Matthew 19:4 “Haven’t you read,: he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
The source of authority matters. If you heard from the local hair dresser that the price of gold was going to double in a week, you probably wouldn’t go out and purchase gold. If she said hair “bobs” were the newest fashion, you might change the style of your hair. You might talk with a precious metals expert for advice on gold.
I have noticed a decline in the use turn signals of other drivers. In fact, now I am surprised when someone does use their signals. The Department of Transportation has set rules for the use of turn signals. But just because it is the rule, doesn’t mean people use them. But the rule is still there.
We all face temptations in the area of sex, some to a greater degree than others. Even heterosexual individuals face the pull of hormones. And there is a way to satisfy those urges that fits with God’s design for humanity.
Jesus, as He is answering a question about marriage, a question asked by the religious leaders of His day as a way to trip Him up. They asked about divorce, the dissolving of the marriage legally. They want to know the reasons people are allowed to divorce. Are there any limitations on divorce?
Jesus in His usual fashion begins by referencing the source of HIs answer, the authority by which even His questioners would answer. Jesus quotes the founding documents of the relationship between God and humans. Jesus quotes from Genesis chapter one.
Jesus starts with the very basic. There are two sexes, male and female. You take one of each and you get a family. It is out of the design that God made that Jesus answers the question. It is God’s authority that defines human sexual relationships, not human authority.
And we see this male and female throughout the animal kingdom. The pattern doesn’t change. Male and female. But Jesus doesn’t stop there, anymore than the Scriptures stop with male and female. Remember, Jesus is answering a question about divorce and the acceptable reasons for divorce.
Jesus tells us that once male and female are joined together they gain a new identity. They are no longer individuals, but a new singular entity. And if this is God’s design, that the two become one, then who are we to try and make one two. In God’s math, two make one. In God’s math there is no division.
We hear these words at traditional wedding ceremonies. The authority for this understanding of human sexual relationships is fundamental to the understanding of the Scriptures as a whole. To dismiss God’s authority on this point is to dismiss God’s authority.
Today every flavor of sex is celebrated by certain corners of our society, but that does not mean this is the design of the LORD. To live holy means a willingness to see the world the way God sees it and then line our lives, our thoughts, words and actions, to match the authority of God. We all must say “NO!” to things prohibited and a big “YES!” to that which God as authorized.
The Arnold Journey 