The Fight Over Gay Marriage is Not Over

The Australian Federal Parliament overwhelmingly voted down a Bill to amend the Marriage Act. We should be thankful to God for that: our political leaders have shown some wisdom, even though gay marriage is a seriously hot potato at the moment. We should be thankful that we’re not yet over the precipice, and sliding down the slippery slope toward all sorts of abominations. Political victories are important and necessary, and should be celebrated when they come. It is sobering, however, to consider the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 1:

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷ and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Our best hope against gay marriage is not the Australian Christian Lobby, or a government run by sensible adults (difficult to come by at the best of times!). Our best hope is that people will flock to Christ. Paul says that everyone who does not follow Christ is suppressing the truth. One result of this suppression is debased human sexuality. Because they did not acknowledge God, he gave them up to the very acts that many in our society want to celebrate.

Our best hope against the legalising of gay marriage is that people would acknowledge God. Verse 21 implies that if they do, then their once foolish hearts will be enlightened, and verse 22 suggests that they will become wise. We must pray that people would bow the knee to King Jesus, so that our society would be a Christian one, and become wise once again. The fight over gay marriage won’t be over until our nation turns back to Jesus.