In spite of the new cultural mandate to secularize certain biblical institutions or precepts that happen to be at odds with current opinion, marriage and homosexuality have always been and always will be spiritually defined relationships.
God called Abraham out of idolatry and established a people who were to reflect His moral purity, not the cultural standards of ancient Persia, Egypt nor the child-sacrificing Canaanites in the land which would become Israel. It has been true to the present day — “Come out from among them and be separate, says the LORD.” It is this foundational morality that followed true Christian faith around the world, making secular laws that endeavored to mirror biblical righteousness.
God’s version of marriage only includes a man and a woman. Jesus said, “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 Homosexual marriage was never mentioned because it was completely foreign to God’s word and a Jewish culture that was based on His word.
Premarital sex was a grave issue and considered sinful (Matthew 1:18ff). And Jesus redefined adultery by saying, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28.
Clearly, if adultery leads to God’s judgment, so does other sexual sin. Jesus warns, “For from within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, [including homosexuality – the same Greek word is used in Jude 7’s reference to Sodom and Gomorrah] murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:21-23.
And in damning the city of Capernaum for rejecting him, Jesus said, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” Matthew 11:23, 24. Sodom’s homosexuality and judgment are detailed in Genesis 19 extensively.
Both the Old and New Testaments condemn many types of sin, homosexuality included. It was never a secular issue to the Jew or Christian. Jesus said, “Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21. The issue of homosexuality goes far beyond what Caesar thinks about it.
California’s Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution to define marriage as only being between one man and one woman. A yes vote would be agreeing with God. A no vote would be denying His supreme authority to rule in all matters of morality. I am forced to ask myself — am I willing to agree with the ultimate Lawgiver or listen to those who want to re-write moral law to fit their own secular beliefs?
