“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:2-5).
OK, so the President supports homosexual marriage (no surprise here). All over the Internet I’ve read posts, blogs, articles, Facebook conversations, etc. of Christians tripping over themselves trying to be fair, sensitive, discerning, and tolerant. When the citizens of North Carolina voted overwhelmingly to reject homosexual marriage, some Christians suggested that because of an increasingly pluralistic society it is inappropriate to “coerce” through legislation a morality that is derived from our faith tradition. To that I would reply that the purpose of all legislation is to encourage or “coerce” civic morality, and civic morality should reflect the highest good.
I am aware that some who claim to speak for the Christian church in opposition to homosexual marriage often do so with a tremendous lack of grace. So, lest someone accuse me of being a homophobic bigot, let me be clear: I do not believe that homosexuals should be stoned, imprisoned, persecuted; or be denied housing, voting rights, etc. Nor do I believe that homosexuality should be criminalized. I believe that homosexuals can be good citizens in secular society and deserve full respect and protection of the law.
With that said, I am also convinced that the only moral and proper sexual expression is that between one man and one woman who have been joined together by a covenant of marriage. The basis of this conviction is the teaching of Jesus:
“Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6 NKJV).
My point here is that most Christians have focused on the immorality of homosexuality, while all but ignoring the immorality of fornication (pre-marital sex), pornography, adultery (extra-marital sex), and no-fault divorce & remarriage within our midst (see Matthew 19:7-9). One dear friend lamented that if millennials have embraced homosexual marriage, then the church has lost them. I disagree; the church began losing generations of young people when Christian parents began embracing no-fault divorce and church leaders were complicit in their silence. The acceptance of homosexuality is nothing more (or less) than the continued downward spiral of church and society that has rejected basic Christian sexual ethics.
Sexual integrity must be a primary commitment for all Christians. Paul exhorted,
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV).
When the Holy Spirit baptized the first Gentile believers it caused a scandal in the apostolic church because Gentiles were generally considered to be unclean. Gentiles were not circumcised according to Jewish custom, and they did not share the sexual ethics of the Jews. Gentiles frequently engaged in temple prostitution, and pederasty (sexual relations between adult males and pubescent boys) was common. Furthermore, if Greek mythology is a reflection of ancient Greek culture, then incest was a rather common occurrence. The leaders of the church, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, discerned that Gentile believers must not be required to be circumcised; but Gentile believers must “abstain from… sexual immorality” (Acts 15:20). Christians are a temple of the Holy Spirit and must abstain from all forms of sexual immorality: fornication, impurity, sensuality (Galatians 5:19); adultery, homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9); and pornography (1 John 2:16). The sexual ethic of the Christian faith was (and is) a radical break with the sexual amorality of this present age.
Sexual integrity is a sanctifying work of the gracious indwelling and baptism of the Holy Spirit. In the midst of a Hellenistic world that shamelessly exploited human sexuality, the Apostle Paul declared:
For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you (1 Thessalonians 4:3-9).
As we consider the long term repercussions of President Obama’s announcement, let’s focus our attention on a thorough response that adequately encourages our commitment to a biblically informed sexual ethic. There is more at stake here than a legal definition of marriage. Our response must be trifold. First, like John the Baptist, we must speak with a prophetic voice against all leaders who flaunt their disregard for biblical standards of sexual behavior. But beware – people in powerful places respond violently to prophetic words! (Matthew 14:1-11).
Second, in the church we must commit ourselves to teaching and living a life of sanctification. My experience has been that most churches are uncomfortable dealing with issues of sexuality (except for the occasional baby shower for an unwed mother!). We must begin teaching our children at an early age about the gift of human sexuality and warn them of the abuses and temptations. We must be committed to encouraging and counseling married couples through their difficulties so that divorce can be avoided. We must be willing to discipline those in the church who refuse to repent (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5). And, if we are going to engage in political warfare against homosexual marriage, let’s be prepared to denounce no-fault divorce with the same fervor. One friend pointed out that it was California governor Ronald Reagan who signed the first no-fault divorce bill into law (1969). So before we stone President Obama (just a metaphor!) for offering support to homosexual marriage; we should seriously consider our own complicity in the continuing downward moral spiral! There’s a lot of blame to share here. I am afraid that instead of serious repentance, too many Christians will continue to accommodate the spirit of this world.
