Is a marriage ceremony performed by the state and not the church valid?

Is a marriage ceremony performed by an official of the state a legitimate marriage when that couple is not married by

the church?

The answer is yes.

Let us take a look at Romans 13, 1 -2.

Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those

which exist are established by God.

Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God, and they who have opposed will

receive condemnation upon themselves.

We should be clear from the text that God has given the authority to the government

and it is the authority of God.

A marriage ceremony legally performed by a government authority is binding.

It would not be necessary to go through another ceremony in a church in order to validate that first ceremony.

However, if someone wanted to go through a marriage ceremony a second time in a church, that is perfectly

acceptable.

It does not invalidate the first marriage.

But you have to be careful that you do not want to do this if you think the first one was not valid and you are

a married couple and you are living together and you have been married by the state the first time and you think that maybe it was not valid, then you should not

separate.

You should separate then at that point and not be living together because if you think it was not true, then you would be living in

sin.

Because you would be thinking, oh it is not true, I will be living in sin.

In your mind it would become sin at that point and that would be something you would want to avoid.

So, let me just say in conclusion, a marriage ceremony performed by the state is definitely valid because God

has given the authority to the state to be able to perform such marriages.

There you go.