Non-Negotiables

“Greg, don’t talk about those issues. They’re too political.”

That’s one of the reactions I receive when I speak about the movement in our country to “normalize” homosexuality, and redefine the concepts of marriage and family.
Are these political issues? Maybe. But more to the point, these are moral and Biblical issues. And what I have said before I say again: We tamper with God’s order at our own great peril.
Just because there are political ramifications to moral issues doesn’t mean that we avoid talk them. Slavery was once a political issue, too. Was it wrong to own slaves? In fact, it was people like British Parliamentarian William Wilberforce and President Abraham Lincoln who stepped into the gap on this moral and social evil, in the face of great opposition.

Homosexual Marriage

We hear people say, “I don’t understand. If two people of the same sex love each other, why can’t they get married?”
Here is the simple answer: Homosexuality is outside of God’s order, and no amount of emotional arguments or political spin can change that precept of Scripture. It’s the same with a man and a woman living together outside of marriage: That is not in His order, either.
God isn’t “anti-gay,” He is anti-sin, no matter how it is expressed.
Does that make the person who opposes gay marriage “homophobic”? We could just as easily say that the person who denies the timeless truths of the Bible is bibliaphobic.
If you dare to speak out against any sin in today’s world, someone will brand you as “something-phobic.” Well, so be it. I will admit to being a sinaphobic. And here is what God says about sinners not entering His kingdom: “Don’t you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers—none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, NLT).
How clear that is! There is nothing confused or ambiguous about the way the Bible speaks to this topic. In fact, there is no confusion on this issue, unless your confusion is with the Bible itself.
If you still have your doubts, read Paul’s words in Romans 1:22-27. In no uncertain terms, the apostle lays out truth that the passing of millennia and the morphing of culture cannot change: homosexuality is degrading sexual impurity, and goes directly against the Creator’s established order. What is that order? Marriage is to be between a man and a woman. Period.
“Well,” someone might say, “my God would never say that.”
The fact is, there is only one God, who has revealed Himself in the pages of Scripture. Any other “god” isn’t a god at all, but an idol.
Someone else will counter, “But aren’t gay people born that way?”
I don’t accept that. I believe that all people are born sinners, and every one of us came from the womb with a sinful nature. As sinners, some of us are drawn to certain temptations and some are drawn to others. The fact is, some may be attracted to those of the same sex. But that doesn’t mean that a man or woman should act on those temptations any more than a person who is tempted to steal, lie, lust, or murder.
We must respect the marriage of a man and woman, and give it the honor that it deserves. How I thank God for the couples who have stayed together through difficult times, and raised their children to know and love God.

Abortion

When it comes to many of the hot-button topics of the day, you can usually find good people on both sides of the issue. But when it comes to the topic of abortion, or killing a pre-born baby, there can be no
debate. The fact is, the Bible is very clear about when human life begins: It begins at conception.
Listen to David’s prayer as he spoke about being in the womb before birth: “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book” (Psalm 139:13-16).
These verses show that God had a distinct plan for each of us, before we were born. In Jeremiah 1:5 He declares: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.”
Each child, no matter what the circumstances of his or her conception, is created by God and should be given the chance to live. God doesn’t say, “I waited until you were born to have a plan for you, because you really weren’t human yet, but only a mass of tissue.”
Max Lucado put it this way: “You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on this earth by the Master Craftsman.”
I myself was conceived out of wedlock, and how thankful I am that my mother chose to carry me to term. God has a plan for my life! And God has a plan for every baby, regardless of the circumstances surrounding its conception. In God’s eyes, there is no such thing as an “illegitimate child.”
Despite these truths, abortions are commonplace in our culture today. Since the passing of Roe vs. Wade in the early 70s, 50 million babies have been aborted in our country. An abortion occurs every 15 seconds in America, and has grown into a 500-million-dollars-a-year industry.
Abortion is not the answer to the stress surrounding an unplanned pregnancy. It leaves “one dead and one wounded” in its wake. If you have conceived a child and it’s at all possible, marry the father and raise the child. If you can’t do that, raise the child as a single mom. And if you can’t do either of these, carry the child to term and put the baby up for adoption.
Difficult as those options might seem, that child will at least be given a chance at life.
Homosexual marriage and abortion are more than two debatable, negotiable “election issues” in a contentious political cycle. They are moral, Biblical issues involving God’s order and life itself. Elections and candidates may come and go, but God will hold our nation accountable for how we confront these sins in our time.