This is a recent response to the contorversial Prop 8 in last Month’s election. This is a resonse to a gentleman who wrote an article concerning his distaste for prop 8, and entitled his article: “Turner’s two cents: troubled by prop 8″. Again, this is my response to that article.
Troubled by Turner’s two cents
After reading the article in last week’s journal newspaper entitled: “Troubled by Prop 8”, I was deeply moved to give a response. While we will have already learned the results of this week’s election on Prop 8 and other issues before the new journal paper is distributed, I simply want to present what I believe to be consistent with the heart of God as it relates to the institution of marriage.
As one who just celebrated on last week, my twenty-eight (28) wedding anniversary, this subject is very near and dear to my heart. While I do not know Mr. Turner personally, I certainly want to give him the benefit of the doubt and conclude that he is sincere in his thinking concerning this controversial issue. That being said, I would like to address some of his points as I believe he is clearly in error as it relates to some of the points he attempted to make.
First, Jesus did not “invalidate” Moses teachings concerning marriage and divorce. He indeed affirmed Moses teachings and brought more clarity to the matter of marriage and divorce. Jesus teaching on divorce was given specifically to refute the rabbinical loopholes. Furthermore, He so rigidly opposed divorce, that when He had completed His teaching, His disciples concluded that it would be better never to get married (Matthew 19:10)!
Nonetheless, there are two extraordinary cases in which Scripture teaches that God does permit divorced people to remarry. First, note that Jesus Himself included this exception clause: “Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery (Matthew 19:9). He allows an exception in this one case, only “because of the hardness of your hearts” (Matthew 19:8). Clearly, our Lord is treating divorce as a last resort, only to be sought in the case of hard-hearted adultery.
The apostle Paul allows one more reason for divorce: if an unbelieving spouse abandons a believer, the believer is under no obligation in such a case (1 Cor. 7:14). This would free the abandoned spouse to remarry, assuming that the unbelieving spouse initiated the divorce.
Mr. Turner attempted to make a case for legalizing gay marriage by citing the California Constitution as giving everyone equal rights. However, what Mr. Turner failed to say is the California Constitution is not the author of the sacred institution of marriage, God is! From the beginning of time, marriage has always been understood as a union and a covenant between one man and one woman for life!
As “One Nation under God”, we answer to a higher authority than the California Constitution. According to the Bible, God Himself ordained the family as the basic building block of human society, because He deemed it “not good that man should be alone (Gen. 2:18). Therefore, God created “male and female” and blessed them and told them to be “fruitful and multiply.” By that act, God established the family for all time. The Genesis narrative says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”. Therefore, people of the same gender do not qualify for marriage as Almighty God has defined it!
In fact, the Scriptures give a five-fold purpose for the institution of marriage. Without expounding on these purposes, I will simply list them:
• The first purpose of marriage is to Mirror God’s Image (Gen. 1:26-27)
• The second purpose of marriage is to Multiply a Godly Heritage (Gen. 1:28a)
• The third purpose is to Manage God’s Creation (Gen. 1:28b)
• The fourth purpose is to Mutually Complete One Another (Gen. 2:18; 1 Cor. 11:11)
• The fifth purpose is to Model Christ’s Relationship with His Church (Ephesians 5:31-32)
I submit to you that same sex marriage does not and cannot fulfill any of these purposes for marriage as given to mankind by the author Himself, Almighty God. Finally, I take issue with people who desire to force their beliefs on the people of California by demanding that we redefine the sacred institution of marriage. Interestingly, the very people who are adamant that we recognize gay marriage, and who are quick to label anyone who do not share their convictions as “hate-mongers” and “intolerant”, are themselves intolerant of our Judeo-Christian values and convictions.
While I do not know what the outcome of the November 4th elections will be as it relates to Prop 8, I have an unwavering resolve that I will proudly stand for marriage as God has defined it and vote a resounding YES! I hope you will join me and thousands of others as we make every effort to protect traditional marriage and the God ordained institution of the family. Children need a Mother and a Father. I leave you with these words from the holy Word of God: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
