Many people are only familiar with the idea of betrothal from the Bible (or certain kinds of romance novels). Today, in Western cultures, serious relationships begin with dating, followed by engagement, and then eventually, maybe marriage. But from a Christian perspective, betrothal is an extremely important aspect of marriage, to the point where it is central to the gospel itself.
In this episode, we want to try to explain why betrothal was built into ancient marriage practices, what it accomplished, and how it is demonstrated in Christ’s marriage to his church. We also want to discuss the different parts of betrothal that differentiate it from engagement, such as the covenant, the bride price, the commitment to the upcoming marriage, and the transfer of authority between the time of betrothal and the wedding ceremony itself. When these are misunderstood, we begin to think of the nature and purpose of marriage differently than it truly is.
We should not be deceived: marriage has been under attack for a very long time and the church needs to labor to bring it back in line with the word of God. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic..
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/04/betrothal-vs-engagement-why-it-matters-ep-165-audio/
Thumbnail image by wp paarz on Flickr under CC BY-SA 3.0
Timecodes
00:00:00 Christ and the Church
00:24:09 The Bride Price
00:36:39 Old Testament Law
00:43:24 Practical Impacts
01:06:51 What Should You Do?