New York Legalizes Gay Marriage

It was a banner day for both sides of the heated issue when New York became the sixth and the largest state to put a legal stamp of approval on gay marriage by a vote of 33-29. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law for same-sex marriages that will begin in July. The Governor said, "We made a powerful statement. This state is at its finest when it is a beacon of social justice." The bill makes New York only the third state, after Vermont and New Hampshire, to legalize marriage through a legislative act and without being forced to do so by a court.

Because of the state’s size, the new law will essentially double the number of Americans living in a state having legal gay marriage as an opportunity. Fully one in every nine Americans will live in a state or jurisdiction where same-sex marriage is legal.

The leading opponent, NY Democratic Sen. Ruben Diaz, declared, "God, not Albany, settled the issue of marriage a long time ago." The Catholic Bishops of New York said the law alters "radically and forever humanity's historic understanding of marriage." And Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary stated, “By any measure, this is a massive development in the nation’s legal and moral life.”

The big win for gay rights advocates is expected to galvanize the movement around the country after an almost identical bill was defeated in New York in 2009 and similar measures failed in 2010 in New Jersey and this year in Maryland and Rhode Island.

The acceptance or rejection of gay marriage, or any other cultural issue, should only be viewed as right or wrong according to the source being used to evaluate its morality and legitimacy. The state’s Governor again stated, “This state is at its finest when it is a beacon of social justice." But the question instantly arises as to what source he is using to define ‘social justice’.

Just one hundred and fifty years ago, there were scores of Americans who felt that ‘social justice’ included the right for one human being to outright own another. It was called 'slavery’. But now, a century and a half later, it is unthinkable as being acceptable or ‘just’ on any level. Eventually, enough found this accepted practice in many places to be both immoral and intolerable. For anything to be seen as right or wrong requires some unchanging and truthful foundational basis. There must be some just standards that exist and remain firm despite the fragile and fickle beliefs of flawed men and women who will often accept almost anything that benefits them personally – the 'ends justifies the means’ mentality.

For this nation, the Bible has been that standard, despite what historical revisionists may now claim. It was eventually a renewed conscience from God’s Word that led a nation to conclude that slavery was wrong and evil. Without such a standard why would that, or anything else, not be fully be acceptable depending on the personal view of the individual? The end result of such thinking was spoken of in Judges 17:6 that declared, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

When it comes to the subject of gay marriage, and homosexuality in general, the Bible is not silent despite those who ignore its content or reject its validity or authority. Scripture is clear that all have sinned and thus all are lost irregardless of their sexual preferences. And all sin is an offense to a holy Creator God and must be rightly judged if He is to remain consistent with His own divine nature and standards. So for anyone to lift out any particular behavior activity from the comprehensive lists of inappropriate behavior found throughout the Bible is an intentional denial of what God’s Word teaches. And His Word rarely, if ever, leaves any so-called gray areas along these lines.

For example, Romans 1:26-29 is fairly hard to brush under the moral carpet when this recent issue in New York is addressed. The Apostle Paul stated, “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due...And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality.” In the previous verses he pointed out the equal sinfulness of heterosexual sins as well.

Paul includes this same behavioral pattern as sinful in1 Corinthians 6:8-11. He does not distinguish it from other sins, sexual or otherwise. But it is there in print, nonetheless. He writes there, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” And even back in the Bible’s first book, this activity is clearly condemned in Genesis 13:13. “But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.” So to deny that this specific lifestyle is not negatively addressed in Scripture is simply not true. It can be ignored or scoffed it, but the references are quite clear.

Additionally, 1 Corinthians 6:18-19 indicates that all sexual sin, whether heterosexual or homosexual, does have a slightly higher degree of offense and danger associated with it. Paul’s explains it like this. “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” There is something unique involved when sin in this area is involved. And then, of course, there is the pattern set up in the Garden of Eden with the first two people and the fact that Scripture always refers to the marriage bond as being a man and a woman.

So where do we now proceed since it is fairly obvious that this trend is picking up steam? How are we supposed to act and think to this major cultural shift in our nation? Perhaps the familiar saying, that has been around seemingly forever, does ring true when trying to grapple with this explosive issue. It basically advises trying to despise the sin while not doing the same to the sinner. That is not letting someone off the hook so to speak. In reality, that is exactly what God has done for all of us apart from any sexual orientation. His infinite love drove Him to offer up His Son to pay for the sins of the world. This included all sins in all areas of life and for all of us!

Gay marriage may slowly but surely become the law of the land. But that does not make it 'social justice’ or biblically acceptable in the eyes of God. All sin, socially accepted or not, will ultimately be dealt with and properly judged by a Holy God. That reality is described briefly in Hebrews chapter nine. “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)

But God’s first choice, and His supreme priority, is rather to justify sinners through the sacrifice of His own Son according to 1 John 2:2. He made it possible to escape the clutches and ultimate penalty of all unforgiven sin. John wrote, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 

For biblically and morally minded Christians, who struggle with the dreadful moral decline in America, their responsibility is to hold the line and speak out about God’s ways and will while trying not to be too obnoxious about it. The role model for how to react to sin and sinners is the seen in the Lord himself. Jesus always revealed and dealt with sin openly when it stood in his path. He always did so in a consistent, loving and controlled manner (though His harshest rebuke was saved for the hypocritical Pharisees). He did that with the woman caught in adultery and the woman at the well – both of whom were involved in current sexual misbehavior.  (John 8:1-12, John 4:5-30)  He even did so with the savage criminal on the adjacent cross on the day the Savior took upon Himself ‘all’ the sins of humanity. Before His death He assured the dying thief that he would arrive in heaven that same day based on his simple statement of faith and admission of who Jesus really was in Luke 23:42.

And if that does not help Christians still struggling with in their response and attitude to the current harmful and sinful cultural changes, then perhaps consider the background of the man who wrote half the New Testament, including several of the passages dealing with homosexuality. This powerful religious leader spent years hunting, imprisoning and torturing believers in the early church. He would, after his salvation, call himself the “Chief of Sinners” in 1 Timothy 1:15.

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” This man was none other than the former Pharisee - the Apostle Paul. This was the same man who was God’s chosen chief vessel to build and instruct the first century church, pen a major portion of God's Word, and someone we may well rub elbows with in heaven someday.

Through the love and redemption found in Christ, all sin can be fully forgiven. (1John 1:9) And through the world's only Savior the attitudes an actions of lost souls can be internally rearranged to outwardly reflect what is morally right, not by the eyes of misguided men, but in the mind of a holy and unchanging Creator God.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Bill Breckenridge