Can an engagement be broken?: Difference between revisions

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    William Branham taught that being engaged was the same as being married and couldn't be broken. But is this what Scripture teaches?
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    William Branham taught that being engaged was the same as being married and couldn't be broken:
     
    :'''''When you're engaged to her, as far as God is concerned, you're married to her.'''<ref>William Branham, 65-1125 - The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ, para. 86</ref>
     
    Is this what Scripture teaches?


    =What the Bible says=
    =What the Bible says=
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    1 Corinthians 7:36-38 states:
    1 Corinthians 7:36-38 states:


    :''If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.  But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.  So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better. <ref>The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 1 Co 7:36–38.</ref>
    :''In the case of an '''engaged couple who have decided not to marry''': if the man feels that he is not acting properly towards the young woman and if his passions are too strong and he feels that they ought to marry, '''then they should get married''', as he wants to. There is no sin in this. But if a man, without being forced to do so, has firmly made up his mind not to marry, and if he has his will under complete control and has already decided in his own mind what to do — '''then he does well not to marry the young woman'''.  So the man who marries does well, but the one who doesn’t marry does even better. <ref>American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), 1 Co 7:36–38</ref>
     
    The Pillar New Testament Commentary on The First Letter to the Corinthians states that Paul here is addressing is addressing betrothed Christian couples in this passage.
     
    :It makes sense of the details of the passage and is congruent with Paul’s advice elsewhere in the chapter. In v. 36 the two parties concerned are addressed with the words anyone (the betrothed male) and his virgin (his fiancée). TNIV is clear: If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to.… The word “virgin” refers to a single “young woman of marriageable age” (BDAG), that is, an eligible young woman. When such a young woman is called “his virgin,” it suggests that she is spoken for.


    :The man might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to either because he is giving in to sexual temptation, or because he has been holding off on the marriage longer than was considered appropriate. Much of Paul’s language in these verses is open to being interpreted in terms of either sexual temptation or social/moral pressure.  In the context of this chapter’s focus on porneia and concerns about “touching” women, it seems natural to take it as a reference to sexual impropriety.  
    Paul is speaking to the fiancé or engaged couple in 1 Corinthians 7:36-38 and his advice is that, while the engaged couple commit no sin (despite what some Corinthians think) if they do marry, it is preferable (‘better’) for them to remain unmarried.  '''This is completely opposite to the view of William Branham.'''<Ref>Andrew Cornes, Divorce and Remarriage: Biblical Principle and Pastoral Practice (Fearn, UK: Christian Focus Publications, 2002), 122.</ref>


    :However, it should also be noted that the last explicit reference to sexual temptations was back in v. 9, and that much or most of vv. 10–35 deal with social expectations and obligations. The man thinks or worries that he may not be treating his virgin properly. We hold that the nature of the man’s inappropriate behavior is suggested later on in the verse, when Paul indicates what the man thinks he ought to do. That is, he ought to marry the girl who has now come of age.
    Paul clearly doesn’t think that it’s impossible simultaneously to serve both the Lord and one’s marriage partner. He knows many married Christians, including most of the other apostles, and he doesn’t imagine for a moment that the two callings are mutually exclusive. But there was a famine on. Times were hard, particularly for newlyweds, who would rightly be eager to build up their marriage relationship by pouring themselves into thinking what would make their newly acquired spouse happy.


    :...Roman society looked down on keeping an adult “daughter at home, without any apparent reason”; he contends that such behavior was considered “dishonorable.” In fact ...“[t]he Augustan marriage laws forbade a paterfamilias to prevent the marriage of his daughter,” but the practice persisted and later emperors “ordered provincial governors to enforce this rule” and interpreted the law to “cover fathers who did not look for a match for their children.” Some men engaged themselves to underage girls in order to benefit from the privileges given to married men by law. Although they would not actually become married until the girl was older, they could claim the benefits of a married man right away.
    Paul does not look down on that aim. It is right and proper. Indeed, we find in Ephesians 5:22–33 that the self-giving love of husband to wife, and the answering love of wife to husband, are themselves things richly pleasing to God, gloriously reflecting his image. But in times of social and economic distress it may simply be impossible to do both things well—to find out and do what will please the Lord, working for the gospel in whatever way one is called to do, and to find out and do what will build up a new marriage relationship. And if that’s the choice, Paul is clear: one’s service to the Lord belongs first.


