The audience stands and watches in awe as the breathtakingly beautiful woman, draped in an elegant white dress, walks down the aisle. In the front, stands the handsome man donning a polished tuxedo, waiting for the approaching beauty to reach him. Both, man and woman, experience an overflow of emotions and thoughts as her walk down the aisle becomes shorter. Once she has reached the front, the officiant begins by reminding everyone that the purpose for their gathering is to witness two lives become one in holy matrimony. As the ceremony proceeds, the bride and groom are each asked the following question: Do you take this man/woman to be your lawfully wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part? Let us pause for a moment and ponder the relevance of the last part of this question. We begin by declaring that the question posed to the bride and groom is understood by everyone to be a nuptial vow. A vow is understood to be a solemn promise where the one making this oath is bound to keep it. If this vow is not kept, then that person is shamefully labeled as an oath breaker. Several reasons can be given by the oath breaker as to the why of his failure, but the truth of this demise almost always lies in the moment the vow is made. The bitter root of this dishonorable action is highlighted by the inspired Preacher as he warns, “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven and you on earth; therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2, emphasis added). Solomon (under the pseudonym of “the Preacher”) reveals the source of broken oaths to be the lack of understanding the vow being made. His warning illuminates that a vow made hastily is one rooted in emotion and not reason. Thus, a vow made in this manner has a higher probability of being broken. James validates this spiritual lesson as he, too, exhorts his “beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20, emphasis added). Although within the immediate context of the pericope James is urging his readers to be in control of their emotions during various trials, his counsel of “be swift to hear,” has the same meaning as Solomon’s. Both inspired scribes urge their readers to pay close attention to what they speak and how they react. Solomon and James manifest that a vow hinging on emotion and lacking in understanding is a recipe for defeat. Undeniably when a man and a woman are getting married, a myriad of different emotions surge in their minds. However, the question asked by the officiant is not one they were not expecting. On the contrary, it is the question that the bride and groom should have been meditating upon from the moment they became engaged. Behold the primary reason divorce has inundated our world. It is highly important to notate that the plague of divorce is not new to our society. It has ran rampant for several centuries and the reason for it festering into humanity’s heart is because the majority has yet to fully comprehend the entire meaning of “till death do you part.” Sadly, this spoken vow shared between the bride and groom has transitioned into nothing more than a formality. For this reason, the genuine purpose of “till death do you part,” has lost its precious meaning. Divorce, lamentably, has been created by man as the escape route to the permanence of marriage. Man continues to ignore that a marriage should only be dissolved by death (Romans 7:2-3); a vow made when the bride and groom answered “I do.” It is tragic to witness the same couple who promised “to have and to hold” one another no matter what situation they encounter together, turn to dissolve their vow because one of them “fell out of love.” Once more, the reality that their shared “vow” was nothing more than a formality proves that their love was never pure nor godly. Thus, it is fascinating to see our Master use similar language with the church at Ephesus. Remember that Holy Scriptures teach that the church of Christ is His bride because “the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything” (Ephesians 5:23-24, emphasis added). It is fabulous to realize that Jesus Christ has vowed His life to His church and expressed His love when “He gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25b-27, emphasis added). Indeed, the Lord understood the full significance of His nuptial vow with His church. Yet, we read Him saying to this same congregation “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4, emphasis added). Unquestionably, it was the Ephesian church who had “fallen out of love” with Christ, like Israel had “fallen out of love” with Jehovah God. The prophet Jeremiah scribes words similar to those of John as God tells His people, “Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel” (Jeremiah 3:20, emphasis added). In both of these inspired Scriptures, we are cautioned about the reality of spiritual apostasy and how it can deviate us from our spiritual Husband. Marriages dissolved by divorce because they choose not to withstand the difficulties of marriage, clearly did not understand “till death do us part.” The apostate Christian who drifts away from Christ because Christianity is too difficult, also did not understand the meaning of “Be faithful until death” (Revelation 2:10b). They claim to have lost interest in God, but the truth is that they forsake God “having loved this present world” (2nd Timothy 4:10a, emphasis added). These are described by Jesus as “he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles” (Matthew 13:20-21, emphasis added). Therefore, the question to be answered by those who have “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) is the following: When you chose to obey the Gospel of Christ, did you fully understand what it means to “be faithful until death?” If so, then let us always remember that, like marriage, “what God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:6, emphasis added).