Marriage ought not to be contracted within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity prohibited in the Word of God. No law of man or consent of parties can make legitimate any such incestuous connection. In view of uncertainty regarding the interpretation of Scripture with regard to marriage with a deceased wife's sister or a deceased husband's brother, the present stand-point of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland is that no disciplinary action should be taken in such cases. Though the moral validity of the marriage depends upon mutual vows of the parties and is independent of official administration, yet in order to prevent rash and inconsiderate connections and to impress the parties with the solemnity of the ordinance and the importance of the duties involved, the solemnization of it should be exclusively committed unto those duly authorised. Christian marriage should be solemnised in a religious service.
Marriage is a civil contract as well as a religious one.
The marriage laws of the State, however, should not in any way contravene the laws of God, but should in all respects conform to them. In the event of such contravention Christians are to act in accordance with the law of God. The marriage contract is for life between the parties concerned and is dissolved only by death except in the case of adultery or of wilful, causeless and irremediable desertion. These causes do not in themselves dissolve the marriage contract, but only give the right to the innocent party to demand that it shall be dissolved by competent authority. After the divorce has been regularly obtained on Scriptural grounds, it is lawful for the innocent party to marry another as if the offending party were dead.