June brings yet another month of prideful celebration of “LGBTQ+.” But I don’t like to use euphemisms like that. It’s all same-sex attraction & activity (though I’m avoiding terminology that may get me censored on social media). The “L, G, B, & Q” words are obviously that, though I won’t call it the “G” word because that puts a positive spin on it. The “T” word is the same thing in disguise. If a male is identifying as a woman & prefers men, he’s still same-sex attracted. Or while mimicking the appearance of a woman, he prefers women, he’s still acting out a form of the same thing.
In the same way, I would not recognize such a couple as being married, regardless of what the State calls it. Marriage has always had a specific definition that relates to a male & female union that is the foundation of family & civilization. The government can change the definition & declare that mustard is just as much ketchup as ketchup–but that doesn’t make it so. Pronouncements don’t change reality. Same sex partnerships are not real marriage.
A couple (or any number of people for that matter) can enter into partnerships to secure legal rights (personal or business), but that doesn’t make it a marriage. Some make the argument that marriage ought to be available to all because it allows for spousal medical decisions, property rights, financial & tax benefits, etc. But all of those “rights” are already available to any people willing to enter into a legal contract. And if they’re not already available, then we can make them so without designating such arrangements as “marriage.”
Consenting adults are legally free to do as they please in private, but deviance should not be officially endorsed, celebrated, or promoted–especially to children. Society has tried to normalize what is not normal. Granted, sinful behaviors are normal in the sense that we all sin. Sadly, it is rather abnormal to live a righteous life in obedience to God in all things. But “normal” doesn’t mean it’s good. Even if it’s a majority of people doing something bad, it should be lamented, not applauded.
Whatever its level of societal normality, it is not natural. It goes against God’s natural law in His created order, & everyone knows that intuitively by both nature & conscience (Romans 1:26-28, 2:14-16). A popular counterargument is that “love is love.” But that, too, involves a redefinition. You can love anyone or anything, but that doesn’t make it right or good. This isn’t just a preference like loving chocolate or vanilla. This is about what’s morally right & wrong. God tells us not to love certain things, like the world, money, idols, or evil (1 John 2:15-17, 1 Tim. 6:10, Ps. 97:10). I saw a meme recently featuring a man drinking from a long straw protruding from a toilet bowl, with the caption: “Water is water.” All water is not the same, & all love is not the same.
It’s wonderful for a man to love another man as a close friend, as David did with Jonathon (2 Sam. 1:26). But some try to paint that relationship in an erotic way. They do the same with Jesus when John, the disciple “whom Jesus loved,” reclines & leans back on Him at the Last Supper (John 13:23-25). But such speculations say more about the person casting the aspersion than it does about the context & culture being referenced. “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled” (Titus 1:15).
The other main counterargument is that such “love” or behavior can’t be wrong if a person is born that way. The implication is that God creates people that way. Not only is that contradictory to God’s nature in Scripture, but it is not supported by legitimate, unbiased science. If such dispositions, inclinations, proclivities, orientations (or whatever you want to call it) were clearly genetic, there would be no dispute. The argument would be over. But it is very much disputed & contradicted.
Apart from arguments from natural law & societal tradition, the main argument for Christians comes directly from God’s Word. Jesus affirms the Genesis account that marriage is reserved for a man & a woman to become one (Mark 10:6-9). God has a purpose for sexuality, & He has consistently, through both the Hebrew & Christian Scriptures, singled out same sex behavior as violating that purpose (Lev. 18:22, 20:13; 1 Cor. 6:9-10, 1 Tim. 1:9-10).
Another counterargument being offered is that these Bible texts are being misunderstood or mistranslated–that they apply to prostitution, promiscuity, & pederasty, but not to monogamous same-sex relationships. But those are just modern revisionist attempts to contradict millennia of consistent doctrinal teaching that such people don’t like.
It’s not a loving thing to affirm a person’s lifestyle that’s in rebellion against God. These are not harmless behaviors–they are physically, spiritually & eternally dangerous, leading to judgment. We don’t seek to offend, but neither do we obfuscate or soften language so as not to offend. And we certainly cannot be silent (James 5:20, 2 Tim. 2:24-25, Jude 23, Ezek. 33:8-9). As with all sin, Jesus is the answer–the one who can forgive, restore & transform! Because we care, we’re compelled to speak the truth. That’s what real love is (Eph. 4:15).