I’ve been (increasingly) asked what I will do when (if) the Supreme Court’s opinion is against biblical/traditional marriage next week. (I think all of us should be prepared to give an answer.)
I’ve thought on this…
Will any Supreme Court opinion somehow alter or change my duty to God? Should I speak more or less to the matter? Will I adjust my preaching as a result of the approaching opinion? Will I go into hiding in fear of well being if a human court attempts to overrule the jurisdiction of God’s law? Will my church lose it’s privilege of not having to pay property tax or income tax if I don’t compromise to the law of the Land?
I’m not naive of the the ruthless means of the enemy of God; I have seen a face of evil wanting to intimidate, I’ve heard the threats of lawsuits from angry church attendees, I’ve been threatened with harm to my family if I don’t cease inquiring, I’ve been told that people who have left our church will come back when I stop promoting going to foreign countries to spread the Gospel (yes, I really have been told this), I’ve been verbally accosted in public places, maligned in private conversations, misrepresented by friends, accused of being a racists. All of that, before being arrested on false charges, mocked in the media, and abandoned by fellow kinsmen in the faith for being a doer of the word.
Regardless of the legal opinion to come, my duty, and yours as ambassadors of God’s Kingdom, is to stay the course.
I’m no perfect being; I’m a perpetual repenter. I’ve been uncaring at times, rude, arrogant, selfish, foolish, fearful, but my duty is to strive to be a reflection of the great grace that has been shown to me in the good news of what Christ accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection and persevere in that grace as an ambassador of Christ reconciliation.
Saints of the Lord Jesus, we are a people; given a grace we don’t deserve, a message to preach to the nations, an invitation to persevere to the end, expected to be compassionate, instructed to be strong and courageous, called out to obey His commandments.
Obedience to the Lord Jesus is required, not for salvation, but of us under the gospel as an offering of gratitude to Christ and evidence of our love for Him. (“If you love me, keep my commandments…” John 14:15)
True love for Christ constrains us to live, not unto ourselves, but for Him who died for us and rose again. We have been bought by Him with a price that we may glorify Him in our bodies and our spirits, which are His.
So, how then shall I live on Monday (or Tuesday, depending on what day the court opinion is delivered)? I should live the same way I am expected to live today, yielding to the Spirit of God. America may not be the same after this ruling, but we are instructed by our Lord to obey Him. Where I don’t perfectly obey, I will perpetually repent.
God’s jurisdiction is supreme. I owe my allegiance to Him. I’ll ask Him to increase grace and compassion in my life as I live repenting of my sin and obeying His commands as a loving child.
I leave this word with the reader today: Remember, “by faith Abraham obeyed” (Hebrews 11:8). In your faith in God, obey, obey, obey, and keep on obeying until the return of the Lord Jesus. In this day we must remember that the matter of marriage is a battle we must not remain silent in. Marriage is important, but marriage does not redeem sin… Christ redeems sin. So, when we speak into our culture on the topic of marriage, and we must, we must not miss the gospel proclamation moment before us.
God grant His grace to us all! Amen.
