One of my favorite contemporary Christian artists is Mylon LeFevre. I try to listen, at least once, every day to his classic “Crack the Sky” because it reminds me that this world is temporary — and as believers, we look to the sky with joy and expectation of Jesus’ triumphant return.
Mylon once said, “Anyone can have a marriage, but only God can give holy matrimony.” For 42 years, my wife and I have been blessed by God with holy matrimony. Marriage is not something that deserves merely our respect, as the current “Respect for Marriage” bill being considered by the Senate states — but is, rather, an institution that was created by God before the Fall, and should be considered holy and sacred.
The content of the marriage ceremony has been altered in many ways over the years. Some of those alterations still honor God’s design of marriage, and some pervert the meaning of marriage to fit the morals of the day. But I think it is significant that older, traditional marriage ceremonies often began with a slight variation of: “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here, in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony — which is an honorable estate, instituted of God Himself, signifying unto us the mystical union that is between Christ and His Church … .”
Marriage begins in Genesis with these words: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24, ESV). God created and blessed this amazing institution for the purpose of companionship and procreation. Later on, in his letter to the Church at Ephesus, Paul revealed to us the beautiful mystery of how marriage is a physical picture of the mystical union between Christ (the Bridegroom) and His Bride (the Church) (Ephesians 5:32, ESV). How it must break the heart of God when sinful people take this sacred, holy union and turn it into something to be managed and manipulated for political gain.
The “Respect for Marriage Act” passed the U.S. House of Representatives with the help of 47 Republican votes. It was drafted in response to mostly Democrat fears that, in light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court might overturn Obergefell v. Hodges — which, in a 5-to-4 vote, made same-sex marriage the law of the land. It is now being considered by the Senate, and there are at least five Republican senators who have indicated they will vote in favor. That means if five more join them, the bill cannot be filibustered and will become law. This would be very bad news for those of us who have a biblical understanding of marriage.
The bill would codify same-sex marriage, making it very difficult for the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell. The wording of the bill would essentially legalize any union between any two consenting adults. It would also abolish polygamy laws (something progressives have been attempting to do for years), and it contains no religious liberty exceptions — that is, there are no exceptions for faith-based institutions or houses of worship.
The bill opens the door for civil action against both public and private parties who “deny full faith and credit … under the color of law.” In other words, under this law you and your church could be sued for turning down a same-sex wedding. It gives specific authority to the Attorney General of the United States to enforce its provisions. So rather than respecting marriage as a sacred and holy estate, created by God, it enshrines the very unholy estate of same-sex marriage and opens the door to prosecution against anyone or any institution that disagrees.
Please pray that the Senate will come to its senses and see the danger this bill would bring to houses of faith and religious institutions. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must always be ready to stand for marriage as a sacred, not merely a respected, institution.