On Wednesday, May 9 President Barack Obama publicly affirmed his personal stance that same-sex couples should be able to get married in the United States of America. This perspective offered from the highest office in the land is spiritually arrogant and clearly unbiblical. However spun, the issue is not a civil rights issue but instead one of theology. While humanism will always reject biblical theology in favor of personal preference, God’s Word reveals His design for marriage.
God’s Design for Marriage
Whose idea is marriage anyway? If men and women developed the blueprints for marriage then people certainly have the capability to remodel the original design. However, if marriage is an institution designed by God and developed with His purposes in mind then people, no matter how influential, have no right to govern it and its design is not up for debate. Consider the scriptures.
Genesis 1:27-28 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”[1]
Genesis 2:20-25 But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed[2]
According to the Bible, God created men and women equally in His sight with male and female uniqueness. This is evidenced in simple anatomy, biological and physiological processes, and the reproductive process among other things. The first documented marriage takes place in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. We see a pattern of one man and one woman for a lifetime. This design is first shown in Genesis but continues throughout the scriptures. This is the bedrock of the biblical worldview concerning marriage. To support same-sex marriage is to reject the scriptures. To support same-sex marriage is to determine that God is not the designer of marriage or the creator of men and women therefore giving us as people the right to redefine marriage. When President Obama says that he affirms same-sex marriage he is willfully and intentionally rejecting God’s design for marriage as stated in the Bible.
The Cultural Ramifications
Truthfully, the world has seen this all before. By “this” I mean the choice of a once God-centered culture to reject God’s sovereign authority and leadership. Judges 13:1 describes the culture of Israel in those days this way.
“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.”
People have constantly wrestled with doing what is right in their own eyes verses doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Certainly nations and generations have chosen their own way over the ways of God. The result is always a sovereign judgment imposed upon men by God himself. For instance, in the verse above, God judged His people by letting them be ruled by another nation for forty years. In Romans 1 the wrath of God falls on unrighteous Rome. God’s judgment is to simply let the people reap the consequences of doing what is right in their own eyes. Read for Roman 1:21-32 for yourself.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.[3]
The ramifications of doing what is right in our own eyes verses doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord is already coming to fruition. Romans 1 eerily describes the finish line in the race to build a country devoid of obedience to God’s Word. Hauntingly verse 32 of Romans 1 condemns those who give approval to such activity outside of God’s design. President Obama’s affirmation of same sex marriage is a modern example of an ancient truth. You reap what you sow. Our culture is experiencing judgment and if we continue to follow leaders who guide us away from the truth of God’s Word we will experience judgment to deepening degrees that will devastate our children and grandchildren.
Gospel Application
There is good news. The gospel of Jesus Christ is for every person who would confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that Jesus was raised from the dead according to Romans 10:9-10. This is what I love about God. Though He must judge sin He chooses to deal with sin on the cross of Jesus Christ. He allows Jesus to take the punishment for us as a substitute if we will turn away from our sin and toward the Savior in repentant and obedient love. That kind of confession promises forgiveness and produces miraculous life change. This applies to any sinner and the Bible teaches that we are all sinners. As I write this post knowing that some will judge me as self-righteous and intolerant I admit that I am a big sinner, saved by the loving grace of Jesus.
So how, as Christians, should we react to President Obama’s announcement? Here are 5 steps toward a gospel-centered response.
1. Repent of Sin – Begin by repenting of personal sin. Whenever I speak out against sin I am always reminded of how sinful I am. Repent of your own sin and pursue personal revival. If the people of God in this nation returned to Him in loving obedience, the Holy Spirit once again would move across our land in reformative ways. It begins with us.
2. Resist the stupid, gossipy, rhetoric that is un-loving and counter-productive. A lot of Christians will simply verbally bash the Presidents’ decision while sneering at homosexuals with a self-righteous “you are the reason this country is going to hell” look. Truthfully, God has just given us over to what is right in our own eyes. The church is responsible here as much as anyone else. Before you check out the speck in someone else’s eye take the log out of your own.
