Same Sex Marriage

by Micky Galloway

I never thought I would see the day when debates about “same sex marriage” would come before the Supreme Court of the United States. On November 6, 2012 Washington, Maine, and Maryland became the first states to pass same-sex marriage by POPULAR VOTE. Fifty-eight percent (according to most polls consulted) of Americans believe “same sex marriage” should be recognized as legitimate. New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia had already issued court rulings or passed legislation giving sanction to same-sex marriage. Indeed, we live in a time reminiscent of Judges 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes,” and Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Homosexuality is no longer considered a “moral issue” (sinful), but is now converted into a “civil rights” issue. Other countries including Sweden and Canada have passed laws labeling opposition to such as “hate speech,” and now our nation is pitching its “tent toward Sodom.” While the Supreme Court of the United States struggles to define marriage, God clearly defined it from the beginning.

Marriage has always been a union between a man and a woman. “And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). They were commanded to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). Man needed woman and the woman needed man in order to accomplish this. “Man called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). Same sex marriage is a perversion of one of the very purposes of marriage. Paul taught “younger women to marry, bear children” (I Timothy 5:14). In Genesis 2:18 God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet (suitable, mg) for him.” God made woman, not another man! Note that for Adam, God made Eve, not Steve. God then commanded, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:21). This is a covenant between a man and a wife (Malachi 2:14).

Same sex marriage is sinful. “Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men … shall inherit the kingdom of God” (I Corinthians 6:10). The “effeminate” was “the passive male partner in homosexual intercourse” (Greek-English Lexicon Based on Semantic Domain). “Abusers of themselves with men” are those “who lie with a male as with a female, a sodomite I Corinthians 6:9; I Timothy 1:10” (Thayer). Language could not be clearer. Homosexuality is sinful and those who continue this sin “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Same sex marriage is against nature. Please read the text. Romans 1:21-27 says, “because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves: for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due. And even as they refused to have God in (their) knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” Please note that they “became vain in their reasonings.” They were not born that way! “They became fools.” They were not born that way! “God gave them up unto vile passions.” God did not create them with vile passions. Then the writer illustrates the point. “Their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman …” They were NOT born in their lust; men with men and women with women. They “changed” that which is “natural” into that which is “reprobate” (Greek adokimos). That is, “a mind of which God cannot approve, and which must be rejected by Him, the effect of refusing ‘to have God in their knowledge’” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary).

If marriage can be re-defined to describe a union between two people of the same sex, why can it not also be re-defined to include one man and two women, one woman with two men, or three men joined together with three men, ad infinitum?

The Supreme Court of the United States, that pays lip service to God by displaying the Ten Commandments at least six times in the Court Building, is determining the definition of marriage; indeed, these are “grievous times” (II Timothy 3:1).