I officiated a wedding this past Saturday – a glorious & beautiful ceremony in God’s eyes!  But what made it beautiful in His eyes?

As the part of the ceremony arrived when I declared the definition of marriage in Australia (which a celebrant is legally required to do), I could not help but think of the current controversy swelling in Parliament on the definition of marriage.  Here is what I declared, the ‘law of the land’ as it currently stands:

“Marriage is the union of one man and one woman – to the exclusion of all others – voluntarily entered into for life.”

A brilliant definition, actually!

Yet a storm is brewing, as history is set to be revised Down Under, while Parliament soon votes on “gay marriage” – two words never meant to go together.  What is God’s problem with ‘redefining’ marriage to include homosexual couples?  The problem is at least 2-fold:

First, homosexuality undermines God’s creation ordinance, that we magnify His image in the world.  Look at the very first command God gave to humanity:

“God created man in His own image, male and female He created them.  And God blessed them and said “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:26-27)

It goes without saying that homosexual couples cannot ‘be fruitful and multiply.’  But beyond lack of raw reproductive ability, homosexual relationships mar God’s very image:  ”God created man in His own image, male and female He created them”.  The way that a husband and wife relate (not just reproduce) has something to do with the image of God.  Sexuality is God’s idea; He is the Creator, so He sets the boundaries that glorify His purposes.

Second, in a closely related way, homosexuality undermines marriage as ultimately picturing the relationship of Christ and the church, His bride.  Reading Ephesians 5:22-33, it is clear that the bride is to submit with devotion to her husband, her head.  The husband is to lead in sacrificial love.  When marriage is lived well, it is a beautiful picture of Christ’s sacrificial love for His bride, and His church’s submissive devotion to Him in honour.  When there is no “bride” – or alternatively, no “groom” – in a so-called marriage, obviously the purpose of marriage as reflecting Christ and the church is completely undermined.

And so Christians should never be in favour of any legislation that mars God’s image, His creation ordinance, or the glory of His symbol of Christ’s love for the church, His bride.

Above are just a couple reasons why God in the Bible calls homosexual relationships an “abomination” (mind you, a word also used to describe various heterosexual perversions which rebelliously thumb the nose at God’s ordinances!)

The answer is neither “education” nor “tolerance” (the latter in today’s culture simply means “the Left is right and the Right is wrong!…but since there is no right or wrong, just ignore everything…except that Christianity is wrong!  Right?”).

The answer is Jesus – the One who forgives abominations of all sorts when we turn to Him in genuine repentance, and the One transforms us to follow Him in godly marriages that exalt Him…the godly Groom of the church, His bride.