June 10, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.
Voting 'Yes' on the Marriage Amendment
To the Editor,
As with many discussions on controversial subjects like this, often we get bogged down in arguing the peripheral issues that relate to the marriage amendment, rather than focusing on the foundation of marriage. This relationship we call marriage between two people was not a human idea. The idea of a marriage relationship between two people was originally our Creator's idea. Chapter 2 of Genesis, in our Bibles, records for us the creation of woman and the first marriage relationship to ever take place.
God's purpose for the creation of a woman and the husband/wife relationship was for Adam to have someone "fit" (ESV) or suitable for him to accomplish the tasks God had given him. We find those tasks explicitly given to Adam in Genesis 1:28 where he is told to, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over" (ESV) it. Thus, God created a woman, a person of the opposite sex of Adam to make it possible for him to fulfill his task of multiplying and filling the earth through the act of procreation by this heterosexual relationship of a man and a woman.
This is the first marriage relationship and God's clearly stated purpose for its institution into the created order. It is unclear when marriage became something governed by human laws and our current legal system, but God defined marriage long before people began putting legal restrictions on it. So the question is, "if marriage is a God established institution, do we have the right to redefine what He has set forth as the definition of a marriage?
God has much to say about marriage.
•In Mark 10:7-9, He says a marriage is when a man and a woman come together in a "one flesh" relationship with each other. "One flesh" is not simply the ceremonial vows to another, but also the sexual union with one another.
•In Hebrews 13:4, we find that God wants us to hold marriage in "honor" and the sexual intimacy that He established with that relationship should remain "undefiled" which makes this sexual relationship a sacred relationship.
•In Ephesians 5:25ff, we are told that the husband/wife relationship of marriage is symbolic of the love of Jesus for the "church." And in this symbolic picture all the terms used to represent this relationship are masculine and feminine terms. So even when God uses the marriage relationship to illustrate something else, He does so with a distinct man and woman relationship.
Many more examples could be cited about how God defined the marriage relationship. But if a person believes in God and believes what the Bible says about this relationship, it would be natural for them to hold to God's design for marriage.
This is not an issue of rights, power, or being unloving toward those of same sex relationships. For people voting "yes" on the marriage amendment it is a matter of standing for what God has established from the beginning as a marriage relationship. Marriage is not a simple legal institution governed by the laws of our land. Marriage is God's creation, defined by Him from the beginning as a man and a woman to fulfill His purpose through a procreative relationship.
We would encourage all who believe in God and the veracity of His Word to be willing to stand for God's definition of a marriage relationship and vote "yes" on the marriage amendment question on the ballot this November. Remember, those who are still unsure about how to vote and choose to abstain from voting on this issue, it is the same as a "no" vote, and as such would be voting against the marriage amendment. We encourage everyone in our communities to stand for God's definition of marriage and vote "Yes" on the marriage amendment.[[In-content Ad]]Submitted by and
supported by:
Longville Bible Chapel; St. Edwards Catholic Church; Boy River Log Chapel; Harvest Church of God; St. Paul's Catholic Church; Northland Alliance Church; St. Agnes Catholic Church; Sacred Heart Catholic Church; Mildred Bible Chapel; Backus Church of the Nazarene
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