1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 25
Of the Civil Magistrate
Marriage is to be between one Man and one Woman; neither is it lawful for any man to have more then one Wife, nor for any Woman to have more then one Husband at the same time.
Scripture references for paragraph 1
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Genesis 2:2424For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Malachi 2:1515Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.
Matthew 19:55and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
Matthew 19:66So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of Husband and Wife, for the increase of Man-kind, with a legitimate issue, and for preventing of uncleanness.
Scripture references for paragraph 2
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Genesis 2:1818The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”
Genesis 1:2828God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
1 Corinthians 7:22But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
1 Corinthians 7:99But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
It is lawful for all sorts of people to Marry, who are able with judgment to give their consent; yet it is the duty of Christians to marry in the Lord, and therefore such as profess the true Religion, should not Marry with Infidels, or Idolaters; neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked, by marrying with such as are wicked, in their life, or maintain damnable Heresie.
Scripture references for paragraph 3
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Hebrews 13:44Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
1 Timothy 4:33They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
1 Corinthians 7:3939A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.
Nehemiah 13:2525I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!
Nehemiah 13:2626Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin.
Nehemiah 13:2727Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”
Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity, or Affinity forbidden in the word; nor can such incestuous Marriage ever be made lawful, by any law of Man or consent of parties, so as those persons may live together as Man and Wife.
Scripture references for paragraph 4
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Leviticus 181Then the LORD said to Moses,
2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God.
3You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.
4You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God.
5Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am the LORD.
6None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
7You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
8You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.
9You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
10You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for that would shame your family.
11You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
13You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative.
14You must not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations with her; she is your aunt.
15You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her.
16You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.
17You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.
18You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.
19You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.
20You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.
21You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
22You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination.
23You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.
24Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves.
25Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.
26But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you.
27For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled.
28So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you.
29Therefore anyone who commits any of these abominations must be cut off from among his people.
30You must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.”
Mark 6:1818For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”
1 Corinthians 5:11It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.
Source and edition
1689 London Baptist Confession. NonlinearFruit/Creeds.json, Unlicense. Creeds.json, English transcription
Unlicense. Source transcription.
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