How committed to each other should a Christian husband and wife be?  Should they be 50% committed?  70% committed?  Is a 90% commitment enough?  Isn’t the answer 100%?  When God teaches us about marriage, when he uses those words “one flesh,” it sounds to me like God intends for husbands and wives to be 100% committed to each other.  But the existence of a pre-nup sets the husband and wife at odds with each other.  It’s like saying to your beloved future spouse, “Honey, let’s agree up front that we aren’t necessarily 100% committed to each other.”  And that’s why I’m very reluctant to endorse the use of pre-nuptial agreements.  To me, they just don’t seem consistent with God’s design for Christian marriage.

Lawyers could probably think up a thousand different situations where cold logic and a secular perspective might dictate that the spouses “need” a pre-nuptial agreement.  But under God’s plan, what either spouse has “going in” doesn’t really matter because everything belongs fully to both spouses once they’re married.  If either spouse feels they can’t freely give everything to the other, then, quite frankly, I would humbly suggest they need to seriously and prayerfully reconsider going through with the marriage vows. 

With wedding season still in full swing, let me urge you, engaged couples, to focus on building lasting oneness between you, as you both seek to serve and honor Christ in your upcoming marriage. And for those with friends and loved ones about to be married, let me beg you to do your part to encourage that kind of Christian unity and help the couple resist secular pressure to buy into “pre-nup propaganda”! 

I pray God’s blessings on my brothers and sisters about to enter the joy and richness of Christian marriage.  I know marriage won’t always be easy, but you will never regret beginning this precious journey together on the unshakable foundation of Jesus Christ and His Word. So please, think twice before you say "I do" to a pre-nup!

*This column contains generalized information only and is not intended as a substitute for the specific legal advice of your own attorney.

Stephen L. Bloom

Article reprinted from Stephen Bloom's Good News Daily column titled "Good News on the Law." Visit Good News Daily's website at http://www.goodnewsdaily.net/