Today, wedding vows are a common part of most wedding
ceremonies. In most cases, the actual exchange of marital vows in church weddings is preceded by a
short speech given by the person marrying the couple, followed by personal or
standard vows chosen by the bride and groom. Often, Christian
couples incorporate Bible verses about love and marriage in their wedding vows
but are wedding vows themselves biblical?
Wedding Vows in the Bible
Technically, wedding vows are not even mentioned in
the Bible. Not specifically or in passing. And technically, since the early church met in homes, church weddings
in a special church building weren’t even around until Rome started changing pagan temples into church
buildings in the early 4th century. So the concept of Christian vows
and church wedding are relatively new traditions compared to some and neither are found in the Bible.
Where Did Christian Wedding Vows Originate
Where did the idea of wedding vows originate? It's not certain, but the modern concept of wedding vows for Christian marriages
in the Western world can be traced back to 1662, in a book titled the Anglican
Book of Common Prayer. In fact, we get much of our “modern” marriage
ceremony practice from this book. For instance, it includes a ‘solemnization of
matrimony’ section which includes familiar lines like: “Dearly beloved, we are
gathered here today,” as well as the famous “in sickness and health, until
death do them part.”
Use of Bible Verses in Wedding Vows
While wedding vows aren’t exactly spelled out in the
Bible, Scripture is often used to generate vows for Christian couples. For instance, “I am my
beloved's and my beloved is mine,” from Song of Solomon 6:3, is often recited in
Jewish and Christian weddings. Scripture from 1 Corinthians 13 (also referred to
as the ‘love chapter’ is another popular go to section of the Bible.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
While wedding vows may not be spelled out in the
Bible, the practice of making vows to God is found in both the Old and New
Testaments. Wedding vows recited by brides and grooms who desire God to be included
in every aspect of their lives, recite these vows to each other before God.
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