Jesus Christ never commissioned His followers to wed people. There is no record in the Bible of any spiritual leader, either in the Old or New Testament, conducting a ceremony to bring a man and a woman in union as husband and wife. 

Therefore, the practice today where Christians demand that any man and woman who shares their faith go before a Christian spiritual leader to exchange marriage vows before they are recognised as husband and wife in the Church has no biblical backing.

Some have even taken it a notch higher by making church weddings a condition married Christian employees must fulfil to secure employment with organisations owned or run by Christians. I know of a watchman who was fired from his job by Christians because he had not conducted a church wedding. How did we get here?

Long before Jesus Christ established His Church, from Genesis, men and women were coming together in solid marriage relationships recognised and blessed by God. 

Take the example of the nation of Israel (which was a blueprint of the Church). God’s requirement for starting any marriage was that the children of Israel got wives and husbands from people of shared spiritual values—those who believed and worshiped the One God, Yahweh. (Deuteronomy 7:1-4, Joshua 23:12-13, Ezra 9:1-2) 

How the ceremonies of marriage were conducted was left to families, and God never interfered in this arrangement. Even Jesus Christ, who never remained silent on matters of great worth to the Kingdom of God, did not condemn any single aspect of any wedding during his time. Instead, His first miracle was at a wedding ceremony in Cana—to make it merrier.

God, in His wisdom, has established many authorities on earth as Romans 13:1 tells us. He who established the authority of the Church also established that of governments, as well as that of parents. 

“...there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” - Romans 13:1 (NIV)

The Bible proceeds to tell us in Romans 13:7 to give respect to whom respect is due, and honour to whom honour is due. Parents (or those who act in their place) are the pillars on which children germinate to become adults. Therefore, children seeking parents’ approval or blessing of their marriage is a respectful act that honours the parents out of reverence for God. 

“Honor your father and your mother…” - Exodus 20:12a

After children have secured their parents’ blessing for their marriage, it is prudent that they also notify the authority (government) that rules over the land where they live [as citizens] that the two have become a couple. This is important because governments have a duty to their citizens and therefore need to be notified of changes in the population's composition to inform the allocation of public resources. 

Registering a marriage with a government is giving Caesar what belongs to him—something Jesus Christ commanded His followers to do in Matthew 22:21. However, just like registering a child’s birth with the government [for a birth certificate] does not start a child's life, registration of a marriage with the government is not what starts a marriage. No wonder, marriages in Uganda are registered with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA)—a registration, not marriage starting, body.

Here is Part II.