With marriage and its (re)definition in the headlines nearly everyday, this is a vital question. As of late October 2013, 1-in-5 Americans inhabit a state or jurisdiction wherein same-sex marriage is legal.
Hebrews 12:25-13:6 serves as a fitting frame for the consideration of this question.
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Foundational Input from Our Creator
- Manhood and womanhood was God’s idea (Gen 1:27-28).
- God linked his design for manhood and womanhood with marriage (Gen 2:23-24).
- Jesus emphasized the link between creation, manhood and womanhood, and the true nature of a life-long covenant relationship wherein God does the joining together (Matt 19:1-6).
- Paul reveals the deepest meaning of marriage as designed and defined by God (Eph 5:24-33).
All of which leads to this conclusion: God created male and female with distinctive masculine and feminine natures; he defined for them distinctive roles so that within the context of marriage as husband and wife they might multiply the human race, serve as a model of God’s covenant with his people, and uniquely display the relationship of Christ and his blood-bought church.
Whom is Our Creator Willing to “Join” to Another of the Opposite Sex in “Holy Matrimony”?
- One who has never been married (Gen 2:24; 1 Cor 7:8-9, 28).
- One whose spouse has died (Rom 7:1-3).
- One who divorces his/her spouse for sexual immorality (Matt 19:9).
- One who is reconciling with his/her spouse (1 Cor 7:10-11).
How Would Our Creator Have Us Think of Disregard for His Will Concerning Marriage?
- A man and a woman may be “married” in the eyes of human society, but that doesn’t mean it is “lawful” for them to be together (Mark 6:14-18).
- A man and a man or a woman and a woman may be “married” in the eyes of human society, but that doesn’t mean their union is “natural” (Rom 1:18-27; Isa 5:20).
- All such disregard is a symptom of our broken and disordered alienation from God that is universally experienced by all sinners (Rom 3:23; 6:23; 1 Cor 6:9-10).
- To approve of sin, whether by silence or endorsement, contradicts the very nature of love (Rom 1:32; Gal 4:16).
- Salvation is available to all (1 Cor 6:11; 1 Pet 2:21-25)
This sermon was delivered on October 27, 2013.
For more sermons, visit the sermons archive or subscribe to the podcast.