    :The next clause... has been translated in two ways: and if she is getting beyond the usual age for marrying (TNIV) and “if his passions are strong” (NRSV). Part of the problem is that the subject of the dependent clause is unexpressed. It could be either the subject of the previous clause, the man (anyone), or the most recently mentioned person, the virgin. The relevant word has been taken to refer “either to puberty on the part of a woman or ‘full of passion’ with reference to men.” A reexamination of the evidence suggests that the word means to have passed through puberty, that is, to have arrived at full adulthood. As such, it most likely applies to the woman (since men usually married at a later age). Since most women would be expected to marry as adolescents, TNIV’s getting beyond the usual age for marrying probably reflects Paul’s meaning.
    As in most of the chapter, Paul is not laying down hard and fast rules. He is trying to teach the Corinthians to think clearly, wisely and above all Christianly about delicate issues where there is no absolute right and wrong. In our own day there are many who have ignored his wise advice and have rushed ahead into marriage and into a new sphere of Christian work or service, assuming that because God has brought them together the complex business of learning to work for the gospel and the complex business of learning to live as a couple will somehow fall into place. This simply can’t be assumed.  


    :The sequence of ideas—“if she has come of age, and so it ought to happen, … let them marry”—suggests that the man feels an “obligation to meet certain social or moral expectations,” namely, that of following through on his promise to marry the girl (a promise which may well have brought him legal benefits in the interim) now that she has come of age. To not do so would be to have exploited her and her family, an unseemly thing to do. The “it” to which Paul is referring is made explicit at the end of the verse: They should get married426 (which employs a permissive imperative), given the man’s sense of moral obligation in light of the girl’s arrival at a critical age.
    '''Paul’s stated aim is to keep Christians free from anxieties.''' Sometimes he simply tells people to put anxieties away, trusting the Lord for everything, as in Philippians 4:6. But maybe part of that ‘trusting the Lord for everything’ will involve taking steps to make sure that one is not placing unnecessary burdens of anxiety upon oneself — and upon those to whom one is bound in ties of human love. This isn’t a way of saying that the Lord helps those who helps themselves. But it is a way of reminding God’s people that when we pray for something, part of the answer to the prayer may be some action that lies in our own power to do or not to do. There is no point in praying for safety on the road while continuing to drive dangerously.


    :The fact that Paul says, He is not sinning, has been taken by many to indicate that he is dealing with Corinthians who are promoting celibacy and who have suggested to the man that it would be wrong, a sin, to go ahead and marry his fiancée. But it is Paul himself who has been advocating celibacy and who has indicated that he does not want anyone to seek to change their status but, rather, wants each one to remain in the situation in which they already found themselves (vv. 17, 20, 24, 26). In light of the various ways he has driven home this point, it is not surprising that when giving his permission to marry Paul feels the need to clarify that this would not be a sinful course of action.  
    Paul is very emphatic in all of this that he is not opposing marriage itself. (He here addresses the man, although elsewhere in the chapter he is careful to speak to both man and woman; perhaps this reflects the social situation in which the engaged man was responsible for arranging the wedding.) On the contrary; if the man finds that his desire for his fiancée is getting stronger, putting him in an impossible position (see 1 Cor 7:9), then they should marry; that is perfectly all right. But they should be prepared then to face the difficulties that will accompany the early days of a marriage, even and perhaps especially a Christian one, when life for other reasons is in any case hard.<ref>Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 95–96.</ref>


    :Paul might have preferred that the man be and feel free not to follow through with the marriage, but he respected his right to decide whether or not this was the best course of action. This man is concerned, as he should be, not to do anything unseemly or disgraceful. He is concerned about his own moral integrity and the reputation of the gospel. He too wants to “glorify God with [his] body” (6:20). It is not a preference for marriage or singleness that counts, but “Keeping God’s commandments” (7:19).<ref>Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to the Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 357–359.</ref>
    Based on this passage of scripture, a man and a woman who are engaged to be married are not bound.  They are free to either go ahead and get married or to decide not to get married. Importantly, they should not be worried or anxious about the situation.


    As a result, it is clear that William Branham's teaching is not scriptural.
    '''As a result, it is clear that William Branham's teaching is not scriptural. In fact, William Braham's teaching creates a great deal of anxiety, something Paul was trying to eliminate.'''


    =Quotes of William Branham=
    =Quotes of William Branham=

    Latest revision as of 21:25, 19 January 2022

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    William Branham taught that being engaged was the same as being married and couldn't be broken:

    When you're engaged to her, as far as God is concerned, you're married to her.[1]

    Is this what Scripture teaches?

