- Let’s up front acknowledge a couple of things:
a. Gay marriage is here to stay in America for the foreseeable future. That’s just a political reality.
b. Christians who claim homosexuality is wrong are going to be in the minority for the foreseeable future.
- I think it’s important to honestly assess where we are as a culture and what churches will be faced with. Now, understand, I am not arguing that we should change what believe – simply that we should be realistic about what’s ahead.
- In this morning’s message, I want to look at one of the most prominent arguments for gay marriage.
AN UNQUESTIONED ARGUMENT FOR GAY MARRIAGE: “I didn’t choose my sexuality – it came naturally to me.”
- Romans 1:26-27.
- The most “ironclad, irrefutable argument” offered in favor of gay marriage is:
- “This is who I am.”
- “This is something that came naturally to me.”
- “I cannot deny the feelings of my heart.”
- Or, as Lady Gaga puts it, they were “born this way.”
- That is a powerful argument. After all, how can any reasonable person deny someone the right to be who they are?
- It is such a powerful argument that it represents one of the reasons that public opinion on gay marriage has changed so quickly.
- The question before us is whether this actually is an “ironclad, irrefutable argument.” I would argue that it is one that sounds good but doesn’t stand strict scrutiny.
- This assertion of the rightness of homosexuality stands in the face of multiple Biblical references calling homosexuality a sin.
- Implicit with that, is the idea that what comes from within me is good and natural.
THE BIBLE'S ASSERTION: All that comes from our heart is not intrinsically good.
- Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Romans 3:10, 23.
- “If I follow my heart, it will lead me to truth.” Well, not exactly. It would if your heart was intrinsically good, but it’s not.
- Texts to consider:
a. Romans 3:10, 23.
- This passage says that no one is righteous (on their own) and that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
- The Bible teaches that we are sinful and messed up spiritually and morally when we are in our natural condition. Our moral compass is not properly set to true north.
b. Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34.
- Jesus’ instructions for us to follow in life are not to “find yourself,” but to “deny yourself.”
- This means that our heart is not a trustworthy guide to all that is good and true.
WHERE ELSE DOES THAT TOUCH OUR LIVES? As Christians we often justify our own sins with the same argument.
- This idea of saying things “come naturally” applies to more than just the homosexuality issue, although that’s where it is probably most prominent today.
- Now, this where the “amen’s” die and we don’t like the sermon anymore.
- Examples:
a. Sex before marriage.
b. Affairs.
c. Worry.
d. Lust.
e. Porn.
f. Gossip.
g. Spending.
h. Resentment (v. forgiveness).
i. Anger.
- In these areas (and many more), many Christians commit the same mistake that we’re talking about coming from the homosexual debate. We presume that if it’s easy for me, it’s either good or it’s at least something that can be easily justified.
- It’s not. Our standard is God’s standard, not our feelings.
A MAJOR FAITH DECISION FOR OUR LIVES: Will I trust the Bible more than my feelings, my conscience, my heart, and my culture?
- 2 Timothy 3:16.
- Go over these four:
a. My feelings.
b. My conscience.
c. My heart.
d. My culture.
- There are inevitably going to be issues where Scripture and other things in my life conflict. Which is supreme?
- We have to at some point decide if we’re going to see the Bible as the supreme guide of our lives. It’s not always easy.
- When I read that God loves me, that’s easy. When I read I have to repent, that’s not easy.
- When I read that there is a heaven for those who pursue God, that’s easy. When I read that there is destructive hell for those who don’t, that’s not easy.
- When I read that I can be forgiven, that’s easy. When I read that I have to forgive, that’s not easy.
- It is a baby Christian thing to do that we only believe the Bible where it makes our lives easier. It is a mature Christian thing that we believe it at all times.
- One thing I’ve experienced in my own life is that when I trust my heart over the Bible it’s often the areas of my heart that most need to be addressed that get justified.
- The issues where I most need to hear what the Bible has to say to me are the very areas where I’m the most inclined to listen to the justifications of my own heart. One of the reasons for that is generally the more a sin has hold of me the more incentive I have to justify it.
- So I may be heavily opposed to what I hear from the Bible on a particular issue because I know that if the Bible is right I’m going to be facing big heart changes. I don’t want that, even if my behavior is creating problems in my life. I’d rather just deal with the consequences.
BACK TO HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE - TWO TAKEAWAYS:
1. We need to acknowledge that homosexuality is a sin, but not the sin.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
- More than one of the New Testament references to homosexuality shows up in a list of other sins. Let’s look at the one in 1 Corinthians 6.
- It’s easy to pick out homosexuality as the sin, but look at this list. The word that immediately stands out to me is “greedy.” This is a list (v. 9) of those who will not inherit the Kingdom. It’s easy to say that homosexuals will not and get “amen’s” in church, since that’s our “go-to” sin to condemn these days. But what about greed? That just might get a preacher fired!
- We like to focus on the sins that we’re not committing and ignore the ones that we don’t do. But all sin involves us stepping across a sin of guilt.
- We need to be careful that we don’t spend an undue amount of time condemning others’ sins at the expense of time to look at (and get rid of) our own sin.
2. We need to know that our main goal is to win people’s hearts, not win a culture war.
- Matthew 9:11-13.
- Jesus said He had come for the sick, not the well. We’ve made it our job to condemn the sick.
- We have allowed our attention to be shifted over to “winning the culture war,” whatever that means (mostly trying to return America and the church to a “golden era” that never existed in the first place). In order to “win the culture war,” we are justified in pursuing a “Christian goal” by non-Christian means. It’s ok to trash your enemy. It’s ok to hate. It’s ok to do all these things that the world tells us are necessary to win a political battle.
- You cannot win a Christian battle by non-Christian means.
- Jesus didn’t just give us the goal – He also gave us the means (that is, how we should live).
- Our goal as the church is not “win culture wars.” The church ventured into such things in the Middle Ages with disastrous results. Our goal is to share the amazing good news of Jesus that can change lives. Now, as we do that well and successfully, there will inevitably be a change in the larger culture, but that is a side effect. Further, it happens because of changed lives, not because of 30-second attack ads.
- When we think of those supporting gay marriage, our primary goal is not to see them defeated electorally, but to see them accept the love of God in their lives.
