The Christian faith requires a radical departure from
popular western culture in respect to morality. Any glance through a magazine,
or social media, or popular television shows, or movies will result in a
bombardment of relationships that are being portrayed to the next generation of
young adults.
The internet is providing pornography on an unprecedented
scale, the ramifications of which are only just beginning to be felt in real
relationships. The latest Hollywood movie,
“Fifty shades of Grey” glamorizes abuse.
Should society have any moral absolutes? How should marriage
be defined? Should any one group be able to dictate to others how they should
live?
Christians have a relationship blueprint that is spelled out
in the Bible. It tells us unequivocally that God created the first man, Adam
and then the first woman Eve. The two were designed to become one, physically,
emotionally and spiritually, and through this union, all mankind was created.
Initially the children of Adam and Eve would have married, but as with Cain,
there is a sense of moving away and establishing a family unit apart. When the
earth was destroyed by flood, Noah’s sons, who were on the ark with their wives,
became the founding families of the Israelites. By the time of the exodus,
God’s laws given through Moses laid down strict regulations regarding the
intermarriage of family members. These laws also forbade homosexual practice
and the use of animals for sexual purposes.
In the New Testament book of Matthew, chapter 19, Christ has
a discussion with the Pharisees who questioned Him with regard to the laws of
divorce. Jesus refers to the creation and explains that marriage is a lifelong
commitment between a man and woman, not to be dissolved for any reason, with
the exception of marital unfaithfulness.
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, chapters 5
and 6, reiterates this concept of husbands and wives becoming one within
marriage; as well as describing how this earthy marriage is also symbolic of
the relationship between Christ and His church – the earthly “bride of Christ.”
The church in scripture is always referred to as “she” for this reason. Christ
loves His church and died for it, and is one day to return to claim it and take
His bride to Heaven. This is one reason why Satan seeks to undermine individual
marriages, especially Christian ones, and the concept of marriage as a whole.
Paul in his letters to the churches instructs them to avoid
adultery and fornication i.e. sex outside of marriage, sex with someone other
than your husband or wife, and sex with a person of the same sex. (See Romans
1:24-26, 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:3).
That’s the blueprint.
But Christ also said, “Love one another as I have loved
you.” John13:34
The society in which we live is populated with those who are
living together without marriage, living in same sex relationships, divorced,
remarried, engaging in casual sex and a host of other practices.
I suggest that a Christian response is compassion, rather
than condemnation. For the past decade I’ve lived amongst and worked with
people who are in a variety of relationships, including GLBT, and in all that
time I’ve unashamedly spoken of myself as a Christian. I’ve also shown them
love and respect. The love of God is the most lasting and genuine love that any
of us will ever know, a love not found in the best of human relationships. We
who know God’s love need to reflect it. A helping hand, in whatever form that
takes, is far better than a pointing finger.
We can’t expect a fallen world to follow God’s blueprint
when it doesn’t know Him. Without a base, there is no foundation. We can expect, and see, a world which grows
increasingly dissatisfied with what it attempts to use to fill up the empty
spaces inside. A world of enslavement underneath its “liberated” banner. An
increase in abortion and sexually transmitted diseases. People with deep unhappiness. People who need to know that there is a Saviour who loves them, and
Christian people who genuinely care about them too.
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