In his sermon on 'Traditional Marriage Vows,' Steve Hopkins reflects on the sacred promises made during a Christian marriage ceremony. He recalls his own marriage in 1984, where he and his wife Sandra took traditional vows. These vows include commitments such as 'to have and to hold,' 'for better, for worse,' and 'till death do us part.' Hopkins highlights the importance of the vow 'to have and to hold,' emphasizing the exclusivity and intimacy promised between husband and wife, supported by biblical references such as 1 Corinthians 7:2 and Hebrews 13:4. He warns against taking these vows lightly, reminding the congregation that God judges unfaithfulness and that it is better not to make a vow than to break one. The sermon underscores the lifelong commitment these vows represent, urging couples to honor and cherish one another from the day of their marriage forward.

Do you remember the vows that you made the day that you were married? Some people have them written down, some of them have them recorded. Do you remember the vows that you made? Sandra and I, in 1984, we took traditional vows. Vows in which, you know, wonderful and precious promises were made.

The traditional vows of Christian marriage go something like this, I, I know a lot of people write their own vows today, but traditional ones, I so-and-so fill in the blank, take you to be my lawfully wedded spouse. The man would vow to have and to hold from this day forward for better, for worse, for richer, for poor, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, to love, to honor, and to cherish till death do us part. And the woman would vow, there's variations of this of course, but Something like to have and to hold from this day forward for better for worse for richer for poor and joy and sorrow in sickness and in health to love cherish and obey In the old vows till death do us part I just want to look at these for just a moment The first vow is a promise to have and to hold, to have and to hold each other. In this vow, a husband promises to have and to hold in an intimate sense none other on earth but his wife, till death alone parts him from his wife. 1st Corinthians 7 2 says to avoid fornication let every man have his own wife that is in an intimate sense and let every woman have her own husband.

In the same way the wife promises to have and to hold no other, to have and to hold in an intimate sense no other but her husband till death parts them. Hebrews 13, 4 tells us that marriage is to be held in honor and the marriage bed kept pure, with a stern warning to those who are unfaithful to their spouses that God Himself will judge them. How many take this vow so lightly? The scripture says it's better not to make a vow than to make a vow and then to break it. And these promises are made from this day forward, from this day forward, promising to have and to hold each other till death do them part.