Can a marriage be annulled?
Question:
Hello,
I was curious to get your thoughts on remarriage. Would a first marriage still be a valid, permanent, or real in God’s eyes if:
- People do it while on drugs or are drunk and then later, had it annulled, without consummating the marriage and remarried later in life? Would God still consider them married to their first spouse based on Ecclesiastes 5:4-6, and thus, they are committing adultery by remarrying?
- How about if two people agree to marry so that one person can obtain citizenship or documents to stay in a country (ex. passport or green card) and paid that person to marry them who agreed to it. They later annulled the marriage and never consummated it. Later on, they both went on to marry other people. Would they, even though they annulled the marriage and never consummated it, be living in adultery with their second spouse?
With these two examples, does not consummating a marriage mean it is not valid in God’s eyes? Would the spouse’s these people married be allowed to divorce and remarry again if it was their first time marrying?
Thank you!
Answer:
What creates a marriage is the vows taken. "She is your companion and your wife by covenant" (Malachi 2:14). Whether sex takes place after the vows has no bearing on your questions.
Thus, in the second example, the fact that two people got married so one could get entry into the country doesn't make it less of a marriage. They told the world (the government) they were married. Thus, the annulment is actually a claim that they lied to men and to God about being married and they did it for financial gain. Just because someone wants out of marriage, it doesn't mean God approves (Matthew 19:4-6).
The first example is a bit more difficult because now you have to decide if a covenant vow is valid when someone makes an oath while not sound of mind. It is not a question I think I can settle. In the Old Testament, a father could override the vows of his daughter if he immediately cancels them when he finds out (Numbers 30:3-5). This indicates that an older person can monitor the commitments of someone not old enough to realize what they are getting into. This example also states that if there is going to be a claim that it was a mistake due to being under the influence, then it should be supported by immediately correcting the mistake.
Only when a marriage ends because of fornication by the other spouse does the innocent spouse have the right to remarry (Matthew 19:9). In the first case, it is a question of whether the vows were actually binding when someone is under the influence. In the second, the vows would be binding.
Response:
Thank you, sir! Very informative to know.
