Does the Church or State have Authority Over Marriage?

Reformation Baptist Church

Who has authority over marriage? When a man and a woman are married, the official often says something like, "by the power vested in me by…". But what does that mean and it is even remotely Biblical? Does the civil government have any authority over marriage? What about the church? And do people need to get married in a church by an ordained minister for the wedding to be recognized by God? In this episode, we want to look at many of the different issues that relate to authority over marriage. We look at the Old Testament passages where God frames and defines the institute of marriage, and then discuss how this design plays out in society as the civil magistrate, the church, and the family, each of which are divinely-appointed authorities, work together at times and in other ways against each other. Marriage is both simple and complex. The union itself is fairly straightforward, a man and a woman are joined together - two previously separate people now become one flesh, but because marriage is the foundation of societies and nations even small errors in how we understand that union can have huge impacts. Please join us as we discuss this important topic. Timecodes00:00 History of Marriage10:58 God's Law15:25 Creation Ordinance34:22 The Amiee Byrd Situation42:30 Role of the church56:30 Role of the stateProduction of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NCPermanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua HornTechnical Director - Timothy KaiserTheme Music - Gabriel Hudelson