It is now 6 months since the infamous plebiscite vote in which just under half of Australia voted in favour of same sex marriage (SSM), 31% voted against, and 20% didn’t vote. The following month Parliament voted to enact SSM.
I thought it would be timely to re-post what I wrote at the time regarding: A Christian’s Response to Same-Sex “Marriage”
The move to redefine “marriage” in this way represents a seismic shift, not only in where our society now finds itself, but in where it is heading. I felt like Jeremiah as he witnessed the disintegration of his own culture, and the destruction of his beloved city: “How lonely sits the city that was full of people!” Lamentations 1:1
1. GET REAL
As Jeremiah contemplated what had happened to his society, he owned that the devastation was catastrophic and real; he didn’t pretend this was just “more of the same”.
We need to accept that there has been a devastating change in our society. Sexual immorality has always been among us here in Australia: sometimes the government has legislated against it (eg. child sex abuse), sometimes legislated to ignore it (eg. adultery, homosexuality).
But now, for the first time, our government has legislated for us all to celebrate sexual immorality, so that those who don’t will from now on be increasingly ostracised and labelled as bigots (and worse). Though our society has been in decline for a long time, this is suddenly a whole new era; it is (as Francis Schaeffer put it) “death in the city”.
2. MOURN
It is right to mourn at death. Jeremiah mourned the death of his society, even though it had been coming for a long time. Mourning is real: nearly half of the 150 Psalms are laments. Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” Matthew 5:4.
It is not helpful simply to tell those who mourn, “It’s O.K., be happy, God’s in control.” That is true, but it’s not the whole truth; it is also O.K. to mourn.
Christians are human: it is proper that we mourn.
3. HOPE IN GOD
We mourn – but not as those without hope, cf 1 Thessalonians 4:13.
In the midst of his terrible lamentation Jeremiah is able to say: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” Lamentations 3:23-24
4. SIN IS SIN
We are under increasing pressure no longer to judge homosexuality as sin. But Jesus commands us to “judge with righteous judgment” John 7:24.
Homosexuality, along with all other sins, is still sin – and not just in the Christian world, but in the whole world these are still sins, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Timothy 1:8-10, Hebrews 13:4 etc.
Over the years many (most?) mainline denominations in America have revised their view of homosexuality; in each case the long decline into unbelief accelerated as they misapplied Matthew 7:1 and ceased to call sin, sin.
5. LOVE AND BE HUMBLE
Not only are we to love our enemies, we are to do so humbly, knowing that when it comes to “the sons of disobedience” in the world today “we all also once conducted ourselves among them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” – and would still be doing so except: “But God, who is rich in mercy…”! Ephesians ch 2
6. PRAY
Pray for our government, 1 Timothy 2:1.
In particular we are to pray for them “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence”, v 2 i.e. that we will be left free to continue to live and proclaim the truth about sin and salvation.
7. BE BOLD
The early disciples under threat prayed, “Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word”, Acts 4:29 – which God speedily granted, v 31.
Pray for boldness to go on calling sin, sin vv 25-26 – especially with those with whom we share the gospel, John 4:18, Acts 4:10-11; as well as lovingly calling sinners to repentance and salvation in Christ, Acts 20:20-21.
8. BE RESPONSIBLE AS A CITIZEN
We may be citizens of another world, Philippians 3:20; but as long as we are citizens as well of earthly communities we should play our part in those communities – as many notable evangelical Christians have done before us: John Howard (the 18th C prison reformer), John Newton and William Wilberforce (who fought for the abolition of slavery), Henry Dunant (founder of the Red Cross) or Robert Traill (who fought for relief of starving Roman Catholics in Ireland in the Great Potato Famine)… to name a few.
Don’t retreat into a gospel shell that ignores societal responsibility. We are to “submit ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake”, 1 Peter 2:13, which in today’s context includes using all democratic “ordinances” that are available for us to influence society. In the recent plebiscite the “No” vote lost, but that is no reason to give up; the influence of organisations like ACL saw the “Yes” vote reduced from an estimated 72-75% to 61% (of those who actually voted).
While our ultimate hope is in the Lord, He expects us to use the means available.
9. PRACTISE COMMUNITY
Ironically we can learn from the LGBT faction who (according to Rosaria Butterfield, who should know, having once been one of their most prominent leaders), perceiving themselves to be a besieged minority, have developed a tight knit community that effectively support each other.
Christians have even more reason to practise community supporting each other, Acts 2:44-47. When our brothers and sisters suffer, or are afraid, in days to come, let us make sure we are there to support them – even if it is at risk to ourselves, or to our reputations (2 Timothy 4:16); supporting those who suffer for their faithfulness to God, takes priority over “winning friends and influencing people” (cf Galatians 6:10).
“It is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail” (Peter Marshall).
10. GOD LOVES YOU
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 8:8-39