America
has had a busy weekend. For some, it can
be summed up with the words “Love Wins”;
for others, words like anger, fear, or sadness seem more appropriate.
Facebook has exploded with posts and comments, and annual PRIDE parades
across the country took on an expected spirit of unusual celebration. The passion
for truth that God planted inside me seems to be driving me to also comment
on Friday’s Supreme Court decision to make homosexual marriage the law of our
land.
I don’t believe in coincidences. I do not follow politics very closely and had
no knowledge of the imminence of the Supreme Court’s decision when I wrote last
week’s entry in this blog. In many ways,
I’ve already said a lot of what might need to be said on this subject: God
is sovereign above all of his creation, and His Word determines what truth is –
not individual cultures or governments. Arguing
over truth is pointless – God has already made his will and preference
regarding homosexuality and other things he calls sin very clear (Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:18-32). And, as Romans
3:23 makes clear, every one of us who has ever lived has fallen short of
God’s will in one way or another.
I live in a state that had already legalized gay marriage,
so the Supreme Court decision doesn’t really change anything in Washington. But the word I would use to describe how I
have been feeling since Friday is sadness. Because I believe that God is sovereign, I’m
not afraid: Friday’s decision is not a surprise to God and does not change his
sovereignty over anything humans do. And
I am also not angry at the Supreme Court justices or the gay people who wanted
this decision so badly. I understand
that no one here on earth is the real enemy and that Satan is the one who is
behind the deception that has
occurred in our culture (1 Peter 5:8).
But I AM sad – sad that our country’s leaders have chosen to
blatantly walk away from God’s truth, and sad for the inevitable future
consequences for our country. God has
great compassion and mercy for individuals who have lost their way and don’t
understand the path they’ve chosen (Matthew
9:36); but he holds leaders responsible for how they lead (Mark 9:37). Please don’t misunderstand: Friday’s court decision is not America’s
culture-breaker – it is only the most recent symptom of an already broken
culture. And America is
hardly the first culture to re-define truth; we’re just the latest to believe
that we know more than God and that he isn’t really sovereign. Unfortunately, we’re also not the first to be
wrong and deserve the consequences of arrogance
and self-absorption. The fates of Sodom,
Gomorrah, and
the Roman and Egyptian Empires are just a few examples of cultures that God, in
his sovereignty, chose to no longer tolerate.
How much longer does America
have? (Galatians 6:7 – “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”) Just because we use labels like love,
equality, tolerance and acceptance doesn’t mean we’ve achieved anything better
or more enlightened than the sins of these past cultures. I’m sad to be a member of a culture that has unwittingly chosen God’s eventual
wrath.
However, let me be clear: my sadness does not morph into
fear because, regardless of what America did on Friday or does in
the future, God is still on his throne
and always will be. Nothing can or
will ever change that! I don’t always
understand why God allows what he allows – the perfect balance of love, mercy, justice, and compassion in his character makes him a
much better sovereign ruler than I would be in my humanness. But I know I can trust him to maintain that
balance perfectly – even on final judgment day, when we all will face him. I think my job is to keep trusting God and
focus on my own walk with him, not
someone else’s.
And for those who read this and see me as a narrow thinker, I just want to say that
I’m OK with that assessment – because the truth from God’s Word will always be
my only guide: “Enter through the narrow
gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and
many enter through it. But small is the
gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). I choose life, because God’s love already won
for everyone long before last Friday! Real love – real victory!
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