Tonight I read a story about a Pastor that was asked to pray at the President's inauguration. He was chosen because of his support and work against human trafficking. This is a man we should all be proud, as Americans, to have pray for our President. All of this changed when a group that is opposed to the Gospel of Christ found out that this Pastor, Preacher of God's word, spoke a message many years ago that defined Biblical marriage.
I see so many problems with this that I could spend many pages writing about it, but what strikes me the most is that these groups had to dig too far into his past to find a message that identified his belief in Biblical marriage. It strikes me that I do not want to make it so difficult for any person or group opposed to the Gospel of Christ to find out how I believe and what my definition of marriage is. As I embark on this voyage with the Lord to preach His Word to the people of this world, I want it to be crystal clear that I know that marriage is an institution of God's that exists between a man and a woman alone. That there is no room for men with men and women with women. My apologies on the poor writing, but I felt that it was a good trade for getting this our without delay.
I know this position is offensive to some people. In fact, I have distant family members that would take issue. But none of this matters because all that matters is that we acknowledge Christ before men so He will acknowledge us before the Father. I want Christ in Heaven speaking my name before God, so I had to go on record with what I believe the Bible says about marriage.
Here are some verses that the Bible has to offer us to tell the story of marriage.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
From the beginning God establishes that a man and a woman would "hold fast" to one another.
Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken."
When speaking of marriage and making rules that would determine how God's chosen would conduct themselves when they married. Here it is obvious that marriage would be between a man and a woman.
Matthew 19:4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Matthew confirms what was written in the beginning and shows us that this is not just some old covenant rule that ended with the new convenant.
1 Corinthians 7:16 For how do you know, wife,whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
Here again in Corinthians Paul confirms again that marriage is between a man and woman.
Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
And again here in Colossians Paul once again identifies to us that a man and a woman are to be married.
You can search the Bible through and through and you will find no reference explicit or implied that would lead us to be believe that it is alright for two people of the same sex to marry. While there are many that would say differently, their only real hope is to convince us that the Bible is an archaic document that is no longer relevant. In the end this is what we are left with; you either believe what the Bible tells us or you do not.
I want to be sure that there is no doubt what I believe. This semester I will have an assignment to write a statement of faith. One element of this assignment will include this belief. I want for there to be no doubt about what I stand for. I want to make sure that it is not difficult for anyone to find proof that I stand up for the real "natural".
