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A Biblical Wedding Ceremony – Viral Believer
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A Biblical Wedding Ceremony

Are you getting married?

Well, so am I!

I am not into big public announcements. It seems like when I do, something gets in the way, however, I am excited.

For me, it is important to have a biblical marriage and a Christian marriage ceremony.

It is amazing to me how many wedding ceremonies are out there but how many really do not incorporate our faith in a meaningful way.

So I wanted to share with you the marriage ceremony that I recommend to believers and also the one that will be used at my own wedding.

A Biblical Wedding Ceremony

A Biblically Based Christian Wedding Ceremony

The Christian Marriage Ceremony

Prelude: Christian Music
Reading Psalm 95:1-7
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with a psalm. For the Lord [is] the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand [are] the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills [are] His also. The sea [is] His, for He, made it; And His hands formed the dry [land]. Oh, come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He [is] our God, And we [are] the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:

Wedding March:
“Congregation, please stand up.” Procession of Bride’s party comes down the center aisle to join the Groom at the front.

Giving of the Bride and Groom

To the Parents: Who gives this bride in marriage? Who gives this groom in marriage?
Do you release them so they can be joined together in a new relationship under God?
Response: Both Bride and Groom’s parents say ‘we do’.

To the Groom: Take your bride and step forward, please.

To the Congregation:

I ask that the congregation remain standing as we go before the Lord in prayer.
“Our most gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for all the privileges of being in the Body of Christ. We have come together to watch the miracle of Your love and the power of Your Spirit work in the lives of these two people.

We give You the praise, the honor, and the glory for the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to bring us into a place of union with the Father, union with the Son, union with the Holy Spirit, and union with one another. We thank You for it, in Jesus’ mighty name.” Amen.

To the Congregation: You may be seated.

The lighting of candles by the two mothers (optional)

Minister:
We are gathered today to celebrate one of the happiest moments in the lives of the bride and the groom; for on this day, they affirm before witnesses of earth and heaven that they believe God has purposed that they should share life in the holy bonds of Christian marriage. The bride and groom desire that the Almighty God be honored in their marriage.

The Giving in Marriage:

A Christian wedding ceremony finds a great deal of instruction, encouragement, guidance, and admonition in the Holy Scriptures.
In the story of Adam and Eve, the second chapter of Genesis adds vital insights to the concept of marriage. This chapter tells how the Lord God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life so that he became a living soul. The Lord God placed him in the beautiful Garden of Eden. Something, however, was lacking. The man was not complete in the garden. Then the Lord God said in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helpmate suitable for him”. This early Bible account points to one of the woman’s important roles — a helper to her husband.

Wives have rendered valuable help to their husbands in every field of human activity and in every period of the world’s history, from the time of Eve to the present. But women are not created to be man’s subordinate helpers. After the Lord God had decided to make a woman, He caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam. God took one of Adam’s ribs, not a part of his foot so he could lord it over Eve nor a part of his head so Eve could lord it over Adam, but from his side near Adam’s heart. God made Eve’s body of the same substance as Adam his bone and took that part of Adam’s spirit and soul that was female and put it in Eve. God made Eve a coequal, not inferior or superior, but a sharer of life. Now Adam was complete in Eve and vice versa. Now they were no longer two people but one. Adam expressed the closeness of their union when he declared in Genesis 2:23: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman”.

John 3:3 says that ‘You must be born again to see the kingdom of God’ in order to understand the meaning of one flesh — joined in spirit, soul, and body. God wants us to experience this in our lives.

Charge to the Bride And the Groom

As we read the Word of God from Ephesians 5:22-33, we want both of you to pay very close attention to the words stated here. They are the words, from God’s Word, that the Holy Spirit will honor as we stand on them in faith. The world has the idea that marriage is simply a legal contract. It is, but at the same time, it is a spiritual contract. When the words of faith are spoken according to the Word of God between two ‘born again’ believers, the power of God goes into operation. There is an actual miracle that takes place when the faith of these two people is released in God’s power. God honors their faith and brings them into a union together.

