Would Jesus approve of same-sex marriage? (OneNewsNow.com)

Would Jesus approve of same-sex marriage? (OneNewsNow.com)

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Would Jesus approve of same-sex marriage?

Dr. Jerry Newcombe - Guest Columnist - 5/19/2012 6:25:00 AM

It was one thing for President Obama to call for the legalization of same-sex marriage.

But it was quite another to say that it's Jesus who causes him to embrace this position. This reminds me of what he said a few months ago, on the issue of ObamaCare and the like: Jesus made him do it. I addressed that issue inanother recent column.

On May 9, 2012, President Obama told Robin Roberts of ABC News that his position on gay relations has now evolved to the point that he thinks "same-sex couples should be able to get married."

Speaking of himself and his wife, the president said: "We're both practicing Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others; but, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing Himself on our behalf, but it's also the Golden Rule, you know? Treat others the way you'd want to be treated."

It's certainly true that the Lord sacrificed Himself for us. And it's certainly true that Jesus was the first to articulate the Golden Rule. "Do to others as you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12).

But there's a flaw in the Theologian-in-Chief's understanding. Citing the Old Testament, Jesus 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" (Mark 10:7-8). One man. One woman.

Today people sometimes say that Jesus never condemned homosexuality. But He did when He condemned pornea (from which we get the word pornography). In Matthew 15:19, Jesus condemned a host of sins, one of which is pornea. This word is translated as "sexual immorality." It would include all the sexual sins prohibited in the Old Testament, such as pre-marital sex, adultery, homosexuality, incest, and bestiality.

But the Bible doesn't just stop there on the issue. It says that gays can be freed from this lifestyle. Just like other sinners, which is good news for all of us.

Many years ago, I was on a panel discussion on Fox News on the issue of leaving the homosexual lifestyle. I was the only straight person in the discussion -- out of about ten guests. Everyone else was either gay or ex-gay. The gays were bent out of shape by the ex-gays, trying to make the point that they had either never really been homosexual or that they still were, but were simply suppressing their true identity, their homosexuality.

The host made the point that the ex-gay movement was born in California in the 1970s (with the birth of Exodus International, now headquartered in Orlando) and that one of the founders had fallen back into the lifestyle.

I countered that contrary to the ex-gay movement being born in the United States in the 1970s, it was born back in the first century. Paul the Apostle wrote to the Christians in the Greek city of Corinth and spoke against a host of sins, including homosexuality, but then he adds, "And that is what some of you were, but you were washed ...."

In other words, they were changed. Change is possible. Thankfully, there are thousands alive today who have been so changed. I've had the privilege of interviewing several former homosexuals and lesbians.

One of them told me: "As a homosexual, when I laid my head down at night, I had to think about all the shame I felt. I felt, even though I said I was free and was very happy about being gay, there was still a feeling of entrapment. I felt like I had committed myself to something that I really was not sure that I could handle. And because of that, it drew me into a fury of trying to prove myself. And I found that most of my friends were the same way. You had to continuously prove yourself in that lifestyle."

But he found freedom through God: "And I think about when Christ says that who the Son shall set free is free indeed, you know. And when Christ did set me free, I thought about, 'Wow. Here I am a Christian and I can truly express myself, and I feel no shame, no guilt, no nothing.' I would take the worst day as a Christian knowing Jesus Christ, rather than the best day without Him."

The rights that activists claim they seek in gay marriage, such as inheritance rights or hospital visitation rights, are rights they already have -- and well they should. But marriage involves the law, so this involves forced acceptance. Homosexual writer Andrew Sullivan said more than a decade ago: "If nothing else were done at all, and gay marriage were legalized, 90 percent of the political work necessary to achieve gay and lesbian equality would have been achieved. It is ultimately the only reform that matters."

There's a reason society has laws related to who can get married. As the family goes, so goes society. Same-sex marriage is simply another nail in the coffin of the American family, along with the spectacular failure of so many heterosexual marriages that fail to follow God's commands to the husband and wife as set forth in the Bible.

The president may continue to get feted by the liberal media and the Hollywood left for embracing same-sex marriage. He may continue to rake in millions into his re-election coffers. But with all due respect, I think he seriously misrepresents the Savior when he claims that Jesus would favor same-sex marriage.

Jerry Newcombe is the host of and spokesman for "Truth that Transforms with D. James Kennedy" (formerly The Coral Ridge Hour) and spokesman for Truth in Action Ministries (formerly Coral Ridge Ministries). He has also written or co-written 23 books, including "The Book That Made America: How the Bible Formed Our Nation" and "Answers from the Founding Fathers." Jerry co-wrote (with Dr. Peter Lillback) the bestselling, "George Washington's Sacred Fire." He hosts the website JerryNewcombe.com. This column is printed with permission.
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