Matthew 19:4-6
"4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who[a]made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”"
Well, I couldn't find a verse that says, you need a marriage certificate, but by your own words, do you think you two are married? From your own words, "we are exclusive not dating anybody" and "committed to one another". To me this sounds like your going steady and are living together. Finally, you are saying, "I've been living with my girlfriend". Why not say, I have been living with my wife? Something to consider. That should be the question right?
From your own testimony is sounds like your going steady with your girlfriend and living together. Please set the record straight, if that's not the case. Also, ask your girlfriend, if she thinks your married, or just living together?
From your own testimony you don't consider her your wife, but girlfriend. I think you are just trying to justify your living arrangement. By the way, congratulations on your "exlusivive not dating anybody else". Doesn't that sound like marriage, or going steady?
There was Jesus who said Certificate of Divorce in Matthew 19. That being said , this idea of shacking up is nothing new. Free loving was stated in the 60's with hippies and what is was rebellion. Why buy the cow if you get the milk for free? With no legal recognized marriage by the law of the land and by GOD man can do what he wants. He can walk away any time without any legal ramification. That is just a scared little boy playing house with a Nieve girl. WE like to spilt hairs with the word of God and say "there is nothing that says you need a marriage certificate to be married in the bible."
LOL yet is shacking up Christ like? Did Jesus support marriage and the marriage ceremony of his day? YES, he did. Did Jesus obey the laws of the land? Yes, he did. Did Jesus say render to creaser what is creaser's and to God what is God's? Yes, he did.
Did Jesus say that a certificate of Divorce was a document legitimizing one was in fact married? Yes, it does,
The word of God is clear that marriage is a Covent just like Circumcision was. Did one do their own circumcision? No. Does one do their own marriage? No. No where in the Bible do you see marriage without Father and families involved.
To think otherwise is self -justification. The 60's saw divorce raise to 14 % yet those who hooked up and separated and moved on to another so-called wife is unknown. But God is not mocked. He knows why one doesn't want to marry. Here are some reasons why one wants to be deceptive:
- still legally married not yet divorced but want to be with someone else and justify if.
- no money because paying from first or second marriage
- taxes
- hiding another relationship while with another person.