Written by Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer
The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage in all fifty states is not only a direct violation of Scripture, but is contrary to natural law. This decision will accelerate the disintegration of the family, the sexual confusion of our children, and our continuing descent into moral bankruptcy.
Make no mistake: the battle for freedom of religion will now shift into high gear. Churches that staunchly refuse to marry gay couples will be targeted. Our right for tax exemption will be challenged; the use of our facilities for same-sex weddings will eventually become mandatory.
God was grieved with this decision, and we will experience many immediate and far-ranging judgments as a result of it. The sinful lifestyle clearly condemned by God has now been normalized.
This is a watershed issue. Some evangelicals, bowing to cultural pressure, are “rethinking” their views on same-sex marriage under the banner of “love.” We are told that people should be able to marry anyone they love. Eventually, this will also mean that people will be free to enter marriage with multiple partners, as long as they love one another. However, the Bible has a different definition of love. In the Scriptures, love and truth are not enemies. Both in the Old Testament and in the New, love is defined as obedience. Thus Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” We believe there is nothing loving in being untruthful about what the Scriptures teach.
Of course, both individually and as a church, we extend our love to the LGBT community, and offer them the forgiveness and reconciliation that Jesus came to provide. We will be their friends, and we will let them know that we care about them, as we are all equally created in God’s image. But we refuse to accept the dictum, “If you love me, you must accept my lifestyle.”
What do we do? We as believers must remember that it is not necessary for us to win in this life in order to win in the next. We will be faithful to our convictions, informed by Scripture, regardless of the consequences. We will renew our commitment to intercession and prayer, and repent of our own sins and failings.
God is sifting His church; the chaff is being separated from the wheat. We must be faithful to God regardless of the cost.
This article was originally posted at Pastor Lutzer’s blog.
Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, Senior Pastor of The Moody Church since 1980, was born and reared near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is an award-winning author of more than twenty books, a celebrated international conference speaker, and the featured speaker on three radio programs: The Moody Church Hour, Songs in the Night, and Running to Win. These programs are available on the Moody Broadcasting Network, the Bible Broadcasting Network, Trans World Radio and many Christian radio stations around the world.
He and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Chicago area and are the parents of three married children and have seven grandchildren.
