On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States overruled state bans on same-sex marriage, making it required that every state marry a gay couple. This situation is dangerous to Christians, but not for the reasons you might think. Some immediate reactions to this decision have been anger, discontent, and sadness from Christians around the entire country and around the globe on social media, but this is not the way we should respond because those feelings are a snare. After hearing about the Supreme Court decision, it took every ounce of me to constantly ask God go give me a calm spirit rather than one of anger and disappointment. It's really easy to feel that all the unbelievers are assembled together, mocking Christians because something that most of us believe is sinful is now legal in our country. It may feel like they're "throwing it in our face" because they feel that they've won some imaginary contest against us. This isn't the case at all, and as Christians, we need to understand three things.
1. We can't expect unbelievers to live by Christian morality.
It would be ridiculous to think that this would be possible. That being the case, I was 99% expecting that the Supreme Court would legalise gay marriage, which partly explains why I'm not very upset or surprised by their decision because I knew it would happen. Homosexuals are offended by Christians because we reveal to them with the Word of God that their lifestyle is sinful, and since they refuse to believe that, they're offended. In Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus says that God made us male and female, and a man will leave his family to marry his wife, which He was quoting directly from God Himself in Genesis 1:27. With this definition of marriage that Jesus gave, same-sex marriage is left out. If Jesus wished to extend the right of marriage beyond His given definition, He had the opportunity to do so here, but He doesn't. Jesus never discussed same-sex marriage because how He defined it already excluded it. As Christians, we believe this definition of marriage that Jesus gave. However, we cannot expect people who don't believe that Jesus Christ is their Saviour to believe that as well.
2. America is not God's nation.
For a very long time, Christianity was the national religion of America and the majority of Americans followed Christian morality. Obviously, that has changed throughout the centuries. Honestly, I don't believe America was ever a nation of God even though we claim that it was "founded under God." At its founding, America legalised slavery. A country cannot claim to be under God while it allows an ungodly practise to ensue; it is simply impossible. Indeed, it is impossible for any nation to abide by God's Law entirely because the earth and its inhabitants have rebelled against Him in sin at the dawn of the Fall of Man, which is the perpetual condition o the world we live in. In John 18:36, Jesus says to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from the world." We declare that we follow Jesus, so we must understand that we are not physically living in His kingdom right now, so we cannot expect to live in a nation that abides by God's Law. When we die, we'll be with Him in His kingdom, which is not on this earth. We cannot expect our government to follow Christ and what He taught because that isn't representative of the state of our word.
3. God does not honour a marriage licence.
God honours those who draw close to Him and keep Him at the centre of their lives, which also applies to marriages. God will only honour a marriage that has Him as its fundamental foundation. James 4:8, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded," and continuing in verse 10 it says, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you." So no, God does not honour gay marriage even though it's now legal in our country. Likewise, He doesn't honour the marriage of an atheist couple because they don't put Him at the centre of their relationship. Let's focus on the sanctity of our own marriages, relationships, and personal lives, making sure that God is the cornerstone of it all, before we blame unbelievers for "ruining the sanctity of marriage." (This is the whole "log in the eye" concept that Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:1-5, which is how we are to judge one another righteously.)
Getting angry at the world doing what it does best (which is sinning and rebelling against God, living apart from Him) does nothing constructive for God's Kingdom. We need to act with love and grace in the face of adversity and remember that sin has deceived the world, which is why decisions like legalising gay marriage are made, and that the cure is Jesus. As Christians, it is perfectly understandable that we're passionate about our faith and morals. We desire to defend our Saviour and what He did for the world, but getting mad about the sinful nature of the world is not the way to spread His Gospel. And remember, vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19; Deuteronomy 32:35).
Let's first wash our hands of our own sin before the Lord, pray for the world and our leaders, and go love people the way Jesus would. People are using the hashtag #lovewins, although ironically that love they profess does not extend towards Christians. Now is the time that we show the world that our God is love. Do not fall into the dangerous trap of anger, for "a man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression" (Proverbs 29:22). Clothe yourself with the love of Christ. Wear His grace like a garment and share the true love of Jesus Christ with others today.
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