“Yet you say, ‘For what reason? Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:14).
Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that marriage is a covenant. They point out that marriages are kept by faithfulness and broken by unfaithfulness. They further assert that the paradigm of marriage corresponds to the paradigm of the covenant between God and his people. They even attempt to draw parallels between Christ and the church and marriage via Ephesians 5. Obviously, such grasping at straws reveals the eisegetical impulse of the Federal Vision.
The Reformed faith has always insisted that there are but two paradigms for covenants: works and grace. All covenants are based upon either strict works or sheer grace. Here’s the exegetical details:
The Covenant of Works is a breakable covenant, but it can only be kept by absolute perfection (WCF, 7.2). Obviously, marriage is not like the Covenant of Works because marriages are not dissolved due to a single imperfection.
The Covenant of Grace is an unbreakable covenant because it is based solely upon grace (WCF, 7.3). Obviously, marriage is not like the Covenant of Grace because marriages can break up due to unfaithfulness.
Thus, marriage is not like either the Covenant of Works nor the Covenant of Grace. For this reason, truly Reformed theologians do not consider marriage to be a covenant, exegetically speaking.
Malachi and other Federal Visionists get into trouble because they expect the Bible to inform them about the nature of covenants. However, the Ancient Near East is actually a much better source of information about covenants.
Thus, in order to stay Reformed, we must carefully study the ANE treaties. Remember, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Hittite suzerains.
