The Ground of Battle

Recapturing Marriage for the Kingdom

The civil state in the West gave up on marriage long ago.  When it accepted officially people "living together", invented rights for de facto's, and introduced "no fault" divorce the West was putting its paganism on display for all to see.  Homosexual "marriage" is just one more chapter in the tawdry saga. 

How ought Christians to react and respond?  As with most issues, our response needs to be multivalent.  One response is to believe that this is a battle the Kingdom of God will eventually win.
  Marriage does not belong to the state, although a godly state will recognize the institution and support it and fence it about.  Marriage belongs to the Lord and it has been instituted for mankind.  It particularly belongs to Christ's disciples--the Church, the new human race.

In the West, marriage is becoming the detritus of a failing civilization.  As Western marriages and families break down, endlessly "re-blended" into a toxic soup, every social institution is weakened, except the state which grows ever more powerful in a vain attempt to compensate for the dissolution of civil society.  In the end it will be primarily Christians within the Church which respect and live in holy matrimony.

As the world darkens, so the Church and her Lord will shine more brightly in the world.  As society increasingly despises marriage the Church will increasingly be seen as respecting it and thus honouring her Lord.  By this means, says the Scripture, "you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world."  (Philippians 2:15)

But it will not end there, of course.  The secular pagan state will not take our fidelity to marriage lying down.  It will turn upon the Church seeking to devour her.  It will eventually accuse the Church of discrimination, hate speech, and crimes against humanity for refusing to recognise such abominations as no-fault divorce and homosexual "marriage".  The state will eventually interdict churches' civil authority to marry anyone--unless, of course, the particular church bows first to Caesar.  Some false, fellow travellers will.  God's people never will.  The Church will no doubt respond by conducting true, holy marriage covenants in secret.  It will no doubt set up its own civil governments as it is increasingly forced underground (I Corinthians 6: 1-6).  The divine blessings of holy matrimony will flow down upon God's people, adorning the beauty of Christ's redemption and salvation for all to see.  The state will likely respond by stripping the church of property.  It will no doubt throw its officers, preachers, teachers and leaders into prison. It will attempt to remove our children from "abusive" Christian homes, putting them into the loving embrace of secular "care".  We will  go underground.  We will flee.  We will become fugitives and refugees in our own country.  Thus our fathers did before us. 

This is the way it has always been, ever since the resurrection and ascension of our Lord.  Societies and nations are always either moving towards the light or away from it.  In the case of the latter, persecution and oppression inevitably fall upon God's holy people.  We will not be surprised by this.  Let "no man be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.  For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know."  (I Thessalonians 3: 3,4)

But Christ will always come to our aid, to strengthen, encourage, and embolden His people.  Always the blood of the martyrs has been the seed of the Church.  In the end, His people will triumph, leading captive a host of captives.  The institution of holy matrimony in the West will be one of them.