The subject of homosexuality and/or gay marriages has become one of the most hotly debated issues of our time. As I claimed in an earlier study, the subject of homosexuality isn’t a social one, or a political one. By its very nature, it is a theological matter, but how should we understand gay marriages? Are gay marriages a theological issue or a social/political one? When we speak of marriage, we understand that there are marriages conducted by other religions, as well as marriages conducted by the state. Then we speak of marriages being Christian. What does a Christian marriage look like, and how is it different from a marriage conducted by the state or another religion? Are those folks actually married, from the point of view of a Christian?
Of course, all marriages conducted by the state and other faiths are valid marriages. So, what about gay marriages, and who gets to say, whether or not they are valid marriages?
The term, Christian, is an adjective that describes someone who follows Jesus. We embrace him, but we cannot change him into what he is not. To do so would be the kind of thing, that God condemned (Romans 1:21-25). We call Jesus Lord, and such a statement requires our submission, so we, who call him Lord, embrace and yield our behavior to what we read in his word. What does his word have to say about gays? one may ask. Well, Jesus speaks about males and females sinning together in adultery and fornication, but he never speaks a word for or against homosexuals. Even when he speaks of what defiles one’s heart (Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21-23), he doesn’t mention anything about same sex partners lying together. So, whatever homosexuality is, it wasn’t specifically condemned by Jesus.
What about marriage? When we think of marriage, we think of a ceremony, guests, a meal, all of which is a matter of great importance to the participants. Some things vary from wedding to wedding, and the customs of one religion or society vary from the customs of another, but for all intents and purposes, marriage is an important event to the couple. I find it a little surprising that the term marriage isn’t mentioned, until the coming of the Law (Exodus 21:10).[1] It seems that the Patriarchs simply went in unto their wives and that act of sexual intercourse made them husband and wife (cp. Genesis 24:67; 29:21-30; cp. Genesis 2:23-25). It seems to have embraced a mutual agreement to live together, and that was all that was needed for the sexual union to ratify the marriage contract. The actual marriage ceremony doesn’t appear, until men are living among other families, and in such cases society seems to govern what a marriage ceremony looks like.
What does Jesus say about marriage? He seems to agree that marriage, as an institution, is governed by society or the nations (Luke 20:34). In the Kingdom, this is not so (Luke 20:35). The context of Jesus’ words is derived from the Sadducees’ question (Luke 20:27-33). The manner in which a nation grew had to do with marriage, and producing children, thereby. In the Kingdom, however, the means of expanding it wasn’t determined by marriage, but the preaching of the Gospel. The Kingdom is enlarged, through folks responding to the Gospel and accepting Christ as their Savior and Redeemer. A marriage does, indeed, occur, but this is between Christ and the Church, which is composed of both men and women, and together we are the wife of Christ, and through us, the Kingdom is enlarged. This is a spiritual union, not a physical one.
What does all this mean, as far as gay marriages are concerned? Whether or not Christians permit gays to marry in a Christian environment, seems to be a matter of theological agreement among Christians. However, it seems that the state has the authority to govern what is and is not recognized as a marriage. Gay folks marry and their marriage is recognized by the state, and that’s all that’s needed for the marriage to be legal or valid. Whether Christians agree this is so, isn’t a matter that they have authority over, beyond their specific denominations. Some will recognize gay marriages and some won’t. Yet, such a thing cannot change what is. For example, Roman Catholicism doesn’t, technically, recognize divorce. Yet, Christians of other denominations do divorce. It makes no difference what another denomination recognizes; that doesn’t affect what is valid in another denomination, and so, this is also true of gay marriages.
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[1] Other words are used prior to the Law: marry (Genesis 38:8), and married (Genesis 19:14), and they are used in the context of folks living in a society governed by law and custom.
This study represents a complete change in what my previous study claimed. There is very little here that was in my first study: Gay Marriages – Defining the Terms!
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2 responses to “Gay Marriages – Defining the Terms”
The only way I have been able to resolve this issue is to recognize that gay marriage exists under the law, however not under God’s law. And since God ordained marriage I don’t consider them married under God’s covenant, which is the one that truly matters. So it is this “pretend” marriage that the law recognizes.
Greetings Dave, and thank you for reading and for your comment.
I finally had to simply chuck everything I was told, pro or con. The only thing that matters is the word of God.
Concerning it being a civil law, that cannot be denied, and, as such, the law needs our respect. Concerning its theological question, the word of God doesn’t legitimize it. That said, the Law of God / Law of Moses is not in effect. That was part of the Old Covenant, and, although valuable as far as understanding God’s heart for mankind is concerned, it is simply not in effect. The Lord deals with us through Jesus, and Jesus died to save us from our sins. Some folks simply don’t believe Jesus was able to do that. I am not one of those folks. They may be my brethren, but we have differences in our understanding of God’s word.
Lord bless you, Dave.