Same-sex Marriage
The Supreme Court’s ruling to legalize same-sex marriage in the U.S. has many Christians in an uproar. Same-sex marriage has been at the forefront of the Christian fight since 1971 when the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled “the institution of marriage as a union of man and woman uniquely involving the procreating and rearing of children within the family is as old as the book of Genesis.” The issue of same-sex marriage has put Christian conduct under the spotlight. How far should Christians go to protest same-sex marriage to get their point across to people who don’t want to hear it?
Christians believe the first marriage was between Adam and Eve. However, should Christians protest the marriage between Adam and Steve? Or should we be using the Lord’s resources in a more resourceful manner? Christian conduct is the real issue at stake here. The whole world is watching how Christians will respond because we are the only Jesus that they will ever see. Before I open the door to your criticism, let’s look at Christian conduct from a Biblical standpoint.
What the Bible Says About Christian Conduct
A Christian is not just someone who attends a church. Christians are people who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ — purely by faith — as their Savior. As Christians, we are called to live a holy life that pleases God (Romans 12:1). As a Christian, I will tell you that it is essential that we spend time in the word of God that we may: (1) learn how to conduct ourselves in a Christ-like fashion (1 Peter 2:9), (2) understand that our fight is not against non-Christians, and (3) know that we are at war with spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).
To live a Christian life is to live a life that glorifies God by producing fruit (John 15:8). By this fruit, we know that we are disciples of Christ. What is this fruit? The fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These 9 characteristics should be the trademark of Christian conduct.
The first fruit mentioned is love. Without an open display of love, the Christian life is like a noisy horn or a clanging cymbal. Even though we display all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible, and have mountain-moving faith if we do not display love we are nothing. If we give everything we own to the poor, and though we stand against non-Christian antics to the death, and we do not display love it profits us nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
How Far Should Christians Go in Protest of Same-sex Marriage?
I heard something on the news one day that shocked me to the core. The news quoted Rick Scarborough, a former Baptist minister, and Christian political activist, saying he would set himself on fire if the high court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage. But what he really said is, “We (Christians) are not going to bow. We are not going to bend, and if necessary, we will burn!”
The media took Reverend Scarborough’s words out of context. He later acknowledged, “I made that comment to paraphrase a spiritual song, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in which the three were given a choice to bow to the image of Nebuchadnezzar or burn in a furnace. ‘We will burn’ means that we will accept any sanction from the government for resisting today’s Supreme Court decision. We will not support any violence or physical harm.” However, Reverend Scarborough did say: “The preachers need to get out front; the leaders need to get out front, out front of these ordinary citizens and say, ‘Shoot me first!’”
Everyone Has the Right to Free Choice
Here’s where I disagree. Nobody has to get shot, in fact, there is no need for conflict. I stand firm in the word of God which clearly states that men should marry women, and women should marry men, and not each other (Titus 1:6; Ephesians 5:33; 1 Peter 3:1). However, I believe that just as we Christians have a right to believe and live by the word of God, those who choose to be gay have the right to marry each other if they so choose. We do not have the right to stop them. God has given us all the ability and the right to choose, for God Himself said, “…I have set before you, life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
No one has the right to force people to believe as they do. That is what the terrorists do. They cut off people’s heads when they don’t see the world through their eyes. If we force people to choose our way, we are no different than the terrorists.
Being a Christian does not give us special privileges in this world. The Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriage is legal. It is now a law of the land in which we live and the Bible says that we should obey the law, not protest the law (Hebrews 13:17).
We Are the “Light of the World”
Brothers and sisters in Christ, be reminded that we are the light of the world. We are to be examples of God’s love. Although we are to uphold the standard of righteousness, the righteousness of God comes from within. But upholding the standard of righteousness does not make us judges. While we turn on the light of God, we should not forget that we should be subject to rulers and authorities, obey, be ready for every good work, speak evil of no one, be peaceable, and gentle, showing humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another (Titus 3:1-3).
The Bible tells us that God is love, and He does not force Himself on anyone. We, like the angels of heaven, were created with free will. Unlike all the other animal life on earth, we can choose our destiny. That means we can either accept Christ or deny Him access to our lives. But there are consequences to the choices we make. We cannot expect to live like the devil and then blame God for judging us later, and the Bible says that God will surely judge everyone according to their deeds (Revelation 20:12-13).
The word of God teaches that it is wrong for same-sex couples to marry. I believe the word of God to be true. However, when I stand before the Throne in judgment, I want Christ to remember me for being a disciple and not for opposing Him as a Pharisee.
I would love to hear your views. Join the conversation by posting your comment.