Read RP Testimony chapter 24 →
Read the official text, or choose a simpler explanation to explore together.
1. Marriage is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband; at the same time.
Scripture proofs: Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5-6; Prov. 2:17.
2. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue, and of the Church with an holy seed; and for preventing of uncleanness.
Scripture proofs: Gen. 2:18; Mal. 2:15; 1 Cor. 7:2, 9.
3. It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry, who are able with judgment to give their consent. Yet is it the duty of Christians to marry only in the Lord: and therefore such as profess the true reformed religion should not marry with infidels, papists, or other idolaters: neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked, by marrying with such as are notoriously wicked in their life, or maintain damnable heresies.
Scripture proofs: Heb. 13:4; 1 Tim. 4:3; 1 Cor. 7:36-38; Gen. 24:57-58; 1 Cor. 7:39; Gen. 34:14; Ex. 34:16; Deut. 7:3-4; 1 Kings 11:4; Neh. 13:25-27; Mal. 2:11-12; 2 Cor. 6:14.
4. Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden in the Word; nor can such incestuous marriages ever be made lawful by any law of man or consent of parties, so as those persons may live together as man and wife. The man may not marry any of his wife’s kindred nearer in blood than he may of his own; nor the woman of her husband’s kindred nearer in blood than of her own.
Scripture proofs: Lev. 18; 1 Cor. 5:1; Amos 2:7; Mark 6:18; Lev. 18:24-28; Lev. 20:19-21.
5. Adultery or fornication committed after a contract, being detected before marriage, giveth just occasion to the innocent party to dissolve that contract. In the case of adultery after marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce; and, after the divorce, to marry another, as if the offending party were dead.
Scripture proofs: Matt. 1:18-20; Matt. 5:31-32; Matt. 19: 9; Rom. 7:2-3.
6. Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments unduly to put asunder those whom God hath joined together in marriage; yet nothing but adultery, or such wilful desertion as can no way be remedied by the Church or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage; wherein, a public and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed; and the persons concerned in it not left to their own wills and discretion, in their own case.
Scripture proofs: Matt. 19:8-9; 1 Cor. 7:15; Matt. 19:6; Deut. 24:1-4.
Words to know
- Marriage covenant
- The solemn bond before God between a husband and wife.
- Adultery
- Sexual unfaithfulness to a spouse.
- Desertion
- Willfully abandoning a spouse and the responsibilities of marriage.
WCF 24.1 · One husband and one wife
God’s design for marriage is one man and one woman. A person may not have more than one husband or wife at the same time. Marriage is an exclusive relationship, calling the spouses to faithfulness.
Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6; Proverbs 2:17.
What does faithfulness mean in an exclusive marriage covenant?
WCF 24.2 · Why God gave marriage
Marriage is for a husband and wife to help one another, for the birth and nurture of children, including their upbringing in the church, and for sexual purity. These are good purposes God gave, rather than reasons for treating another person selfishly.
Genesis 2:18; Malachi 2:15; 1 Corinthians 7:2.
How can marriage involve both receiving help and giving help?
WCF 24.3 · Marrying in the Lord
People may marry when able to understand and freely consent. Christians have the further duty to marry in the Lord, sharing faithful commitment to Christ. The Confession warns against marriage to unbelievers, idolaters, people devoted to serious wrongdoing, or those holding teachings that undermine salvation. It specifically names Roman Catholics among those outside the Reformed faith. Marriage joins lives deeply, so shared faith matters.
Hebrews 13:4; 1 Timothy 4:3; 1 Corinthians 7:36-38.
Why would a shared commitment to Christ matter in marriage?
WCF 24.4 · Family boundaries in marriage
Scripture forbids marriage within certain close family relationships. Civil permission or personal agreement cannot make a forbidden relationship lawful. The original paragraph ends by extending matching restrictions to a spouse’s relatives. The RPCNA rejects that final sentence and explains that marrying a deceased spouse’s sibling is not automatically forbidden. Its exception does not remove the Bible’s genuine family boundaries.
1 Corinthians 5:1; Amos 2:7; Mark 6:18.
Can a government’s permission make something God forbids right?
WCF 24.5 · When faithfulness is broken
Sexual unfaithfulness discovered after engagement but before marriage can give the innocent person grounds to end that agreement. Adultery after marriage gives the innocent spouse lawful grounds for divorce and, after divorce, remarriage. This paragraph concerns a serious breach of faithfulness, not permission to discard someone casually.
Matthew 1:18-20; Matthew 5:31-32; Matthew 19:9.
Why should serious promises of faithfulness be taken seriously?
WCF 24.6 · Divorce is a serious matter
People should not invent excuses to break a marriage. The Confession names adultery and willful desertion that the church or government cannot remedy as grounds for divorce. The process should be public and orderly, with proper help and oversight, rather than left only to someone’s personal decision. The Testimony further explains how these principles apply.
Matthew 19:8-9; 1 Corinthians 7:15; Matthew 19:6.
Why should a troubled marriage involve wise help rather than hasty decisions?
Source: The Constitution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, updated 2026, A-79, A-80, A-82, A-83.