    What the Bible says

    1 Corinthians 7:36-38 states:

    In the case of an engaged couple who have decided not to marry: if the man feels that he is not acting properly towards the young woman and if his passions are too strong and he feels that they ought to marry, then they should get married, as he wants to. There is no sin in this. But if a man, without being forced to do so, has firmly made up his mind not to marry, and if he has his will under complete control and has already decided in his own mind what to do — then he does well not to marry the young woman. So the man who marries does well, but the one who doesn’t marry does even better. [2]

    Paul is speaking to the fiancé or engaged couple in 1 Corinthians 7:36-38 and his advice is that, while the engaged couple commit no sin (despite what some Corinthians think) if they do marry, it is preferable (‘better’) for them to remain unmarried. This is completely opposite to the view of William Branham.[3]

    Paul clearly doesn’t think that it’s impossible simultaneously to serve both the Lord and one’s marriage partner. He knows many married Christians, including most of the other apostles, and he doesn’t imagine for a moment that the two callings are mutually exclusive. But there was a famine on. Times were hard, particularly for newlyweds, who would rightly be eager to build up their marriage relationship by pouring themselves into thinking what would make their newly acquired spouse happy.

    Paul does not look down on that aim. It is right and proper. Indeed, we find in Ephesians 5:22–33 that the self-giving love of husband to wife, and the answering love of wife to husband, are themselves things richly pleasing to God, gloriously reflecting his image. But in times of social and economic distress it may simply be impossible to do both things well—to find out and do what will please the Lord, working for the gospel in whatever way one is called to do, and to find out and do what will build up a new marriage relationship. And if that’s the choice, Paul is clear: one’s service to the Lord belongs first.

    As in most of the chapter, Paul is not laying down hard and fast rules. He is trying to teach the Corinthians to think clearly, wisely and above all Christianly about delicate issues where there is no absolute right and wrong. In our own day there are many who have ignored his wise advice and have rushed ahead into marriage and into a new sphere of Christian work or service, assuming that because God has brought them together the complex business of learning to work for the gospel and the complex business of learning to live as a couple will somehow fall into place. This simply can’t be assumed.

    Paul’s stated aim is to keep Christians free from anxieties. Sometimes he simply tells people to put anxieties away, trusting the Lord for everything, as in Philippians 4:6. But maybe part of that ‘trusting the Lord for everything’ will involve taking steps to make sure that one is not placing unnecessary burdens of anxiety upon oneself — and upon those to whom one is bound in ties of human love. This isn’t a way of saying that the Lord helps those who helps themselves. But it is a way of reminding God’s people that when we pray for something, part of the answer to the prayer may be some action that lies in our own power to do or not to do. There is no point in praying for safety on the road while continuing to drive dangerously.

    Paul is very emphatic in all of this that he is not opposing marriage itself. (He here addresses the man, although elsewhere in the chapter he is careful to speak to both man and woman; perhaps this reflects the social situation in which the engaged man was responsible for arranging the wedding.) On the contrary; if the man finds that his desire for his fiancée is getting stronger, putting him in an impossible position (see 1 Cor 7:9), then they should marry; that is perfectly all right. But they should be prepared then to face the difficulties that will accompany the early days of a marriage, even and perhaps especially a Christian one, when life for other reasons is in any case hard.[4]

    Based on this passage of scripture, a man and a woman who are engaged to be married are not bound. They are free to either go ahead and get married or to decide not to get married. Importantly, they should not be worried or anxious about the situation.

    As a result, it is clear that William Branham's teaching is not scriptural. In fact, William Braham's teaching creates a great deal of anxiety, something Paul was trying to eliminate.

    Quotes of William Branham

    "Joseph, fear not, take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." He was minded to put her away privately, see, after he'd already engaged to her. When you're engaged to her, as far as God is concerned, you're married to her.[5]



    Footnotes

    1. ↑ William Branham, 65-1125 - The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ, para. 86
    2. ↑ American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), 1 Co 7:36–38
    3. ↑ Andrew Cornes, Divorce and Remarriage: Biblical Principle and Pastoral Practice (Fearn, UK: Christian Focus Publications, 2002), 122.
    4. ↑ Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 95–96.
    5. ↑ William Branham, 65-1125 - The Invisible Union Of The Bride Of Christ, para. 86


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