To the Editor:

When we think about the Constitutional rights of the citizens of this country we must always remember that our right is to do what is right. It is not our right to do what is wrong in the sight of God or men. It is not our right to change what is right to what is wrong.

In our day, and at this time, what is right is increasingly being lost sight of; and so people are trying to either legislate or legalize immorality. This is the issue in the current debate over same-sex marriage. This is a very important issue in regard to the continuance of our society and our country, and whether God will bless us as a nation. God cannot bless an immoral society; a society which not only tolerates but promotes fornication, adultery, and homosexuality. Indeed He has promised that He will judge them.

God is a righteous judge and does set down and record our sins. The Bible says that the only way that He will be pleased with us, is if we will repent (change our mind and turn away from our sins), and believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of them. But even moral people who do not know Christ and who do not understand everything that the Bible says, know that homosexuality is wrong. People who know the Bible know that God always has, and he always will bless marriage between one man and one woman because He is the One who instituted marriage in the beginning.

Our country has been a great country, in general, in the past, because many people have attempted to put into practice the teachings of the Bible and they knew that they must be forgiven of their sins through Jesus Christ our Lord if they were to continue to have the blessings of this life and the blessing of eternal life. All blessing comes from God, not from our demanding to do what is displeasing and harmful in His sight.

This country was founded upon the principle of its being “one nation under God.” These words are found in our pledge of allegiance to our flag, and to our country. The God whom this country began to worship and serve is the God of the Bible. God has declared in the Bible that He is Holy, and He expects us to live righteously so that we might worship Him, honor Him, and obey Him. If we choose His way, and live according to what is right, then He will bless us. But if we choose to live according to what He has plainly declared is wrong, then we, both individually and as a nation, will increasingly fall under His judgments.

In Isaiah 5: 20, God says through the prophet, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Let no one twist the Scriptures to their own destruction on the subject of homosexuality. God has plainly declared Himself against all homosexual practices in many places in the Bible.

A good example is found in 1 Corinthians 6: 9. It says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” “Do not be deceived.” “Neither fornicators, not idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, not thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” But then Paul goes on to say that there is true hope, and the real meaning of life, which is brought to any sinner who believes in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.

He says in verse 11 – “And such were some of you.” “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Later in that chapter, the Apostle Paul says, “Flee sexual immorality”.

So instead of trying to get our rights; to sin with adultery and fornication and homosexuality, let us flee from them in repentance. Like all sins, homosexuality will destroy our souls if we do not repent of it. And it will bring God’s judgments upon our society as well. Perhaps you have heard of Sodom and Gomorrah. They came under God’s judgment because of their immorality. Jude, in his little letter in the Bible says in verse 7 – “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” God has many ways of judging a society which seeks to live immorally. But let us not try to find them out.

Instead, let us turn from all of our sins and live righteously, in accordance with the Bible. Let us know that God blesses marriage and that it is only between one man and one woman. God will surely bless us if we will live righteously, acting upon this knowledge.

Pastor Paul Rendall

Tama