How Should Christians Respond to the Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Ruling?
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says that the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather many teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn away from the truth and instead listen to myths.
That time has come. I’m grieved by the Supreme Court ruling, but it didn’t surprise me. The handwriting has been on the wall for quite some time. No longer will the body of Christ be able to sit quietly on the sidelines, but what should our response be?
1. Don’t act out in anger. God is still on his throne. Jesus did die for our sins and he was resurrected with ALL power. And no government ruling can supersede God’s authority. Grieve the decision; that’s an appropriate response. But don’t let it drag you into useless arguments. We aren’t going to win anyone over with rage, sarcasm, and insults. We need to continue speaking the truth. And remember that truth and love must co-exist; it’s not either/or. As Warren Wiersbe said, “Truth without love is brutality, but love without truth is hypocrisy.”
2. Read the Bible. We have become biblically illiterate. The Bible is a big book, so just going to Sunday service and/or Bible study isn’t enough. God gave us the Bible for guidance and sustenance, and we need to read it. All of it. Repeatedly. This will allow us to hear God speak, strengthen us for the trials to come, and remind us of God’s teachings. If we consider God our father, then we need to believe and do what he says.
3. Pray. Pray for our nation and its leaders, for the Christian body, and for our Christian clergy. Pray for the boldness to stand for what’s right and that God will forgive our nation for turning away from him. Additionally, pray for the salvation of the lost, and that we would be used as instruments to turn people back to God.
4. Stop compromising. Houston, we have a problem. A big one. We have become ineffective because of our willingness to compromise God’s Word. Matthew 5:14-16 says we are the light of the world and we should let that light shine before others. Instead, our light is getting dimmer and dimmer. And it’s our own fault. Here are the primary reasons we compromise:
A. To make sure we don’t offend. It seems we’re worried about offending everyone but God. But Matthew 10:28 says not to be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
B. To prove we don’t hate. The idea is being promoted that truth = hate. If we say, “Homosexuality is a sin,” we’re automatically accused of hatred. Well if we’re haters, then Jesus was the ultimate hater. Yes, he loved people. He healed them, fed them, and forgave them. But he didn’t hesitate to call out sin. His message wasn’t “I love you, so I’ll remain silent to spare your feelings;” it was “I love you. Now go and sin no more.”
C. To ensure we’re not judging. We have bought into the lie that judging is wrong. I submit to you that Christians better be able to judge between right and wrong! We need to do this first for ourselves and secondly to be able to help our Christian brothers and sisters. Let’s clear up this false teaching. In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus is NOT saying don’t judge. He’s saying don’t judge if you’re guilty of the same or greater sin.
Judging sin doesn’t mean that we ride around on our high horse telling everyone they’re wrong. But it does mean not being afraid to speak up when the situation calls for it. It means being able to say X, Y, Z is a sin, without apology. Because we’re not saying it of our own volition, we’re only stating what God has already said.
D. To conceal our own sin. Within our own churches, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, and pornography is being condoned or overlooked. We’ve even got people in prominent positions who need to be sat down. The people who don’t want to be confronted with their sin fall back on “don’t judge me” or “nobody’s perfect.” But we need to clean up our own houses so we can effectively witness to others. And we need to hold our own marriages in higher honor before we worry about what other people are doing.
Be Bold for Christ
If you’re compromising your own beliefs in favor of the changing culture, then shame on you. I’m talking to you President Obama; I’m talking to all you Christian leaders on television; I’m talking to all the Christians in the trenches living life day by day. Stop compromising! Stop calling wrong right and right wrong. You’re on a slippery slope and soon you really won’t be able to tell the difference. How can we be light if we can’t properly identify what’s dark?
If You’re Struggling With Homosexuality
To my Christian brothers and sisters caught up in the homosexual lifestyle, I love you and I ache for you, because I know it’s hard. Sexual sin of any kind is the hardest to overcome for a Christian. But your first step is to acknowledge the lifestyle as sin. You can’t fix what you won’t admit. Don’t buy into the idea that what you’re doing is ok. Confess your sin and ask God to help you overcome it. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. You might have a continuous struggle, just as most Christians are prone to particular sins, but fight the good fight until the day you die. Don’t give up!
Enter the Narrow Gate
Matthew 7:13-14 says that the wide gate leads to destruction, but the narrow gate leads to life. We aren’t going to enter the narrow gate by giving in to popular opinion. I leave you with this scripture from Ephesians 4:14-15: We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine. Let us not be influenced by human cunning or clever lies. We must speak the truth in love, growing in every way to become more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
~ C. Austin Tucker