One Degree to Another
Today is the first day same sex couples are allowed to marry in the state of Alabama. News outlets in the state have covered this issue extensively, and by extensively I mean that have run many articles in favor of same-sex marriage and only allowed Roy Moore to speak for those who believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. A couple of these articles have focused on the Bible’s teaching on marriage and represent the crassest form of dealing with the biblical text.
The first offender was Kyle Whitmire’s article “A Guide to Biblical Dating and Marriage in the 21st Century” and the other written by Leada Gore shares a message from Rev. Ellin Jimmerson’s reasons why she will be performing a same-sex marriage in Huntsville. In his post Whitmire treads out many of the same worn out arguments against the Bible to claim that conservative Christians cherry pick verses. He runs through some of the Deuteronomic laws concerning marriage of a woman who was raped or who was captured in battle. He holds these up as something that conservatives ignore and would do if they didn’t cherry pick Bible verses. If Whitmire had spent time doing research for this article instead of writing tired old talking points he would have come across a basic discussion about Old Testament law. For centuries Christians have recognized the Old Testament pentateuch contains civil laws, ceremonial laws, and moral laws. Some of these laws governed life in Israel and Jesus said the laws were written because of the hardness of the human heart. Ceremonial laws regulated religious worship and were fulfilled in Christ. The writer of Hebrews and the Gospel writers show these laws no longer govern the life of a Christian. Then there are moral laws whose validity transcends the Old Covenant. For example, the prohibition on murder existed before the giving of the law and is repeated again in the New Testament.
Verses not appearing in in Whitmire’s discussion are Matthew 19:1-10 and Ephesians 5:22-33. People like to say Jesus never spoke about homosexuality, but he also never spoke about spousal abuse, identity theft, or nuclear weapons. We don’t assume he’s for them because he didn’t mention them. Instead we look at what Jesus affirmed and see there are other things that are excluded by his affirmation. In Matthew 19 someone asks Jesus about divorce and he appeals to Genesis 2, reminding his hearers that a man was to leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. These two people are now one and Jesus says what God has joined together no man should separate. Notice what Jesus affirms here as marriage. Jesus says marriage is between a man and a woman. He excludes everything else by affirming this.
Now, Whitmire and Jimmerson would object that the Bible shows many marriages that are not just between a man and a woman, but between a man and many women. In particular, Whitmire focuses on Solomon’s seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Clearly amused with himself by this point of his article Whitmire says, “The Almighty seems to have no problem with a man having multiple wives at the same time.” He assumes the Bible endorses everything it reports. If he would have continued to read the account of Solomon’s life instead of running after he found his talking point, he would have discovered that Solomon’s many wives were his downfall. They turned his heart away from the Lord. The Bible’s verdict on Solomon’s multiple marriages is not positive.
One of the Bible’s longest teachings on marriage comes from the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:22-33. When dealing with this passage it is first important to note that Paul intends to teach in this passage. Those wanting to read the Bible need to understand this important distinction. The Bible contains historical passages and didactic passages. One should not treat these passages the same. In Ephesians 5 Paul paints a picture of the marital relationship pointing to the relationship between Christ and the church. He shows how the husband’s love for his wife should mirror the love of Christ for the church and how the wife’s loving submission to her husband demonstrates the love the church has for Christ. The metaphor breaks down when you add multiple spouses to the mix or change the gender of the spouses.
This issue is important because of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Traditional marriage should not be the church’s main message, but it is a logical extension of it. The church has as it’s primary message the cross of Jesus Christ by which God reconciles sinners to himself. Every person, no matter their race, gender, or orientation must have faith in King Jesus who died for them to come back to God. We hold out this message as the only hope for our world, knowing that it changes lives and eternal destinies.
Another word is in order as well and it’s pointed to those who would agree with everything I have said. The words of the Apostle James “the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” should be on our hearts frequently in these days. Barking at our neighbors and using demeaning epithets will accomplish nothing of lasting value. When you are tempted to get angry about this issue, remember the dying love of King Jesus and the grace you have been shown. Show that same love to your neighbors.
(We welcomed our fourth child into the world this weekend. Please forgive any grammatical errors, as they are due to a lack of consistent sleep.)
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