by Pastor Patrick Cho

Anyone who has been at Lighthouse long enough understands that many of the doctrinal positions we teach are not necessarily the most popular. I suppose this is expected because we don’t formulate our beliefs based on how we might best be accepted by others. The Bible is our authority and we seek to be faithful in teaching it – in season and out of season. Through our years in ministry, some have ridiculed us for our teachings. Others have objected vehemently. Sadly, there have been fellow believers who have criticized us for taking biblical stances on issues like the sanctity of life, the authority of the church, and the biblical roles of men and women. As time goes by, I am sure it isn’t going to get easier to stand for God’s truth. In fact, it seems it will get significantly more difficult. Even still, since we are believers, it is essential that we hold true to the Word of God because of its inerrancy, sufficiency, and authority.

There are many contemporary issues that completely stand against the principles of God’s Word, but perhaps none has been more prevalent recently than the widespread societal acceptance of homosexuality. Last month, the Supreme Court ruled to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was initially instituted by President Clinton in 1996. The act was initially created to protect states from having to recognize same sex marriages of other states. In effect, this Act essentially barred the federal government from legally recognizing same sex marriages and giving gay couples the federal benefits of marriage. The Supreme Court also refused to review a lower court’s invalidation of California’s Prop 8 law, which prohibited same-sex marriage. By refusing to review the case, the Supreme Court let the lower court’s ruling stand that Prop 8 is unconstitutional. Needless to say, this was a monumental day for the LGBT community.

As a Christian looking at contemporary cultural trends, in some ways, it seems this day was inevitable. It was only a matter of time before a ruling was going to be made in favor of same sex marriage. As society continues to veer the issue more and more towards civil rights and not moral choice, I am sure more rulings will be made in the future in support of the LGBT community. Homosexuality is becoming more and more ordinary in the United States and this is reflected in our media. You can hardly find a sit-com on television today that doesn’t feature at least one homosexual couple.

So how should the church respond? Should we hit the streets and picket in protest? Should we go door to door encouraging our neighbors to fight in the next election to reverse the trends we are seeing? While it is helpful to exercise our freedom to vote, as Christians, we understand that our greatest hope is not found in governing bodies and political authorities. The hope for this nation is not found in propositions and laws. As always, we need to view all of this biblically since God is our ultimate authority. Cultural and national trends change from age to age, but the Word of God will always stand (cf. Matt. 24:35).

The Bible has always been clear about the sinfulness of homosexuality. Some have tried to write off the passages dealing with homosexuality by cleverly citing cultural and historical context, but it is undeniable that regardless of the culture or age, God’s Word is consistent in deeming homosexuality as a perversion of His order for creation. Marriage God’s way was instituted and designed to be between one man and one woman (cf. Gen. 2:24). The simple fact is that since God’s Word will not change on the issue, the church also should not change on the issue. The convictions of the church do not ebb and flow with cultural trends. Society doesn’t ultimately dictate what men should believe. Our authority has always been Scripture.

This of course means that the church and popular society will be increasingly at odds. Individual churches may compromise these convictions and bend to societal trends, but God’s Word will remain an immovable foundation. This doesn’t mean that Christians should treat homosexuals in a disrespectful or hateful way. Believers should always seek to speak with grace and tact (cf. Eph. 4:29). Love is still the rule for all true believers. But it isn’t loving to look the other way when someone is living in violation of God’s law. It isn’t loving to tell people everything is ok when you know they’ll need to stand before the Lord one day and give an account for their lives against His perfect standard.

The gospel is truly at stake. What needs to come first is our love to God, and it certainly isn’t loving not to call sin “sin” when God came in flesh to die on the cross for the sins that men commit. Before all else, God’s glory needs to be in mind and our desire needs to be to put Him first above all things.

True love demands that we help people understand the truth of the gospel – that there is a loving God who is eager to forgive and save if men will turn from their sins and turn to Him in faith. True love dictates that the gospel should be preached respectfully and graciously since everyone who preaches it is a fellow sinner in need of grace. What this nation needs is for Christians to express and demonstrate the love of God more and more by telling others about the hope of the gospel. But as our society moves farther away from a biblical worldview, we should not be surprised if the opposition to the gospel becomes more and more severe. The point is that Christians need to remain committed to the truth of God, but this is only going to get harder and harder.