When Love Begins with God: Joshua and Janice’s Wedding

By Jan Tie

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

– 1 John 4:7

On 11th April, the wedding of Joshua Chai and Janice Ling was witnessed by CERC, along with their friends and family, at Luther Centre. The wedding was conducted in predominantly Mandarin (with English translation slides), as most of the couple’s guests came from Mandarin-speaking backgrounds. This was a thoughtful way the couple sought to meet their guests where they were.

Like many marriages, Joshua and Janice come from very different backgrounds and personalities. Joshua is more easy-going, spontaneous, and calm, while Janice is organised, driven, and expressive. From the start of the ceremony, their relationship was presented as a beautiful love story—yet one that was honest about their flaws and differences, which they had come to acknowledge and accept in one another.

When asked what gave him the faith and courage to take this step into marriage, Joshua shared that while he believes they complement each other well, ultimately, “if God had not loved us first, we would never be able to truly accept and love each other.”

In line with the theme of True Love, the couple chose 1 John 4:7–21 as their wedding passage. Elder Joel Lee addressed the guests, explaining from the Bible what this True Love meant. He spoke about God’s love demonstrated to the world through the sending of His Son, and how this love is sacrificial—unlike the world’s version of love, which is often transactional. Joshua and Janice’s love for each other flows from this same sacrificial love they have received from God, leading them to commit to marriage and a life of service to Him.

“If the only love you have ever known is a manipulative kind of love, then the only love you can ever give others is a manipulative kind of love… In the same way, if we haven’t been changed by the love of God, we won’t have the power to truly love anyone else,” Joel explained. “It’s about two sinners coming before God, looking at the cross, and seeing how Jesus loved them and sacrificed Himself for them… They need to be loved by God first. Only then can their hearts be transformed—to become a new people, with a new heart capable of loving others with the very love of God.”

After the officiation, Joshua shared his personal story. Growing up, he longed for love but was fearful of relationships because of the many broken ones he had witnessed. “For a period of time, I even asked myself, ‘Why do I need to love anyone else? Isn’t it enough to just take care of myself and love myself?’”

It was only after coming to know God that his heart was changed. He began to understand that worldly loves fails because it does not know its Creator, and that his life felt meaningless without God. “God changed my heart and showed me that my life is not meant to be lived for myself, but for Him. I am no longer the person who only loved myself. I can now truly love God and others.” Joshua spoke through tears as he addressed his family, thanking them for raising him, and expressing his hope that they too would come to know God.

Janice also shared her testimony of growing up in a loving Christian home. While she was grateful to have known the gospel from a young age, it was only when she began reading the Bible for herself that she recognised how her emotionally driven thoughts, words, and actions were rooted in self-centredness. She reflected on how God did not save her because she was good, but that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

“This completely changed the way I understand love… My realisation that God is the centre of my life, and not myself, is the reason I am willing to marry Joshua today. Not because he completes me, but because we want God to be at the centre and to serve Him together.”

The couple concluded their speech with heartfelt gratitude to the church—for showing them what true love is, for faithfully preaching the gospel, and for keeping Christ at the centre. They also urged their family and friends to seriously consider the message they had shared, exactly because of the couple’s true love for them.

Joshua and Janice’s wedding was not just a celebration of their union, but a clear testimony of the transforming love of God. As they begin their marriage, their desire is to continue growing in this love—one that is rooted in Christ and expressed in service to Him and to others.