Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: June 4, 2006
GOD’S DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE AND THE
MARRIAGE PROTECTION AMENDMENT
Ben Justice
There are three divine institutions. They are the home (Gen. 2:19-25), civil
government (Rom. 13:1ff), and the church (Eph. 3:10-11). The oldest of these is
the home. Since the home is divine in origin, then only God has the right to
define it. God has provided a very simple definition of the home. Gen. 2:21-25
states the following:
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took
one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; (22) And the rib, which the
Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (23)
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be
called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (24) Therefore shall a man leave his
father and his mother; and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (25)
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
In Matt. 19:3-9, Jesus discussed and debated the issue of marriage and divorce
with the Pharisees. In verses 4-6, Jesus quoted from Genesis to establish the
basis for marriage. Jesus specifically quoted from Gen. 1:26-27 and Gen. 2:24.
The point to underscore is this: A home is made up of a married man and woman
and only one man and one woman. Anything more or less than this is not
marriage. Rather, it is a perversion that carries serious consequences. Since
the home is the basic unit of society, it is imperative that the integrity of
marriage be preserved exactly as God intended.
Within the last several years, the homosexual community has sought to redefine
marriage. Sadly, they have made some headway. Activist judges, acting as
lawmakers, have ruled in favor of gay marriages and unions. In Nov. 2003, the
Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that the state’s legislature must rewrite its
marriage laws for the benefit of same-sex couples. Other courts have followed
suit, such as Nebraska, wherein a federal district court struck down that state’s
constitutional amendment defining marriage.
On July 14, 2004, the Senate voted on a procedural motion to debate the
“Marriage Protection Amendment.” This would have led to an eventual vote on
the amendment. Sadly, the effort failed, because 60 votes were needed to bring
the amendment to a vote. Forty-eight Senators voted in favor and 50 opposed.
Thankfully, come this week, another opportunity will present itself for the
Senate to vote for the marriage protection amendment. The text of the
amendment is very simple. It reads:
Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a
woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be
construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred
upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.
We wonder how anyone could be against this proposed amendment! Regrettably,
there are scores of folk who are. This amendment is a reflection of the pattern
revealed in the Bible for marriage. As Christians, we have no choice but to
uphold and endorse it. Among those against this amendment is Senator John
McCain. He stated, “I will vote against it because I believe very strongly, first of
all, in the sanctity of union between man and woman, but I believe that the
states should make these decisions.” Maybe McCain doesn’t realize it, but the
matter has already been decided upon by Almighty God! No state or government
has the right to alter it in any way! How will the Senate vote this time? Well,
we can’t be for sure, but those who voted “No,” in 2004 may be a good indication.
Unless they have changed their minds since then, it may be a repeat of 2004. In
our wonderful state of Missouri, we are thankful that both Kit Bond and Jim
Talent voted in favor of this amendment. To obtain a list of those who voted for
and against this amendment in 2004, visit the following website:
www.hslda.org/Legislation/National/2003/MPA/
Tom Delay appropriately stated, “We would prefer to live in a society where such
debates were unnecessary. Unfortunately we do not.” Isn’t it sad that we have
to propose a marriage protection amendment to preserve the integrity and purity
of marriage? It reveals a depth of degradation that has been heaped upon us by
godless individuals who seek to debunk God and the Bible from every facet of
society. America is at the crossroads as it relates to marriage. If she fails at
this point, then her future is in serious jeopardy. Remember, the home is the
basic functioning unit of any society. What the home looks like in the next
several years and decades to come in America will largely be determined what we
do now. To neglect this amendment is to contribute to America’s declining
morality. I encourage everyone to sign the petition at www.grassfire.org to let
your voice be heard for the protection and preservation of marriage as God would
have it.
INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS
Ben Justice
I. THE CHARACTER OF THE BOOK:
A. THE RECIPIENTS OF THE BOOK:
1. “The churches of Galatia” (1:2).
2. The churches of Galatia were
established on Paul’s first
missionary journey. The cities
were Lystra, Antioch of Pisidia,
Iconium, and Derbe. See Acts
13:14-14:18.
B. THE REASONS FOR THE BOOK:
1. Main Reason: To expose the
errors of the Judaizing teachers
(chs. 3-4). See 1:6-7; 3:1;
4:9-10; 5:1-6; 6:12-15
2. Semi-Reason: Paul defended his
apostleship (chs. 1-2).
C. THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE
BOOK TO THE OLD TESTAMENT:
1. Gal. 3:6 —> Gen. 15:6
2. Gal. 3:8 —> Gen. 12:1-3
3. Gal. 3:10 —> Deut. 27:26
4. Gal. 3:11 —> Hab. 2:4
5. Gal. 3:13 —> Deut. 21:23
6. Gal. 3:16 —> Gen. 12:1-3; 17:7
7. Gal. 4:22 —> Gen. 16:15; 21:2-3
8. Gal. 4:23-31 —> Gen. 21 & 22
II. THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK:
A. KEY THEME: Liberty in Christ (5:1)
B. KEY VERSES: 5:1; See also 1:8-9;
2:21; 3:16, 29; 5:6; 6:7
C. KEY CHAPTER: Chapter 3
D. KEY PHRASE: Chapter 3:26
E. GREAT TRUTHS:
1. The Gospel can’t be changed
without retribution from God — 1:6-9
2. False brethren must not be
fellowshipped — 2:4-5
3. Those in error must be rebuked —
2:11-14
4. Law of Moses has been abrogated —
ch. 3; 5:1-4
5. We are to live by the faith — 3:23-26
6. We become children of God through
the faith and by being baptized into
Christ — 3:26-27
7. Falling from grace is possible — 5:4
8. Faith works — 5:6
9. Those who practice the works of the flesh
will be lost — 5:19-21
10. We must produce the fruit of the Spirit —
5:22-26
11. We must seek to restore the erring —
6:1-2
12. We must bear our burdens — 6:5
13. The Law of sowing & reaping — 6:7-8
14. We must do good unto all men — 6:9-10
F. OUTLINE OF THE BOOK:
—> Paul defends his apostleship: Chs.1-2
—> Paul denounces the errors of the Judaizers
Chs. 3-4
—> Paul demands purity & faithfulness:
Chs. 5-6