacy which I whole-heartedly refute. As a father of 5 who has served full-time for 2 years seeking to convert the godless to the God of Abraham, I have learned first-hand that the most important and effective missionary work happens within the walls of a righteous home where both parents fear God and seek to live in accordance with His will. Furthermore, while Paul has obviously said things that could undermine the institution of marriage, he is also the most quoted champion of it. His words must therefore be read within their specific contexts rather than being taken as statements of general truth. A comprehensive examination of his teachings to the Corinthians illustrate his contempt for fornication and adultery. Contrarily he champions chastity before marriage and complete fidelity within the bonds of marriage. Applying this lens to his lectures to the Corinthians makes the issue plain. He was definitely speaking on behalf of marriage. To review a series of scriptures that show the obvious position of the Lord and the early Apostles in regards to marriage I would first like to cite Gen.1:28 where God gave a commandment to the family of men saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth”. The seventh commandment says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Ex 20:14). So we are all commanded to multiply and replenish the earth yet not commit fornication and adultery.  This excludes all options save marriage. (Heb. 13:4 - Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.) The second chapter of Genesis backs up to the creation of Eve saying, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (v.24). We were created to marry and multiply. Now obviously modern marriage arrangements are a social construct, but since the beginning of mankind there has been an arrangement that would set a man and woman apart from others to cleave (be united) unto one another. All throughout the Old and New Testaments we learn of God's contempt for the sins of adultery and fornication which become obsolete within a righteous marriage relationship.  

Paul was a Proponent of Marriage

A quick run through of the Pauline scriptures that support the institution of marriage include 1 Tim 4:1-3 where Paul gives examples of those who give “heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of the devil” among which are those who forbid to marry (v.3). Self-prescribed celibacy, as he discusses it here, would be considered a doctrine of the devil. In 1 Cor. 7 we find Paul speaking expressly against the sins of adultery and fornication and then saying, “ let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband”. Pay attention in this chapter to what he says is a commandment from the Lord and what he expressly says is NOT a commandment but his own thoughts on the issue. (Read D&C 74, it's short). In vs.8 when he says, “ I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.” I am convinced that Paul is talking about remaining chaste... not unmarried. 1 Cor. 11:11 is probably the most significant of his teachings that relate to an eternal principle of marriage. The KJV says, “neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.” Can we get any clearer than that?

Introduction of Ordinances

While I believe that many members of the First Century Church of Jesus Christ accepted and practiced the doctrine of celestial marriage, I understand that there is no solid New Testament proof of this. So I will not seek to prove such through the New Testament. Nevertheless, even if the Lord waited until this the last dispensation to introduce such a critical doctrine I would not be surprised. A parallel ordinance might help to clarify my convictions. In the Old Testament we find no solid proof that baptism was required for salvation, yet Christ is clear that “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16), and “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5). While Members of the Church of Jesus Christ have their explanations for this, how does a mainstream protestant explain the perfect Mercy of God in relation to these scriptures and earlier peoples who were more worthy than they for the kingdom of God. Jesus made it clear that there is a covenantal ordinance that must take place. Similarly it is not inconsistent for Christ to reveal another saving ordinance after much of the earth has already come and gone as long as he provides means for past peoples to meet the same requirements. This is the purpose of the Spirit World (see next section), to provide this chance.

Salvation vs. Exaltation

There is a fundamental difference in the way Mainstream Protestants and members of the Church of Jesus Christ envision the afterlife as indicative of written teachings. Mormons do not believe in a simple dichotomous afterlife where everyone is divided into two camps: Heaven or Hell (Actually we do, but we call it the Spirit World and see it not as our final resting place but a transitional place where spirits have one final chance to accept or reject the doctrines and ordinances of salvation. (1 Pet. 3:18-20). Following the Spirit World is the Final Judgment as spoken of by John the Revelator (Rev. 20:12). It is after this judgment that all souls who are deserving of salvation shall receive a kingdom of glory perfectly complimentary to the life we lived, the nature of our hearts, and our acceptance of Christ's Atonement. The scriptures speak of three kingdoms of glory that vary in the amount of glory depending on their proximity to God. (D&C 74, 2 Cor. 12:2, 1 Cor. 15:40-42). Each kingdom is divided into a multitude of levels each varying in glory so that each soul receives their perfect due. To make a long explanation short. We believe that salvation will come to all who attain a kingdom of glory, which comes through a combination of the perfect grace of God and our own works of goodness. Exaltation, on the other hand, comes to a select group who inherit the highest level of the highest kingdom. (see D&C 131, 132). Therefore we often agree with other Christians when speaking of salvation, but do not see eye to eye when speaking of exaltation. Celestial marriage relates to exaltation.

Christ Rejects Divorce and Sustains Marriage

Jesus Christ, when confronted by the Pharisees about divorce in Matthew 19:3-9 (and Mark 10:2-12) Jesus responded by explaining that God “made them at the beginning made them male and female, 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'. Here Jesus confirms that Old Testament account. He continues warning, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder (separate).” My favorite part of the story actually comes next when the Pharisees defend divorce by saying that Moses commanded it as a prophet. Jesus soundly rebukes them explaining that Moses gave the commandment because of the hardness of the people's hearts. He said, “but from the  beginning it was not so.” There we have it. From the beginning we were meant to be together... not separate.