To vote for Jesus is to vote for policies that recognize that His design for marriage involves a covenant relationship between one man and one woman for one lifetime...

This week we have been addressing the issue of marriage. We have been asking the questions “What policies would Jesus promote when it comes to the issue of marriage? Would Jesus promote the legalization of same-sex marriage, or would Jesus prohibit same-sex marriage? And more importantly, how would Jesus engage in the discussion surrounding same-sex marriage?” So far, we talked about the reality that whether you regularly attend church or whether this is your first Sunday in church; whether or not you regularly read the Bible, you are probably at least somewhat familiar with what the letters that make up the Bible have to say about the issue of homosexuality.

The reason why you are probably at least somewhat familiar with what the letters that make up the Bible have to say about homosexuality is due to the fact that Christians seem to have no problem telling people what the letters that make up the Bible have to say about homosexuality. Many Christians who cannot quote the vast majority of the Bible seem to have no problem quoting the Bible when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. Many Christians have no problem quoting what author Preston Sprinkle refers to as the “Clobber passages” when it comes to homosexuality. There are Christians who will quote these clobber passages and then add their own two cents with phrases like “God hates fags” or “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve”.

We also discovered that Jesus never addressed the issue of homosexuality in the accounts of His life that are recorded for us in the Bible. As a matter of fact, Jesus never quoted the clobber passages of Genesis 19 with Sodom and Gomorrah, or Leviticus 18 and 20. As a matter of fact the Apostle Paul never quoted the clobber passages of Genesis 19 with Sodom and Gomorrah, or Leviticus 18 and 20. As a matter of fact, these clobber passages are never directly quoted by any writer of any letter in the New Testament of the Bible.

You see for Jesus, for Paul, for the writers of the letters that make up the New Testament of the Bible, the issue was not homosexuality and same-sex marriage, although homosexuality and same-sex marriage definitely existed throughout human history; for Jesus, for Paul, for the writers of the letters that make up the New Testament of the Bible, the issue was sexuality and marriage. The issue was about when can men and women have sex.

And for Jesus, and for the authors of the letters that make up the Bible, any sexual activity outside of a covenant marriage relationship; whether it is sex before marriage, sex in addition to marriage, which we call adultery, whether it is homosexual sexual activity, whether it is solo sexual activity, and any other sexual activity that occurs outside of marriage is outside God’s design and is rebelling against God’s design for sexuality.

And God’s design for sexuality applies to all of humanity, regardless of which religious system one chooses to participate in. God’s design does not just apply to Jewish people or Christians, because God’s design for sexuality was in place before there was a Jewish religious system.

Now a natural question or objection that could arise at this point is “Well Dave, what about those who are born gay? What about those who have no choice when it comes to what sex they are attracted to?” If that question is running through your mind, I just wanted to let you know that is a great question to ask.

And if we were able to have a conversation, my response would be this: The issue isn’t what you are attracted to; the issue is what you do with that attraction. For example, just because I am a heterosexual that is attracted to those who are of the opposite sex, that does not mean I can have sex with fifty women today. The issue is not homosexuality or heterosexuality, the issue is sexuality. The issue is when you can have sex. It is not a sin to be tempted; it is a sin when we act on that temptation to engage in sexual thoughts or actions. It is not a sin to be attracted to people who are of the same sex any more than it is not a sin to be attracted to people of the opposite sex.

What is a sin is when we act on that attraction toward the same sex by having lustful thoughts or sexual activity with someone of the same sex just as it is a sin is when we act on that attraction toward the opposite sex by having lustful thoughts or sexual activity with someone of the opposite sex. So you can be attracted to those of the same sex and be a follower of Jesus that lives a life that faithfully follows the message and teachings of Jesus and is investing their lives in the kingdom mission that we have been given by Jesus.

So, with all that in mind, what should be the policy of the United States when it comes to the issue of marriage? Would Jesus promote the legalization of same-sex marriage, or would Jesus prohibit same-sex marriage? It is the answer to this question that provides for us a timeless truth when it comes to voting for Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: To vote for Jesus is to vote for policies that recognize that His design for marriage involves a covenant relationship between one man and one woman for one lifetime.

You see, to vote for Jesus is to recognize that humanity has been divinely designed to live in relationship with Him and one another and to live lives of responsibility in our relationships with one another. And a part of that Divine Design is to recognize that marriage is an institution that was created by God by which a man and a woman cut the cord, so to speak, from their parents and join together in a covenant commitment that involves one man and one woman for one lifetime. 

Now in our culture today, the definition of marriage has been changed to include same sex marriage. So I would like for us to conclude this topic by addressing how Jesus would engage in the discussion surrounding same-sex marriage. First and foremost, when we read the accounts of Jesus life in the Bible, we repeatedly see Jesus call His followers to talk about what we are for, not what we are against. And what followers of Jesus should be for is the desire that people experience the blessings of marriage as God designed it, which is that God created marriage to engage one man and one woman in a lifelong commitment that reveals and reflects God’s love for us…and it is very good!!

Second, I believe that all too often, we expect non-Christians to act like Christians before they become Christians, while at the same time allowing Christians to act like non-Christians. So, instead of spending all of our time trying to convince non-Christians that they are wrong, I believe we need to spend our time as followers of Jesus supporting and encouraging one another to have healthy and vibrant marriages that reveal and reflect Christ to the world around us.

What non-Christians need to hear from us first and foremost is not our position on same-sex marriage. What non-Christians need to hear first and foremost is the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. And for all of you single ticket Christians out there that spend all your time and energy on this issue, here is a question for you to consider: What would happen if you spent as much time loving, serving, investing and inviting those who are far from God to explore faith as you do opposing gay marriage?

You see, the harsh reality is that your opinion on same-sex marriage is not going to change people. It is God, through the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that changes people. The most important question isn’t “what do you think about same-sex marriage?” The most important question is “Who is Jesus?”.

Now for some of you, right about now you are pushing back at what I just said. And if we were able to have a conversation, the conversation might sound something like this: “But Dave, shouldn’t we engage in the debate? Shouldn’t we oppose the government on this issue?” If we were able to have that conversation, here would be my response: I believe that we should take advantage to participate in all the freedoms that we have been blessed with here in the United States, including the rights that we have to express our freedoms and be a part of the political process by voting.

However, the reality is that the government has changed the definition of what constitutes marriage in the eyes of the state. And because of that reality, at the church where I serve, long before the Supreme Court ruled on this issue, we decided that we would no longer conduct legal marriage services. As a church, we perform covenant marriage religious services.

We no longer perform legal marriages that are sanctioned by the state not only because Jesus definition of marriage is not the state’s definition of marriage. We no longer perform legal marriages because there is no evidence that the letters that make up the Bible call us to perform legal marriages sanctioned by the state.

What we are called to do as a church is to cultivate an environment that supports and encourages one another to follow the message and teachings of Jesus when it comes to our sexuality and to promote have healthy and vibrant marriages that reveal and reflect Christ to the world around us.