Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”
Our Bible verse for today: “Haven’t you read,” He replied, “that He who created them in the beginning made them male and female,” and He also said: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become on flesh?” Matthew 19:4-5 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “The Bible makes no provision for same-sex marriage”
Gay marriage is one of the most contentious and difficult cultural issues facing Christians today. It is already legal in many states and the speculation is that in 2015 it may become the law of the land nationwide. How should a Bible-believing Christian think about and respond to this issue?
First, at this point in our study it should be abundantly clear that the Bible makes no provision for same-sex marriage. As has already been clearly demonstrated, the Biblical standard for all expressions of human sexuality is the pre-sin standard established by God in Genesis chapter two and reaffirmed by Jesus in Matthew chapter nineteen. The standard is one man and one woman committed to each other in a lifelong marriage. This was also affirmed by both Paul and Peter in Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Peter 3:1-7.
In an effort to weaken the argument that the Biblical standard is limited to only one man and one woman, some advocates of gay marriage point to the fact that polygamy was practiced by some of the Old Testament patriarchs such as Abraham and Jacob. Therefore since polygamy involves more than just one man and one woman, other combinations must be ok too.
But nowhere in the Bible is polygamy endorsed. And in every case (especially with Jacob), we read that it produced numerous family problems. In the Old Testament, polygamy was a practice some of the Jews engaged in for a brief period in their history, but it was never God’s original design. Beyond that, there is no evidence of it in the New Testament at all. Also, in Ephesians 4:21-31 the Apostle Paul writes in a critical manner regarding the results of Abraham’s polygamy.
There can be no question that the Biblical standard for marriage involves one man and one woman in a committed relationship for life. That was God’s original design and it is affirmed in the New Testament. That means there cannot be a Biblical justification for gay marriage and that should answer the question for Bible-believing Christians. That then reduces the question to a cultural one.
We will discuss the cultural dimensions of gay marriage but before we do, tomorrow we need to think a little more about the Biblical case for traditional marriage. This is an important issue which needs a little further exploration because in our day more and more Christians, especially young ones, are coming to the unbiblical conclusion that gay marriage might just be ok. But it isn’t and the Bible is clear on that point.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 