3. Love people who struggle with same-sex attraction. We all now have people in our lives (friends, family, co-workers) who struggle or have completely given themselves over to same-sex attraction. We need to love them while upholding God’s design. Jesus is a friend of sinners and you and I should be as well. Never compromise the truth but offer the gospel in love.
4. Teach your children God’s design for sexuality and marriage. To thrive in the next generation our children need a clear biblical understanding of sex, marriage, and family. Impress this on your children while they are young. Talk about the issues openly in your family in age appropriate ways. Our children encounter these issues as 4 and 5 year olds.
5. Vote – Please register to vote and then vote. We live in a democracy that gives us a voice. Vote your biblical worldview. Your vote matters and this presidential election will decide the fate of marriage in our country. Will we do what is right in our own eyes or what is right in the eyes of the Lord? We know President Obama’s leaning. What is yours?
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Ge 1:27–28). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Last night I read a blog post called “So You Want to Date My Daughter” by Jared Wilson. Looking at the associated comments, I bet by now we could consider this post “viral.” Read it now so you that will understand the rest of my post.
The title of the post caught my attention as a Christian Dad wanting to be intentional about how I lead my 3 daughters to deal with the issues of dating and marriage. The post made me laugh, challenged me to man-up in my role as a father of daughters, and gave me some great practical ideas for just how to do that.
Jared and I are on the same page biblically when it comes to honoring God and valuing women. While his post made the laugh the ensuing comments from “Christians” made me cry. Who would have thought such a post would capture the passionate attention of many? We have a problem in the west when it comes to the biblical roles of men and women. The problem is we don’t like God’s design and we think we know better. This of course is offensive to God producing a Romans 1 effect. In a sense, God sometimes judges this kind of sin by saying, “Have it your way.” The results, as evidenced in our culture already, are devastating.
Let me state the obvious biblically no matter your experience in the world:
God’s design is that men are to lead the family and the church spiritually. That’s why he made us Dad’s and Senior Pastors, overseers and elders. That does not mean that women have no place of leadership in the church or in the family. It just means they have a different place of vital and valued leadership in the church and the family per God’s design. Men are supposed to protect their wives and daughters from other evil men even if their wives and daughters are strong and independent. This is, in fact, God valuing women highly and men who love God valuing women highly. When we as men fail to lead spiritually, protect, and provide, then we drop the ball causing a clang of cultural dissonance throughout the generations. When we as men abuse our role given by God or ignore it in apathy we cause revolt against God’s design because of real pain, real abuse, and real anger experienced by sons, daughters, and wives alike. In my view this abuse of God’s design by men is the root sin causing the sometimes understandable yet sinful reactions of feminism, homosexuality, adultery, abuse, etc.
Men of God it’s time to embrace God’s design, love like He does (sacrificially, selflessly, courageously), and stop being abusive or apathetic.
All that from a post called “So You Want to Date My Daughter?” Yes. Read the comments on Jared’s post. You will see, the real issue is not Jared’s parenting but a war to embrace or reject God’s design for biblical manhood and womanhood.
- The King Received His Glory - according to the apostle Paul, if Jesus is raised from the dead, the issue is settled. He is the Son of God. Paul writes in Romans 1:3-4 “Concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead…“
- In Christ, Believers are Freed from Sin – This is the great reversal. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:17-22 that in the resurrection Jesus un-did what had already been done. Adam, the first man, brought sin and death into the world but Jesus overcame death in the power of the resurrection and freed believers from the penalty of sin, giving us a new life that will last forever.
- Victory Over Satanic Rulers and Authorities – The resurrection brings about victory on a spiritual battle field that we often do not have eyes to see. When Jesus overcame death he squashed the Enemy and his plan to “kill, steal, and destroy” as stated in John 10:10. Colossians 2:15 says, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them.“
One day Jesus was summoned by dear friends, Mary and Martha, because their brother Lazarus got sick and needed a miracle. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already succumbed to death. Martha, exclaimed upon Jesus arrival that he was just too late. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?“
Martha’s answer was, “Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.“
What is your answer?
