Last week (6/25/13), Americans were met with the news that The Supreme Court of the United States has "legislated" from the bench again. Their 5-4 ruling was that section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which did not allow "same-sex" couples government benefits, was "unconstitutional". Such a ruling seems "par for the course," since in the past several years our civil leaders seem to do their best to rule in ways that are opposed to the Bible. Our civil leaders have consistently ruled in opposition to the Bible in the last century or so. Further, this nation is not unique in the world concerning such actions! I say this not as a virtue, but in shame. A nation who was once known for upholding Biblical principles is successfully moving away from the principles that made it great.
Before someone says, "We have separation of church and state in this country, so we ought not mix politics and religion;" let us be reminded that such a statement is never found in our Constitution nor Declaration of Independence. Our Constitution forbids Congress from establishing a "state religion" as England and other countries have. Our Constitution, however, does not forbid civil leaders, or anyone else, from expressing religious convictions publicly or privately!
With this in mind, let the leaders of our country and its citizens be reminded that God has condemned homosexuality from Genesis through Revelation. How can folks who claim to believe in God and the Bible say otherwise? God showed His hatred for homosexual acts when He destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain (Gen. 19). Homosexual sins were consistently forbidden and condemned throughout the Old Law. In the New Testament, we see the same thing being taught (Matt. 19:4-6; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; etc.). Thus, when a country has legislators (or jurists acting like legislators) who treat homosexual sins as a "right," then something is WRONG! Further, rest assured, God will not allow such actions to go unpunished (See: Dan. 4-5).
Remember the words of the Lord: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Prov. 14:34). Yet, in the current political climate, instead of leaders bowing their heads and asking God for forgiveness, we have a civil government who encourages homosexual behavior (and other sinful acts) by bowing to those who practice it (Rom. 1:32).
Is homosexuality the only sin that has been "legalized"? No! Drinking alcohol, gambling, abortions (murder of unborn children), prostitution, fornication, adultery, divorce for any cause, and numerous other sins have been "legalized" in the last century. The sin of homosexuality is simply the "latest" sin being justified by civil leaders.
What can Christians do in a situation where our leaders rule in opposition to God? 1) Pray to God for help (Jas. 5:16; 1 Pet. 5:7). Pray also for our civil leaders that they will see the error of their ways and repent (1 Tim. 2:1-2). 2) Teach our children what is right. Homosexuality, like all other sins, is learned behavior (Jas. 1:14-15). It isn't "genetic," as some claim, for God says repent of it! (1 Cor. 6:9-11) Let us teach our children God's laws for marriage (Matt. 19:4-6; 1 Cor. 7:2; Heb. 13:4). Let us show them God's ways of living while they are at home with us (Eph. 6:4; Prov. 22:6). 3) Speak up when we can. This country still has freedom of speech for the time being. Let us use our freedom to speak up for God's way, regardless of the sin (2 Tim. 4:2, 2:2; 2 Pet. 1:12-15; etc.)! Express your disagreement with the elected officials as well. Let them know that there is a "voter block" who cares for God's ways of ruling. Who knows but the people you speak to can be convinced and converted to the Lord's ways on this subject and other subjects before it is too late (Est. 4:14).
- The Old Paths, 6/30/13