Questions on Vows.

[Carl Unger]

Don't need to answer all 3.

1. In the case of a Marriage vow, would it be a sin to break it even if for (biblical) lawful reasons?

2. Would a vow still be binding if it was a vow to sin?

3. Would a vow to ignore all vows be binding?

Thank you.

[Soyeong]

1. In the case of a Marriage vow, would it be a sin to break it even if for (biblical) lawful reasons?
I believe the Bible includes lawful reasons to break a marriage, specifically unfaithfulness. I do believe it is not a sin to break vows if they are made with conditions.


2. Would a vow still be binding if it was a vow to sin?
This brings up the situation where you sin if you do or sin if you don’t. I think it would probably be determined by whether you think breaking the vow would be a greater sin than whatever sin you vowed to commit. Both would require repentance afterward.


3. Would a vow to ignore all vows be binding?
It’s like the second question where either you break this vow by not ignoring it or you break it by following it. Either way, you’re going to end up with a broken vow. It would be best to repent for being foolish enough to make a vow you didn’t intend to keep afterwards.

[Carl Unger]

Thanks for the response, appreciated ;-)


I believe the Bible includes lawful reasons to break a marriage, specifically unfaithfulness. I do believe it is not a sin to break vows if they are made with conditions
This question does not personally effect me, but vows at weddings generally don't seem to have any conditions attached to it, therefore wouldn't it still be a sin?

[Soyeong]

Phrases like “till death due us part” are certainly conditional. :smile: I think if your partner vowed to remain faithful to you and they commit adultery, then I don’t see why you should be obligated to hold up your end of a broken vow. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the marriage should be over either. Unfaithfulness can be forgiven and vows can be renewed. It is really up to the couple, but since they make their vows to each other, if ones breaks it, then the other should be released from it if they so choose.

[The Midge]

There are examples of inappropriate vows made in the bible that were kept at extreme expense and suffering. My least favorite is in Judges 11 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=7&chapter=11&version=31&context=chapter



In this story Jeptha (a hero who happened to be the son of a prostitute but had a habit of winning battles) promises to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house if God hands the Ammonites over to him. Sure enough, he wins a dramatic victory. And who should come out of his house to great him but his daughter? The text strongly implies that he carried out this vow. The poor girl was given two months to roam the hill and weep with her friends. I think attempts to exigete this stark fact away do not work.



The book of Judges is punctuated with the phrase "the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD".



It is a horrible mater of fact account, typical of the book. The tragic thing is that had he known God, been more spiritual, wiser Jeptha would have known that he need not make such a rash vow. But Judges is meant to show us that God can still work with raw material that is less than ideal. It is not an example that we should follow but a warning that we should not stray so far from God's ways that we can no longer tell right from wrong.



In this case I would repent of the vow rather than carry it out. I don't think this applies to marriage vows. There is a moral alternative: celibacy

[Carl Unger]

In this case I would repent of the vow rather than carry it out. I don't think this applies to marriage vows. There is a moral alternative: celibacy[/QUOTE]

In this case I would repent of the vow rather than carry it out.
first, thanks for posting :-)
I would just like you to further explain the part I quoted though.
Thanks again, great post.

[The Midge]

In this case I would repent of the vow rather than carry it out. I don't think this applies to marriage vows. There is a moral alternative: celibacy

first, thanks for posting :-)
I would just like you to further explain the part I quoted though.
Thanks again, great post.[/QUOTE]You're welcome! I should clarify myself.

The mistake in the story of Jeptha is that he made a vow that he should not have done. Keeping the vow was a greater sin than not keeping the vow. Therefore God would be more understanding if we were to repent of it.

In the case of a wedding vow it is the opposite. The vow is, IIRC, "To Love hounour, cherish and forsake all others until death us do part". This is the biblicaly mandated relationship of two joined to one which no man should separate. It is all here in this tough passage:

1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.


3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'[a (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=19&version=31#fen-NIV-23765a)] 5and 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'[b (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=19&version=31#fen-NIV-23766b)]? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

7"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

10The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry." 11Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage[c (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=19&version=31#fen-NIV-23773c)]because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

Matthew 19: NIV

The only option apart from marriage would seem to be celibacy. The vow to adulturas partner is spiritualy binding even if they are divorced separated. However, the situation gets complicated in cases where people become Christian (for example) and effectively have a new slate? Is it permissible to remarry in that situation? I don't have a cut and dried opinion in such sensative pastoral/ real life circumstances. It depends on the situation.

[James Peter]

Well, in the case of marriages that are unlawful (gentile is married to his sister, converts and is thus required to 'break' the marriage) there is certainly biblical precedent for breaking the marriage. Of course the issues of marriage and vows are really distinct because ancient wedding ceremonies often didn't include the making of any vows. It was a contract, but no more so than purchasing a slave.

Of course modern marriages do include vows and so then the issue overlaps.

Anyway...

1. If sin is defined as 'unlawful behaviour' then by definition this scenario cannot be sinful. There are alternative defintions of sin but they generally focus around attitudes and relationships rather than actions.

2. A vow is binding but can be broken, there are simply consequences to doing so. Sinning also has consequences. Choose which set of consequences are preferable, both options are 'wrong'.

3. A vow to ignore all vows? Thats just plain silly. It is like the statement "I never tell the truth."