Covenant or Contract

It seems that everyone is living under some sort of covenant anymore. In the words of Inigo Montoya, "I do not think that word means what you think it means."

There are covenants for neighborhoods and schools. It seems these are more like parlay (Pirates of the Caribbean) - "They are really more like guidelines." However, is this the meaning of covenant? Is it really more like a guideline?

I made the statement on Sunday that we should have covenantal marriages instead of contractual marriages. This raised the question, "What's the difference between Covenant and Contract as it relates to marriage."

We are such a capitalistic society that it seems we describe everything in financial terms. Lest you think I'm out to lunch on this, let's think about the bottom line on this. I mean, shouldn't we take an account of our situation? Is this really an asset or a liability? Maybe we should compile a balance sheet of pros and cons?

So, it is no wonder that we have taken the most intimate of relationships turned it into a contractual agreement!

So this brings me to why I think this is a big deal.

As a church we lost the battle over marriage when we allowed the government to perform the role of the church. For instance, would we let the government perform a funeral? Why not? And would we let government tell us how to worship or tell us what to preach? Why not? Because those are religious "institutions." In the same way, marriage is inherently a religious institution. It only has meaning in the context of the church because marriage has its roots in religion - not government.

But what about those who are not religious, can't they get married? No, they can have a civil union, but that is not marriage - marriage is a religious term. When a couple gets their marriage license, anyone can sign it (in Colorado). I would argue that it is not a marriage license as much as a certificate of civil union. If they want a marriage, they should receive their marriage certificate from the church.

But, that is not what we have in our society... This is actually the result of having a government founded with only one major religion in mind and wanting to support the primary religion of the culture. Therefore, it was the church's fault for allowing the government to "support" her.

Now, back to the real question. What is the difference between covenant and contract?

Covenants cannot be broken except by death - the shedding of blood. A contract can be nullified by either party breaching the terms of the contract.

Biblically a covenant could only be ratified through the shedding of blood - including marriage. And, though one could get a certificate of divorce - it did not nullify the covenant. Divorce still meant that the couple was still under the responsibilities of marriage without the benefits of marriage. Needless to say, there was really no benefit to divorce and therefore very few actually happened.

So, what does this mean for us today? Lest you think I lack compassion, I know that there is grace and forgiveness for every situation and this is from the covenant that Christ has made with us - through the shedding of blood. I have no problem with government unions and each person should have the freedom to choose the religion of their choice. If you want a contract that can be nullified, then get a civil union certificate. If you want a covenant that cannot be nullified, then get married.