With these thoughts in mind, listen very carefully to these words: Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord [does] the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife [see] that she respects [her] husband.

To the Groom: _________, have you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Savior?
Response: I have.
Have you received the Holy Spirit to dwell in you?
Response: I have.
To the Bride: ___________, have you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Savior?
Response: I have.
Have you received the Holy Spirit to dwell in you?
Response: I have.

To the Bride and Groom:
Now upon confession of your faith, you have made known to all men that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is your Lord and your Savior.

Charge To Witnesses And Congregation

I make this announcement before this congregation and these witnesses:

When two people join themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, according to God’s own words and God’s own statement, they stand cleansed — as clean before God as Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden before they sinned. This is not just forgiveness of sin. The Bible says any man who is in Christ is a new creation; old things have passed away and all things have become new.

A miracle took place when you made Jesus the Lord of your life. The Holy Spirit used the very power of God — His creative power — to cause your spirit to be reborn. It is the same power that God used when He raised Jesus from the dead. He has also joined you to Jesus by that power. When two born-again believers come before God to be joined together as husband and wife, the Apostle Paul calls it “a mystery” and says, ‘ — but I speak concerning Christ and the church.’ When you made Jesus Lord of your lives, you were joined to Him. First Corinthians 6:17 says ‘you are one spirit with Him. Here in Ephesians, it says that you have become one flesh with the Lord. You are His. He is yours. You are together one flesh in Him.

I want you to understand that if you rightly discern the Body of Christ, then you rightly discern the miracle that takes place in marriage. Your spirits will be joined together and you will become one. You will not be one just in the eyes of the law. There is something much more powerful that happens. The very creative power of God will join you together. The same power that joined you with Jesus when you made Him your Lord will join you together.

Do not ever tamper with that union. The love of God that passes all understanding does not say, “I love you, but do you really love me?” The love of God says very simply, “I love you.” That is all it ever says. Do not tamper with that miracle. Do not ever let the sun go down on your anger. Something holy, something beyond reproach, will take place by the Spirit of God inside your bosom; and it is a precious thing.

To You Witnesses:

I want to speak this to the witnesses here: Jesus said in Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven”.
You are not here just because of tradition. You are here for a serious purpose — to bear witness forever of the miraculous union that will take place, and to add your agreement before God to that which takes place. Do not ever tamper with that agreement. From this day forward, regardless of what comes, you need to be in agreement with this union. Do not ever attempt in any way to cause it to be anything other than a happy union.

To the Congregation:
In the eyes of Almighty God, these two people are washed in the blood of the Lamb — Jesus Christ of Nazareth. They have prayed and, before, the Lord God Himself, they believe with all their hearts that it is the will of God for them to be joined together in the spirit. They have made their decision So from now until the end of this age, I charge you to do everything in your power to see that this union remains solid, strong, happy, and prosperous.

Confession of Vows

To the Groom: ___________, do you take ________ as your wife, as your own flesh, to love her even as Christ loves the Church, to protect her and care for her the rest of your lives?
Response: I do.

Then turn to her and make this confession of your faith:
I, __________, according to the Word of God, leave my father and my mother and I join myself to you, to be a husband to you. From this moment forward, we shall be one.
To the Bride: ___________, do you take _________ as your husband, submitting to him as unto the Lord, showing reverence to him as the head of this union for the rest of your lives?
Response: I do.

Then turn to him and make this confession of your faith:
I, _________, according to the word of God, submit myself to you. From this moment forward, we shall be one.

Presentation of Rings

To the Groom: May I have the bride’s ring, please?

A ring is a very precious thing — a token of your faith and your love. This ring is made out of precious metal. It is a never-ending circle that indicates the continuing love of God — a love that never fails, never presents itself haughty nor puffed up. The love of God and the faith of God is what causes His power to move in your lives. I want you to wear these rings as a continual reminder of your faith and of the confession you have made to each other and to God this day.

