WHAT
GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER
On
July 15th (this coming Thursday to be exact) the Congress of the
United States will meet to determine whether or not to add to the
Constitution of the United States an amendment that defines marriage
as a union that is restricted to that between a man and a woman. If
passed, such legislation would make homosexual marriages illegal
according to the law of the land. It would be an understatement to
say that this marks an extremely important, if not pivotal, moment in
the history of this nation. The outcome of their decision will
demonstrate whether we, as a nation, give credence to the words "in
God we trust," or whether we cast them off as a relic of a
bygone conviction that our progenitors once held to.
It
is appalling that the moral decay of a nation should reach a point
that it requires civil legislation to "clarify" the divine
law of marriage. It marks us as hypocrites among the nations,
claiming to trust in God out of one side of our mouth and denying Him
out of the other. Solomon said it well; "Righteousness exalts a
nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Prov. 14:34)
This
is a shameful day that should cause us to blush before our neighbors
of the world. But are
we ashamed as a nation? Those who have made it necessary for
Congress to take such action - those who reject the divine law of
marriage and defy the God of heaven - are anything
but
ashamed of their deplorable sin and are therefore insistent upon
gaining not only public approval, but the sanction of government
protection under its laws. Therefore it has become necessary, on the
federal level, to "define" marriage so that state
governments not sanction homosexual relationships under the
protection of marriage with all of the privileges that are otherwise
afforded by law. Are these people, and those who support them,
ashamed of any of this? The words of Jeremiah are an appropriate
description; "Were they ashamed when they had committed
abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know
how to blush" (Jer. 6:15).
Regardless
of the outcome of this week's legislation, God's people must stand
firm in their conviction to truth and not give credence to, nor
approval of, those who espouse such a disregard for God's marriage
law. This past week, I had the occasion to talk with one who openly
embraces homosexuality. His response to my disapproving remarks was
to say that, "The Constitution of the United States gives me the
right to be a homosexual if I want." In response to his
defense, my reply was, "On the day of judgment, it won't matter
what the Constitution of the United States says. We are going to be
judged by the
word of God,
not the Constitution of the United States."
Such
responses are a clear indication that the masses of people are not
thinking on a spiritual level. They are locked into a worldly view
of life and can see no farther. As Paul said, ".. the natural
man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for
they are foolishness to him;
nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
(1 Cor. 2:14)
Many,
in defense of their self-proclaimed "alternate lifestyle,"
will claim that Congress is crossing the lines of church and state.
However, their defense has no validity and Christians need to be
perceptive enough to see through this, just as we do their argument
that claims that they were "born that way,"
Those
who will be taken in by this argument fail to recognize that God has
authored three institutions in His creation; family, government, and
the church. All of these coexist under the authority of God while
remaining distinct in their purpose. When government legislates laws
that protect
the family and the church, it is not "mixing" church and
state or family and state. It should be remembered, that God's word
commands that "every soul be subject to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the
authorities that exist are appointed by God...For rulers are not a
terror to good
works,
but to evil....For
he is God's minister to you for
good.
But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in
vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him
who
practices evil."
(Rom. 13:1, 3, 4)
It
is the work of government to protect
against that which is evil
and encourage that which is good.
But who determines what is good
and what is evil?
Such implies a standard
of right and wrong. God's word is
that standard.
So regardless of how hard people kick against "moral issues"
that government must deal with, they either must submit to this truth
or insist on "situational ethics" which denies any
standard other than their own individual preferences. Such a demand
would render any kind of government dysfunctional and incapable of
fulfilling its God-given purpose. The outcome would demand that
government "play God" and determine what it
decides
is right and wrong. However, even this would result in the public
outcry of those who did not adopt government's decisions as their
own. In short, those who demand that society recognize each ones'
preferences as their own individual standard of right and wrong, in
actuality, are calling for no
government,
the result of which would be utter chaos.
God's
standard regarding marriage is not an issue that government is at
liberty to "define." The responsibility of this or any
government is to "honor and defend" marriage as
God
has defined it.
When, as a nation, we become so ignorant of God's truth, that
government can no longer discern between right and wrong, we will
fail to exist as a nation. Hosea the prophet bemoaned such a plight
when he wrote, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge"
(Hos. 4:6).
God
established His law of marriage with Adam and Eve when He said, "...a
man
shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh." (Gen. 2:24) Jesus quoted
these very words after having pointed out that "He who made them
at the beginning, 'made them male
and female,'"
and then said, "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what
God
has joined together,
let not man separate." (Mt. 19:4-6) This is a critical time for
our nation, our children, and the church. Pray
fervently!
-
Gary V. Womack - July 11, 2004