Faith: Biblical principles don’t apply to same-sex marriage

If gay marriage becomes legal in America, how should followers of Jesus Christ think on this issue? Do Christians simply accept it and say, “That’s the way the country is going?” Is this the world view of the Bible?

Pluralism, a method of interpretation used to denote a wide-ranging perspective on everything from philosophy to religion, says there is no one world view that is correct. It says, “Who are we to say or think that gay marriage is incorrect?” If gay marriage becomes a law in the land and the view of the church in America, which it has in some circles, then we might have to draw the conclusion that the Bible is no longer universal and does not apply to all of humanity.

After God made Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28, He blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth …” Since gay marriages cannot multiply, this command then only applies to heterosexual marriages. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ...” Husbands are never told to love their husbands and wives are never told to love their wives. This biblical command cannot apply to a gay marriage. The Bible then becomes only applicable to heterosexual marriages.

1 Corinthian 7 is an entire chapter on giving principles for marriage between a man and woman. Where does a gay marriage get its principles? When asked about divorce, in Matthew 19:5, Jesus said, “A man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh ... they are no longer two but one flesh.” If we accept gay marriage, then these words of Jesus only apply to a heterosexual marriage. We then must also ask, what other teachings of Jesus can we pick or reject?

Ben Fleming is the pastor of Silver Hills Community Church.