Recently I had a discussion with someone about gay marriage and marriage in general which is how the idea came to me to write a blog on this whole hot potato issue. I know this is a hot topic - this post is just some poor soul's (mine) opinion. I'm not in any position to affect legislation or make any changes so don't lambast me for my humble opinion... Just making that clear straight off. I'm willing to debate but only in a civil fashion.
Another parameter I'll make clear from the beginning is that I want the truth to come from God's Word which I believe is clear - no reason to twist anything from the plain, straight word to make it say something obscure. No other writings can supersede God's word in authority. So if you want to bring in worldly, secular objections, I will always point back to the unerring Word of God. Pick someone else to fight with if this won't work for you. :)
I mentioned (in the discussion I had) the fact that marriage is symbolized as, and also at least compared to, Christ's relationship with the church (first with the literal Israelite nation, later Spiritual Israel). Here are several verses that reinforce this idea.
Isaiah 54:5 - "For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called."
Isaiah 62:5 - "For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee"
Jeremiah 2:32 - This can be loosely taken to show the marriage connection but if you don't like it, we can throw this one out: "Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number."
Jeremiah 3:20 - "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord."
Ezekiel 16:30, 32. - "How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;.....But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!" (following after the pagan practices and habits)
Israel is mentioned as an adulterer, even a whore (also see Hosea) who was in effect, being unfaithful to God; as an adulterous wife to her husband.
Joel 1:8 - "Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth."
Jeremiah 31:32 - "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord."
John 3:29 - Another loose interpretation - take it or leave it. "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled."
(As a side note, Romans 7 compares the law to the covenant of marriage where, when the husband or wife dies, the law of marriage is annulled and a will comes into effect until the time she gets married again when there is a new law. This was compared to our relationship with the law and Christ and our death to working for salvation etc (?) - I admit I don't yet fully understand Romans 7...)
Ephesians 5:23 - "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body." A direct comparison.
The person I was discussing this with (who has a very close loved one who is homosexual), thought that earthly marriage was symbolized by the "trinity" (not a word in the Bible, but understood as the three-in-one Godhead). (In this way, it could then be said that since God and Jesus are male, it shows a "homo"sexual relationship.) I said I didn't think so - their relationship is portrayed more as a Father and Son relationship. God the Father, Jesus the Son (and the Holy Spirit as a third entity) show a parent/child representation of perfect trust and dependence. Nowhere in the whole Bible have I found anything intimating that the Godhead represents the marriage relationship - show me if you know better! {The "creating man in his own image" in Genesis refers to the physical, spiritual and emotional etc, makeup of humans - we resemble God. Nothing there infers anything about a marriage union between members of the Godhead.}
Of course there is also the other analogy of a bride being the Holy City, Jerusalem (Rev 21:2 for example). There are lots of analogies for things but as far as I know, those are the only two for 'bride'.
So this post emphasizes that the homosexual union has NO precedent in God's symbolism. If it was to become a normative relationship, wouldn't that be symbolized by something?
Another parameter I'll make clear from the beginning is that I want the truth to come from God's Word which I believe is clear - no reason to twist anything from the plain, straight word to make it say something obscure. No other writings can supersede God's word in authority. So if you want to bring in worldly, secular objections, I will always point back to the unerring Word of God. Pick someone else to fight with if this won't work for you. :)
I mentioned (in the discussion I had) the fact that marriage is symbolized as, and also at least compared to, Christ's relationship with the church (first with the literal Israelite nation, later Spiritual Israel). Here are several verses that reinforce this idea.
Isaiah 54:5 - "For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called."
Isaiah 62:5 - "For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee"
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| (Please excuse this picture if it portrays a particular sect. I'm choosing it for its simplicity and sincerity in the portrayal of a regular marriage and I'm suspicious but otherwise ignorant of what sect it might portray!) |
Jeremiah 2:32 - This can be loosely taken to show the marriage connection but if you don't like it, we can throw this one out: "Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number."
Jeremiah 3:20 - "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord."
Ezekiel 16:30, 32. - "How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;.....But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!" (following after the pagan practices and habits)
Israel is mentioned as an adulterer, even a whore (also see Hosea) who was in effect, being unfaithful to God; as an adulterous wife to her husband.
Joel 1:8 - "Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth."
Jeremiah 31:32 - "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord."
John 3:29 - Another loose interpretation - take it or leave it. "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled."
(As a side note, Romans 7 compares the law to the covenant of marriage where, when the husband or wife dies, the law of marriage is annulled and a will comes into effect until the time she gets married again when there is a new law. This was compared to our relationship with the law and Christ and our death to working for salvation etc (?) - I admit I don't yet fully understand Romans 7...)
Ephesians 5:23 - "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body." A direct comparison.
The person I was discussing this with (who has a very close loved one who is homosexual), thought that earthly marriage was symbolized by the "trinity" (not a word in the Bible, but understood as the three-in-one Godhead). (In this way, it could then be said that since God and Jesus are male, it shows a "homo"sexual relationship.) I said I didn't think so - their relationship is portrayed more as a Father and Son relationship. God the Father, Jesus the Son (and the Holy Spirit as a third entity) show a parent/child representation of perfect trust and dependence. Nowhere in the whole Bible have I found anything intimating that the Godhead represents the marriage relationship - show me if you know better! {The "creating man in his own image" in Genesis refers to the physical, spiritual and emotional etc, makeup of humans - we resemble God. Nothing there infers anything about a marriage union between members of the Godhead.}
Of course there is also the other analogy of a bride being the Holy City, Jerusalem (Rev 21:2 for example). There are lots of analogies for things but as far as I know, those are the only two for 'bride'.
So this post emphasizes that the homosexual union has NO precedent in God's symbolism. If it was to become a normative relationship, wouldn't that be symbolized by something?
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