Are Marriage Licenses Required By God?

Q

Where in the Bible do we find reference to the need to obtain a marriage license in order to become husbands and wives. Genesis 2:24 speaks about the mandate for the couple to leave father and mother to become one flesh but is there something else we need to do? A friend of mine argues that a license is not really required by God and that it is something men came up with. What do you think?

A

Marriage licenses are a function of human government and are not Biblically mandated, except that Christians are admonished to obey the law (Romans 13:1). Marriage licenses establish the legality of the relationship and can be helpful in issues such as inheritance, custodial rights, distribution of community property, etc.