As I am writing this post the Supreme Court of the United States just made two rulings which give evidence to the moral decline of our culture. In a 5-4 decision the Court overturned the main provision of the Defense of Marriage Act. It is now the official policy of the federal government to recognize same-sex marriage in those states that recognize it. At the time of this newsletter that includes 13 states. The law still stands that states that hold to traditional marriage do not have to recognize legal same sex marriages in other states. While it may not be the law of the land in South Carolina, yet, make no mistake, the court of public opinion has already shifted and we are at the tipping point.
The book of Judges has a recurring phrase that typifies that time in Israel’s history:
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 17:6
When we seek to build a nation where we evict God and relegate Him to the back room, we essentially live as Israel lived in the book of Judges. Israel did not have a physical king yet, God was supposed to be their king. Unfortunately, they ignored God and set themselves up as their own kings. This meant that what happened in Israel was that everyone did what was right in their own eyes. We live in a culture that is following this same path. I dare say that we are only inviting the judgment of God on our nation when we mock His Word.
What are we to do as Christians who believe in the inerrancy and authority of Scripture which clearly calls homosexual acts sinful?
1. Pray. Pray for repentance and revival in our land. This is a spiritual issue and spiritual issues are ultimately not settled with political processes. The most important time in our week collectively as a church is when we bow together in prayer-which should merely echo the times of prayer we spend individually.
2. Prepare. Prepare yourself mentally, to live in a culture that completely disagrees with you on this issue. Ground yourself spiritually in God’s Word and biblical teaching. As a church we saw this day coming and see the day coming when it will reach us in Camden. That is why in January of this year we amended our Constitution and By-Laws with an explicit statement of our belief on this issue.
3. Stand. Stand up for what is right. We don’t have to be obnoxious, but we don’t have to bend to the pressure of society. Rest assured that as long as I am your pastor and have life and breath, we as a church will not bend on this issue. I have said many times that there are few true hills on which to die-this is one of them. Living and sharing the power of the gospel is the sole way to transform our culture – one soul at a time.
I want to quote from two paragraphs that were added to our church constitution pertaining to this issue:
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers should abide by and agree to this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly.
For further reading I would encourage you to visit the following websites:
AlMohler.com – by Dr. Al Mohler, Pres. of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
ERLC.com – the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC
alliancedefendingfreedom.org – Alliance Defense Fund
Standing On God’s Word,
Pastor Jason