A correspondent inquires whether it is permissible for a denominational preacher to officiate the wedding of Christians. After all, true Christians and members of the Lord’s church distinguish themselves from so-called denominational Christians and the manmade denominations of which they are members. Is it biblically permissible for a denominational preacher to officiate the wedding of Christians? Is it less than ideal for a denominational preacher to perform the wedding of Christians?
The Bible makes a distinction between illicit sex (e.g., fornication, adultery, homosexuality, etc.) and sanctified sex (i.e., between a husband and his wife). “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy” (1 Corinthians 7:14 NKJV). “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4).
However, the Bible does not specify details for officiating marriages. Incidentally, Scripture does not record whether there was even any officiating of the first ever marriage – between Adam and Eve. “Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:22; 3:12). Of course, there was no one besides Adam, Eve and God before whom officiating a marriage could occur. There was no cultural norm yet for officiating marriages, and there were no civil laws yet respecting officiating of marriages.
Over the years, cultural customs adopted various procedures for recognition of a husband and a wife or marriage, perhaps without the formality that we typically associate with officiating marriages. For instance, Isaac selected his wife by taking her to his mother’s tent and treating her as his wife. “Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death” (Genesis 24:67). Likewise, Jacob celebrated his selection of a wife with a feast and retiring with his wife elect to his tent or bedroom. “And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her” (Genesis 29:22-23). Compare this procedure with the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14), the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and similar passages (Esther 2:18).
In addition to cultural customs, nations enacted marriage laws, too. For instance, the marriage of Boaz and Ruth was effected by conformance to legal requirements (Ruth 4:1-11), though there may not have been an officiating of marriage of the type with which we are familiar in modern times. In many countries today, marriages occur in accordance with God’s law (i.e., husband and wife to avoid fornication, 1 Corinthians 7:2), according to cultural customs and per marriage laws.
One might observe that cultural customs and marriage laws comprise mankind’s input into the subject of marriage, whereas God’s law is obviously divine in origin. For a marriage to be recognized by God, it must be in keeping with divinely given law (e.g., Matthew 19:9) and in accordance with mankind’s prescription for marriage (Romans 13:1-7). Should the law of God and the human viewpoint on what constitutes marriage contradict (e.g., homosexual marriage, marriage of guilty parties to divorce, etc.), God’s law trumps man’s cultural customs and marriage laws in sinful particulars but not in other areas not conflicting with God’s law.
Officiating of marriages in contemporary times often amounts to filling out an official form by a governmental authorized marriage officer (e.g., judge, justice of the peace, court clerk, religious minister, etc.), the parties to the marriage and witnesses. The pomp and ceremony that may be associated with a marriage are not part of the legal requirements and are not specified in Scripture. In other words, officiating of a marriage is not a religious activity regulated by the Bible (for all living today, the New Testament), though a religious minister may be an authorized marriage officer.
Therefore, it is biblically permissible for a denominational preacher to officiate the marriage of Christians. It, then, becomes a matter of personal judgment – not a matter of critical review. There may be several factors that lead one to opt for officiating of one’s marriage by a denominational preacher. Yet, especially among brethren in societies or in nations where Christians conscientiously try to distinguish genuine Christianity from denominations, it would seem prudent if possible to avoid validating denominationalism or appearing to lower the Lord’s church to being on par with denominationalism. It would seem to be a better option if available to choose as one’s marriage officer a minister for the churches of Christ or a government marriage officer where the religious element is absent. Still, though, in the absence of scriptural specification, it is not sinful for a denominational preacher to officiate the marriage of Christians.
