Let's face it, the divorce rate is up all over the world. And I believe that this question plays a huge role in why so many marriages end in divorce. Let's talk about it.

A Christian man's point of view

The intent of marriage was to be a covenant between a couple and God to symbolize and declare their union to the world. This cemented their exclusivity to each other and their commitment to God that they would stay together and live their lives according to His principles.

Throughout the years, marriage has become less of a covenant with God and more of a contract between two people. Most people still go through the motions of a God centric ceremony, but is He really in it? Is he really still the focus? Do people truly mean what they say in the vows that they profess during the wedding?

Let’s start with a few definitions. What is a contract? A contract is a written or verbal agreement between multiple people. What is a Covenant? A Covenant is a contract that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and His people. I believe that the lack of understanding of these definitions, having little or no faith, and the disrespect for who God is and His power are major reasons why so many people marry the wrong person and why divorce is as high as it is here in America.

If we treat marriage as only a contract then it’s merely a piece of paper determining how strong our union is. Contracts are broken all of the time and therefore makes divorce more plausible. It’s just a piece of paper, right? In essence, marriage is being treated more like a business partnership with a prenuptial agreement as the terms for dissolving the partnership when we’re no longer happy with the arrangement.

A covenant is so much more than just a contract. By definition alone, it has to be greater because it involves the use of a contract to establish itself. A covenant infers something sacred and should command respect. It isn’t something to be entered into lightly, but this happens all of the time.

True faith in God and His Word (The Bible) were the intended basis for marriage, but we know that’s not usually the case nowadays. And how many married couples do you know where you can honestly say that they sought God’s direction and approval of their current/past spouse before they got married? I’ll wait… So if faith in God are not apart of the marriage then there’s no way that it can be considered a covenant. It’s just a contract, right?

And there’s my main point. To many people, marriage has become nothing more than a piece of paper. A piece of paper with an agreement to be together until it no longer suits one or both of them. There’s nothing stronger than themselves keeping the relationship together. There’s no consequence or higher authority to answer to or be mindful of. Well, I guess if money and assets are your god then I stand corrected, but I digress. The astronomically high divorce rate is a direct reflection of the number of marriages held together by a contract.

There are still a few marriages that have been going strong for more than 30, 40 and 50+ years but they aren’t as easy to find. And that’s because they got married in a time where divorce was an option but frowned upon. A time where marriage was still a covenant between them and God; A time where God was still the founder of our country and “In God we trust” was a true statement on our currency; A time when marriage meant more than just I love you… right now; And a time where what you promised to God meant something.

To read a woman's perspective on this topic continue reading here.