Earlier today, I was made aware of a recent statement written by famed and brilliant physicist, Stephen Hawking. “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist,” he boldly proclaimed. Yet, for all he knows, everything that we know to exist may be nothing more than a few thousand lines of code on God’s universe computer. I don’t say that to minimize our importance. Regardless of our relative insignificance, our Father sent his only son Jesus to live and die on our behalf so that he may have a loving and lasting relationship with us. What I mean is this: If a virtual person, created by man in a computer, were to become self-aware, what might he think? Over time, he may discover that his entire universe, at it’s core, is made up of ones and zeros, produced through a transformation of characters output by a cursor at regular intervals. Would this virtual person then conclude that there was no programmer? Mr. Hawking, you most definitely know more about the universe than I do. But it is still just the universe.

As most of you know, I am a follower of Christ. I believe that Jesus is my Lord, Savior and Creator. Through his servant Paul, he says, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corthinthians 6:9-11)  There are many, many references in the Bible that denounce homosexual behavior. (It is worthy to note that homosexual behavior and being homosexual are very different things, just like being an alcoholic and a drunk are two different things.) It is very clear that homosexual behavior is sin. However, is that reason enough not to allow homosexuals to marry?

To begin, let me say that yes, Paul’s statement alone (let alone the other Biblical references) is reason enough for the church not to marry homosexuals. The church is absolutely to welcome those who would call themselves homosexuals. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) But Christ offers hope for us as sinners. For the church to officially condone a lifestyle of sinful behavior via a gay marriage should be unthinkable.  The church, of course, is to be set apart from the world - in it, but not of it - and to represent Christ to the world. To represent Christ as a hypocrite - which many churches do - is a great offense to our Lord. But by and large, the issue at hand does not involve the church. Absolutely, there are churches that have embraced homosexual behavior as normal, and they are doing the call of Christ a great disservice in doing so. But the general discussion in our society today centers not around what the church thinks about homosexual marriage, but largely around whether or not the government should recognize homosexual marriage.

As I’ve said in other posts, we Americans hardly live in a Christian nation. Though our laws were founded on Biblical principles, there was never a time when the government was thoroughly Christian in nature - nor was it ever designed to be. So the matter of whether or not homosexuals can legally marry does not necessarily and fundamentally depend upon what the Bible says. Instead, I believe the matter needs to be one of common sense. So the question is, what does common sense say about the matter?

Common sense says a lot about homosexual behavior itself. But the behavior itself does not matter in this discussion. The question is, can two homosexual people marry? And to that, I say no. What? All this talk about the Bible playing no role in this decision and you still say no? Yes. And let me explain. Marriage has been an institution for thousands of years. The intent of marriage from the very beginning was not only to obtain a life partner, but to produce a family - something that only a male and a female can do naturally. Marriage - by [edit: historical, working] definition - means the union of a man and a woman in a contractual (and, if done before the Lord, permanent) relationship. Why should homosexuals, who may also wish to exist in a permanent relationship with someone, be excluded from such a contract? My answer is, they shouldn’t. They just can’t call it marriage.

Again, marriage has a very specific meaning, and that meaning is clear. To change the definition of marriage to include homosexual relationships makes no more sense than changing the word “man” to also mean “woman.” If homosexuals - who I assume are outside of the church - wish to have a ceremony, invite all their friends, exchange vows, eat cake, dance, and they live together - then so be it. Call it whatever they want. But don’t call it marriage. Because that’s not what it is.

Rarely does a week go by where I don’t hear something amazing and profound at church. A few weeks ago, something was said that stuck with me more than average though. And what’s amazing is that it’s so simple. The 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians is often called the “love” chapter. In it, the Apostle Paul speaks about the nature of true love. And in the book of 1 John, the Apostle John says that God IS love. So with that in mind, you can re-read much of 1 Corinthians 13 by replacing “love” with “God.” It reads like this:

God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. He is not rude, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.

How excellent is that?

Satan is nothing compared to God. But given free reign, he can still make one hell of a mess. I believe his attack on the church has  never been more concentrated. And his target of choice is the family. I’ve recently witnessed several Christian families be divided against themselves - and Satan is the only one who wins. What ever happened to love? What ever happened to sacrifice? If, as followers of Christ, we are to love our enemies - as Christ commanded us - how much more should we love the members of our own families! Love keeps no record of wrongs. And love defuses our enemy. Is it difficult? Maybe impossible. I think it has to be.  For if it were possible by human strength, God would get no glory. And that is Satan’s wish. Make no mistake, God owns the universe and everything in it. But while he is defeated, Satan is still the current ruler of this world. Remember who your enemy is. And remember how to defeat him. Love conquers all.