The Word of God says, “above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and what God has joined together let not man separate.’

To the Groom:
Take this ring, place it on her finger, and say this to her:
“With this ring, I thee wed. It is a token of my love and of my faith to you and a pledge of my constant love and lasting devotion”.

To the Bride:
May I have the Groom’s ring, please?

To the Groom:
A ring can mean two different things, it can be a never-ending sign of love, or it can be a shackle. I am going to charge you with something to remember. This woman stands by your side, not under your feet. You have the responsibility of being the head of this union. You have a spiritual responsibility. I want you to wear this ring in remembrance that she is your helpmate. It must never be a shackle of dominance, but always a reminder of faith and love.

To the Bride:
I want you to place this ring on his finger with these things in mind. There is no place in the Word of God that gives people the right to dominate one another. Your vows have stated that you submit to one another as unto the Lord in the responsibilities of this life, expecting God and His power to always make the difference.

So place this ring on his finger and, as you do say this to him:
“With this ring, I thee wed. It is a token of my love and of my faith for you and a pledge of my constant love and lasting devotion”.

Pronouncement

To the Bride and Groom:
Join right hands, please. As a representative of Jesus Christ, before Almighty God and in the name of the Father, of His Son Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I now pronounce you one. You are now husband and wife. God bless your marriage.

Groom may kiss the Bride: (optional)

Communion

To the Bride and Groom:

Please kneel to receive communion. Both of you as believers have received the communion table in the past. You know what it means, but I want to remind you that we live under a covenant with God. This covenant was ratified by the shed blood of Jesus at Calvary.

Now we see something new that has never existed before. When each of you was ‘born again’, you became a new creature in Christ. The two of you together have become a new creature in Christ because you are now one. When you agree on things, they will come to pass. You have an awesome power at your disposal. You are going to notice a new realm of your life beginning because of a spiritual law that says ‘one can put a thousand to flight, two can put ten thousand to flight’. From this time forward, your daily life will be 10,000 times more powerful spiritually than ever before.

It is important that in these first moments together, you honor the Lord and honor His table.

Bride and Groom take Communion:
Jesus said, “This is my body broken for you. Eat of it.”
Give Bread to the Couple.

His precious body bore your sickness and carried your disease. The two of you together in the name of Jesus Christ have the God-given faith and the God-given power to ward off sickness, disease, the storms of life, and everything that hell would offer any marriage. Through His broken body, you have received into your hands the awesome power of Almighty God.

Jesus also said, “This is My blood that ratifies the covenant. Drink of My blood and as often as you drink it, do it in remembrance of Me.”

Give the Cup to the Couple.
To the Bride and Groom: You may rise.

Now the signing of documents.

Christian music

Bride and Groom to light one candle with the two lit candles. (optional)

Blessing of the Union

Galatians 3:13-14, says that ‘Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us — so that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.’ I am going to read to you your blessing, your inheritance. So listen carefully. According to Deuteronomy 28:1-14:

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

Blessed [shall] you [be] in the city, and blessed [shall] you [be] in the country.
Blessed [shall] [be] the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Blessed [shall] [be] your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed [shall] you [be] when you come in, and blessed [shall] you [be] when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.

Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe [them]. So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, [to] the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them”.

Presentation to the Congregation

bride and groom surrounded by plants

To the Bride and the Groom:
Please turn and face the congregation.
To the Congregation:
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. And Mrs. __________________________ .
Procession: Christian music

Pastor Duke Taber
Pastor Duke Taber

Pastor Duke Taber

All articles have been written or reviewed by Pastor Duke Taber.
Pastor Duke Taber is an alumnus of Life Pacific University and Multnomah Biblical Seminary.
He has been in pastoral ministry since 1988.
Today he is the owner and managing editor of 3 successful Christian websites that support missionaries around the world.
He is currently starting a brand new church in Mesquite NV called Mesquite Worship Center, a Non-Denominational Spirit Filled Christian church in Mesquite Nevada.