And Marriage Is. . .

Recently the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted (380-325) to drop the requirement that elders, deacons and pastors "live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness." In its place, the following pledge will be required of candidates for ordination (assuming the denomination's presbyteries go along with the change): "to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church." Now on the surface, there may not appear to be much difference between the old requirement and the new (as the discussion below will show). However, upon deeper reflection, it appears to me that the General Assembly is trying to make a subtle but very significant shift. And it is a shift toward the acceptance of same-sex marriage.

How so? Note that the new wording says nothing about marriage in general and, more specifically, marriage between a man and a woman. By eliminating such a requirement of fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, the door to accepting same-sex marriages in the future would be much easier to open.

But the General Assembly delegates (at least those who voted to drop this fidelity in traditional marriage requirement) show their ignorance of what Jesus Christ taught about marriage. Because what he taught is exactly what they voted to remove! Listen to Jesus words as recorded in Matthew 19:4-6:

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Here Jesus makes it clear that God's plan for marriage is ONE MAN + ONE WOMAN = ONE FLESH (for life). From the very beginning marriage was established by the Creator to be between a man and a woman, not two men or two women. I am sure God's heart is grieved to see how his plan for marriage is being systematically distorted and even destroyed by secular forces promoting co-habitation before (or even in place of marriage), divorce and same-sex marriage.

Please take a moment and stop and pray - pray for your own marriage. Pray for the marriages in our church. And pray for our nation - that we will be able to stop the trend away from the Creator's plan for marriage.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj