Daily Devotions
Homosexuality & Christianity (part 1 of 3)
Reading for October 8th: Matthew 15-17
Weekly reading for October 4-10: Hebrews 10-13
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Hebrews 13:4
There's been a lot of debate in the public and social media about homosexuality. How do you respond when this issue comes up at work, at school, on facebook, etc.? I've asked Ben Hall to write a series of devotionals to address this issue so that you might have some "talking points" to use with your friends.
#1. Homosexuality is not an issue that allows for "evolution."
When Jesus was asked about Marriage, He said, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female...the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." (Matthew 19:4-6). In this passage Jesus teaches us several things about marriage.
- Marriage is part of the original Creation and as such does not allow for cultural change, personal preference or any other reason for alterations.
- Marriage (being "one flesh") is a relationship that is exclusive to one man & one woman for life from the time that they become "one flesh." Multiple partners (before, during or after marriage) and same-sex partners are not part of the equation.
- Marriage is an event that occurs when God "has joined together" two people. In other words, no individual or collection of Humanity has the authority to dictate what should be considered a legitimate marriage. Only God can do that.
- Marriage is a life-long commitment. Even though Matthew's account of Jesus' marriage law includes the "exception clause" which permits divorce because of unfaithfulness, it should be noted that neither Mark (10:1-2) nor Luke (16:18) include that clause. The emphasis is that marriage is meant to be a commitment that lasts as long as the two live on Earth. Their relationship cannot change once they become "one flesh", just like the law for marriage has not changed and just like Jesus Christ who "is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews13:8).
Father, give us wisdom that our response to our culture on this delicate issue might be both biblical and seasoned with salt.
