Must a priest, preacher, or pastor perform a marriage for it to be valid?
Question:
Have a good day!
I just want to ask a question: One of our pastors said it is against the Law of God if the marriage is done by a judge or by a mayor. He also said that the marriage must be done by a priest or a preacher or a pastor. Since our marriage was done by a judge, does it mean that our marriage never really happened in the eyes of God or in the Law of God?
Thank you and God Bless!
Answer:
If it is against the Law of God, then he should have been able to cite the passage that says who has to perform a wedding ceremony. I would challenge him on that because I happen to know that there is no such passage. Quite the opposite actually: "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" (I Corinthians 7:14). What makes a marriage is a covenant between the man and woman (Malachi 2:14). The reason preachers do weddings is not that it is a church ordinance, but because they can ensure that the couple is well prepared for marriage. Who actually administers the vows does not matter.
