Sure they’re married. As long as they take that vow, they’re married. Just like a boy, if a boy promises a girl to marry her under good faith, he’s obligated to that girl. He’s just as good as married her. The only thing the law does, is give you a—a bill of rights to live together to keep from being common-law husband and wife. But when a man tells a woman, “I will marry you, Honey; I’ll take you for my wife. Will you take…?” he’s married.

Your vow is sacred; that’s what marries you anyhow. There’s not no preacher can marry you, no magistrate, or nothing else; it’s your own vow to God and to this man. When you promise, you are married.

Looky. You say, “Brother Branham, is that…? You say…You said you’d only answer that by the Bible.” Did you want the Bible on it? Raise your hands if you want it. Now, we got about six or eight minutes. All right.

“Joseph, her husband, being a just man (her espoused husband, already called her husband)…Joseph, her husband, being a just man, was ‘mindedly’ to put her away privately on this wise; but before they came together, she was found with a child of the Holy Ghost. (See?) And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and saying, ‘Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee, Mary, thy wife.’” Already married, he’d already promised her.

And of…And little lady, if you promised to marry that boy, you’re obligated to do it. If you marry another after that obligation, you will, from now on anyhow, you’ll be living in adultery. And notice, the same thing to a boy promising to marry a woman…

Don’t you make your vow to anybody ’less you mean to stick with it. Remember, there’s the Bible for it. Joseph promised to marry Mary. And God said that that was…

Read the Old Testament laws on that. See? The Old Testament law, if you promised to marry a woman, and you married another one, you was committing adultery; and it throwed you out of the camp. Yes, sir! You have to keep your vows when you promise a woman that. She’s a sacred little vessel, and that’s to bring child life into the world again. So when you promise her, you must marry her.

Questions and Answers #2, 1964-08-23, Jeffersonville, IN, §192