Immanuel Bulletin Series:
You cannot improve upon perfection, can you? It simply cannot be done. After all, if something is perfect, it is beyond making better. With God, however, even this is possible. He once did improve upon perfection. He created a world and pronounced it “very good.” It met His exacting approval each step of the way and when His creating work was finished (Genesis 1:10,12,18,21,25,31). Yet in the midst of all this perfection in the Garden of Eden, God noticed a lack and He declared, “It is not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18), and He created Eve to be with Adam. It was in this way that marriage was begun, as God’s idea—and as an improvement upon perfection.
God also defined marriage. This is completely natural and wholly proper since it came from Him. He said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). In addition God has made it clear that this is to be a permanently binding union. “What God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6). The prophet Malachi could not have been blunter when he reported the LORD God’s words: “I hate divorce” (2:16). Marriage then, which comes from God for the blessing of humankind, is the life-long union of a man and a woman.
This pattern of marriage is for all people. God introduced marriage at the very beginning of the human race, as a blessing for all people and the source of many blessings. Chief among these blessings are the gifts of children, a close, intimate companionship, and an environment that makes possible chaste living. The apostle Paul even showed how marriage is a union fit to illustrate the still more glorious and mysterious union between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5). How highly God thinks of marriage! In it, a love like unto His is to be exchanged!
God protects marriage, because it is so valuable. He forbids its desecration when He commands, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14), and also commands that all people lead chaste and decent lives. Anything that tends to weaken, harm, pollute, or even mock marriage is therefore displeasing to God. Homosexual practices fall squarely in this category and are expressly condemned in numerous Scriptures. Consider God’s statements in Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:24-27, and I Corinthians 6:9.
Governments and societies, to a greater or lesser extent, agree that marriage is important and worthy of their protection and promotion. They have long recognized that they have high stakes in the preservation of marriage, for the family is widely acknowledged as the basic unit of society, and its strength is seen as important for the orderliness of society. Families are seen as sources of stability and security in society and strong families pass on more effectively the values of society.
Because marriage is a universal institution, found in every nation and culture on earth, wide variations in customs and regulations regarding marriage exist. Not all of these reflect God’s high standards for marriage. Until our generation, however, there has not been any question that marriage is only between a man and a woman. Even where homosexuality was open and sanctioned, as in ancient Greece, these arrangements were not confused with marriage. But now the issue of same sex marriages is before us.
Various “arguments” are used to promote this change in how we should define marriage. As Christian citizens it is our duty to respond.
As Christians and as citizens, we have a deep concern for marriage. As Christians we are convinced that the Creator of marriage knows best and has spoken on this matter. As citizens we are concerned also about the effects that introducing this radical change would have on our society. We will want to oppose measures that we are convinced will harm our nation. As we ponder all the questions that affect our nation, we will surely not wish to ignore the issue of gay marriage. We will weigh it, along with many others, when we consider our choice of candidates.
God is indeed able to improve on perfection, but we try to improve upon God’s ideas only at our peril!