"Are You Married?"

My wife and I were eating lunch recently at a local restaurant. The server was a petite pretty young lady, exceptionally nice, and attended to our every need. I said to Virginia that I hoped she was as good and pleasant in every way as she was in her demeanor toward us. As we were finishing our lunch and she approached our table, I noticed some kind of a ring on her left hand so I asked, “Are you married?” There was a slight pause before she answered and then she replied, “No, I suppose you could say I am engaged. My boy friend and I have been living together for five years and we have one child.” While I was disappointed, I was not surprised. I offered to marry them for just a free lunch but she refused my offer.

The complete disregard toward the teaching of the Word of God concerning marriage is not a gray matter. It is either black or white. Living together without the marriage vows is a violation of God’s law; or, it is white, meaning that it really doesn’t matter at all because there are no rules governing such cohabitation of unmarried couples. Sad to say, married couples are now in the minority in this country. People who are living in what the Bible calls fornication should straighten out their own lives before condemning couples of the same sex who are marrying one another; now having said that, it is to be understood in no uncertain terms that practicing homosexuality is not a gray matter. Either it is condemned in the Holy Scriptures or it is allowed. That is to say, it is either a black or white issue. There is no neutral position.

And when it comes to politics and the leaders in our national government, it is not a black or white issue where race or ethnicity is concerned. The reason being, I heard a white leader say that he saw nothing wrong with men marrying men and women marrying women. Soon after that I heard another national leader who was black say that he condoned ‘gay marriages’. The real issue therefore is whether or not the Word of God commends or condemns such life styles and then it becomes a black or white issue morally speaking and not a gray one. Bible believers understand God’s design for marriage, that is, one man for one woman.

You perhaps have noticed that I have not given all the biblical passages that speak out against homosexuality. That can be done in another article. It is rather useless to quote and/or read scriptures to someone who does not respect the inspired Word of God. The unbelieving world cares very little, if any, for the teachings of the Bible. How would you react to someone quoting verses to you from the Quran (Koran)? The belief of an individual determines his manner of life. Carnality produces a perverted way of living in the individuals who choose not to believe in God, His Son and in His Holy Word.

How sad it is that people who know what the Scriptures teach on the sanctity of marriage but choose instead to live in all manner of sexual immorality. The same principle applies today in this important matter regarding the individuals who do not “receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” A great man of God wrote: “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (From the ancient writings of Paul as found in the book of 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11).

“Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people” (NKJV, Proverbs 14:34).