I recently encountered a post on Facebook where the person had shared
someone else’s post about a supposed employment flyer from a fast food restaurant
which said that homosexuals (implied by wording) and those living in sin need
not apply. News articles have since
uncovered that the flyer was part of a satirical protest against a local
restaurant and the company in general.
This post was a call for those who “support equal rights for the
LGBTQQIAP community” to boycott the fast food franchise. I don’t think I need to address someone
getting all wound up over false or misleading information. Everyone one of us is guilty of doing that at
some point in our lives. Instead, I would
like to talk about the controversy surrounding Bible based moral positions.
Since the LGBTQQIAP community was brought up in this post I will use
some of their issues in this blog post.
With that, let us begin with “gay marriage” since it seems to be the
most talked about controversy lately.
First, let me define gay marriage as marriage between two men or
marriage between two women. I know it
seems self-defining, but I did not want to leave any room for
misinterpretation.
Now I know next to nothing about what reasons non-Christians have for
opposing gay marriage so I will not include their positions here. Also, I will not try to address any “religion’s”
position on the matter. Only a Bible
based, Christian perspective will be discussed.
I believe that most Christians familiar with scripture would refer to
Genesis 2:22-24 when defining marriage as being between one man and one
woman. Those verses say:
“22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made him a
woman, and brought her unto the man. 23
And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall
be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and
his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
In Matthew 10:4-6 part of Jesus’s reply to the Pharisees concerning
divorce identifies what marriage is.
4 And he answered and said unto
them, Have ye not read , that he which made them at the beginning made them
male and female, 5 And said , For this
cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and
they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore
they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder.
The last verses I would like to quote are from Paul in 1 Corinthians
1-3:
1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to
marry. 2 But since there is so much
immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty
to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
These verses should provide some insight into what marriage means to a
Christian. It should also highlight that
marriage is more than just a contractual obligation. It is also a deep commitment and sacred responsibility
because “…They are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let
no man put asunder.”
For a Christian, marriage is clearly defined in scripture and is not
between two men or between two women.
Asking a Christian to recognize gay marriage is in essence the same as
asking a Christian to disregard what is written in scripture. For a true Christian, scripture is all or
nothing. You either believe it is the
Word of God, or you don’t. Disregarding
anything in the Bible is to a Christian the same as disregarding the Bible
completely. This does not leave any room
for compromise in the context of marriage.
Gay marriage simply will not be accepted, and those who claim it has
Biblical support or is not defined in the Bible are misinformed or are not
Christians at all.
I understand that you can probably find someone or some organization
claiming to be Christian that would support any immoral and sinful act or
belief. I discuss these imposters in
early blogs so I will not go into this here.
And this is not to imply that a person is a Christian just because they
do not accept gay marriage. I am just
saying that it would not be hard to find someone or some organization that
would provide some perceived legitimacy within a social context.
While there are many who do want to be accepted as LGBTQQIAP Christians,
I would think most are focused on the legal aspect of marriage. I also believe that Christians and their
Churches that do not accept gay marriage are one of the main roadblocks to
changing the laws across America concerning marriage.
In addition to a Christian’s position on gay marriage, I believe
another factor in this controversy is their position on homosexuality. The following are just some scripture references
concerning homosexuality:
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do
not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor
male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor
drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1
Corinthians 6:9-10)
Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
(Leviticus 18:22)
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women
exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural
relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed
indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for
their perversion. Furthermore, since
they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them
over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1:26-28)
If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have
done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on
their own heads. (Leviticus 20:13)
Once again a Christian has scriptural foundation which is contrary to
the actions and beliefs of those who want gay marriage. This is a more personal affront because it
goes to the core of their emotions and affections and intimacy. They are not faced with only a lack of acceptance;
they are also faced with their lifestyle being identified as sinful. I think this raises the level of controversy.
It is clear that there is cause for the controversy. I also think some Christians spend too much
time and effort in self-righteous activism and protest. In their pursuits they fail to realize they
have sinned as well. And I recognize
that some sin has a greater impact on families and the fundamental core of
Christianity than others and should get as much attention as possible. It is just my belief that some have lost
sight of the person when focusing on the group.
The conflict is not against Christians. The conflict is against God. It is His Word that has drawn the line that
we should not cross. And judgment will
come to everyone because we have all crossed that line. That line, however, is not just for judgment
but also for Love. God has made clear His
expectations because He loves us. If we did not know right from wrong, how can
we repent of our sins? If we do not know
why Jesus died on the Cross, how would we know to come to Him for salvation?
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 talked about sinners and how they will not inherit
the Kingdom of God. There is a feeling
of hopelessness in that. But verse 11
provides the hope when Paul says “And that is what some of you were. But you were
washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Some will never come to accept their sin. Others will understand they have sinned and
receive salvation. As Christians we must
stand on the Word of God, but our goal should be more than perseverance. It should also be love and discipleship. We should reach out in love and share the
gospel of Christ to the lost. Conviction
will come from the Holy Spirit, not from us.
Realize that the controversy is between God and sinners and don’t forget
that you once were as lost as they are.
