To the first question, yes God does care if two men or two women "marry" one another. How can I be sure of His interest? Because God has very clearly set forth what actually constitutes a marriage in Genesis 2. In this passage, God created the institution of marriage when He joined Adam and Eve together as "one flesh." He made them "one" both spiritually, emotionally and physically. The physical part had to do with the design of their bodies but the emotional and spiritual "oneness" was no less by design. God designed men and women to be joined into a "oneness" demonstrated in the institution of marriage. So does God care if two men attempt a similar union? Considering God's original design the answer is a resounding yes! God is opinionated when it comes to the "debate" concerning same sex marriage and His opinion, simply put, is no way!
This begs the question, "Can a "marriage" between two people of the same sex even exist at all?" If God has defined marriage as a relationship between man and woman, can a relationship between two people of the same sex ever be actually defined as a marriage? If man defines "marriage" then we have a very subjective institution which allows each successive generation opportunity to tweak and redefine. But, if God defines what constitutes marriage, we have an objective, eternal standard by which all generations are judged. According to the God of Christianity there is no such thing as a "same sex marriage." Such a union of two individuals might be called many things but marriage isn't one of them.
So how should the church respond to the current debate concerning same sex marriage? In order to find our answer we must reacquaint ourselves with a simple precept by which all moral questions should be addressed: Does the thought, word or deed in question miss God's mark? Sin, as defined in the original Greek language, means to "miss the mark." We must search the Scriptures for God's "targeted behavior" and determine whether the issue in question misses His defined "mark." God's "target" for marriage is one man and one woman in a committed, lifelong, monogamous relationship. So any other attempted union, whether between two people of the same sex or multiple people of both sexes, misses God's intended purpose for marriage. We must be the mouthpiece for God's word on the subject. We must proclaim the truth in love. We must stand for Biblical marriage and against any attempt to redefine this God ordained institution.
An Aside:
Sexual sin is simply sin whether it be homosexual or heterosexual in nature. One type of sin is no uglier than the next. The homosexual who repents of his or her sin is a "sinner saved by God's grace" just as much as any other repentant sinner. The unrepentant adulterer or glutton is no less a sinner than the unrepentant homosexual. Too often the church has made homosexual people feel they are a special class of sinner. We have often been found hateful, unloving, uncaring and obnoxious toward those who struggle with same sex attractions. We must end our prejudice. No sinner and no category of sin is worse than any other.
On the flip side, if you are homosexual and reading this post, we in the Christian community would appreciate it if you would cease being hateful yourself. Calling us names and treating us less than human makes it more of a challenge to love you. We are not going to acquiesce to your demands. We are not going to abandon or deny our faith, so stop demanding that we do so. If we can treat you with love and respect while disagreeing with your choice of lifestyle please attempt to do the same for us.
The bottom line:
I have friends who are gay and we will continue to disagree on the subject of same sex marriage. However, there may be things upon which we can agree and find common cause. I will always fight for the dignity of every human being. I will pray and care for all people regardless of who they may be or their life choices.
Christ's command to love has no preconditions and no qualifiers. As believers in Christ we should consider what this means in reference to those whom so many have chosen to marginalize and despise.
A genuine follower of Christ must always speak the truth in love. So believers in Christ must speak: God defines marriage not man. If the government wishes to allow people of the same sex to enter into a contractual relationship with one another for legal purposes and call it marriage there is little we as Christ followers can do to stop it. However, regardless what the rulers of our day might think or say, God's mark for what constitutes genuine marriage will never change. Genuine marriage will always be what God has said it is: One man and one woman united by God in a monogamous, life long, committed relationship.
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