By Beau James
OK, with that title I need to do some defending. Please hear me out.
I begin my defense by stating a Christian doctrine so true and foundational yet not without its proponents, “God is Sovereign.”
This is a direct quote from the scriptures themselves (Gen 15:2)
Genesis 15:2
But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD”
Now the awkwardness with the Sovereignty of God is abroad in the Christian culture. “How can God be in control of all?” “How can a Holy God allow such evil and wrong doing in the world?”
On our subject we could say, “How can God allow such behavior that by nature does not work?”
But in my own heart there became a wonderfully gentle peace that has come over me when I grabbed a hold of the truth that God does all things for His Glory. (Psalm 115:1 “Not to us but to your name be the Glory”)
All things, even evil things are allowed and purposed to His utter Glory (Job, Acts 2:23)
Now where I use to get muddled with this is when I would look at a statement like the above and then look to my own end as a argument against such a statement.
My own end, is what I think, is the right thing. This ‘right thing’ is usually what makes me “Happy.” There was a time when our own happiness was not such dominant thought in the world, but more issues of survival and virtue. This ‘right thing’ that we all think God should be about the business of doing is birthed from our own sinful state of thinking we are the center of the universe, or ours. “How could God allow that, look at the bloodshed and the atrocity, the injustice?” “How does God get the Glory for that?” Notice that these common thoughts come from the perspective not of faith in what the scriptures teach, which is again, “All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His Purpose (His Glory.) These well known arguments against the purpose of God come from our reasoning that God is not doing things as I think are right.
Now my argument is that God is purposing all things for His Glory. Whether the Pharaoh of Egypt or the Homosexual agenda in America.
I now would like to share why I believe this generation in America is allowing such behavior. One world…Guilt.
What pain is to the body, guilt is to the soul. And this generation of leaders is guilty. I remember sitting with some family members in my living room watching a sporting event when they asked where my son was. They knew he was in his room playing his “evil” video games, wasting his 14 year old life away, yet they asked and then went on to say how bad it is to be into video games like that. I quickly thought about what I was doing at 14 as the son of a 50/60’s generation that smoked dope all day while taking off their clothes listening to the most stoned out music in the rain! I was not any different. So I asked my family members, “Now what is it that your generation added to our society, Porn & Pot!?”
My parent’s generation was a mess and has a bolder amount of guilt like yeast has gone through the batch of dough. This generation I believe is extremely guilty. Abortions are 46,000,000 since Roe v.s. Wade, We have a massive drug problem in the country, America generates more porn than any other country (90% of the porn sites are U.S. created), music has become less innovative than ever, and now Gay marriage.
To my generation this is normal behavior that’s why I think the younger generation say’s, “what’s the big deal, let them get married, so what.” It’s not because of guilt for the younger generation, it’s plain, allowed normal behavior.
I believe the response to guilt in the leaders of this generation is either a extreme brokenness before God, and the breaking of his commandments or a further allowance of behavior that makes for a atonement for their own sins. If they were to say that Gay marriage is wrong then consequently they would have to look at their own lives of having massive sex, smoking extreme quantities of the ganja, and simply not parenting their children because they where to into their BMW’s and boats. The change of this world is a temporary change for self exaltation, while the humility and brokenness that is found in Jesus is for His exaltation. This current generation is for self exaltation.
God will purpose in the hardness of heart of this generation in such a way as to make the riches of His grace known. Simply put, “Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more” (Rom 5:20).
God is moving all things to a place where this grace in Jesus abounds all the more. Today I know look at such trends in American culture though the lens of God’s perspective and no longer what I think is right. “How can God allow this in America?” My answer is, “Why not?” What makes you think God revolves around what you think and not His purpose, exalting his Glory through the grace in Jesus to a lost world?
22What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory…Romans 9:22
This will make uncomfortable who think of justice from their own prejudices of right and wrong. But as one famous Christian Pastor put it in his 1st Chapter, first sentence, “It’s not about you.”
God is concerned about his Glory and the current push to have same sex marriages in America will be used by God to further the maximum Glory to His Name.
What could the results of such a law be in America? For sure a certain further distancing between Christina ethics and the worlds for sure. What if Pastor’s will have to perform same sex marriages? Some will no doubt go to jail. From the perspective of some this is bad, because who would want to go to jail? But for the one who knows the ultimate purpose of God is for His Glory jail is a opportunity to be used by the Masters Hand to minister to others and suffer, if it be the Lord’s will, to His Glory. How sufferings show the Glory of God? Because when we suffer for Christ name we show to a dying world the infinite worth of following Christ! This glorifies God. We are satisfied in Him and Him alone. “There is nothing I desire on the earth besides you” Psalm 73:25.
If we see the allowance of more and more then it is sure to exalt the holiness of others more and more!
With this is mind, let us believers in Christ fight for what we believe in through a peaceful, law abiding way. If the Homosexual agenda in America get’s its way, I believe there victory will result in an outpouring of opportunity for the grace in Christ to be sent for those desperately trying to atone for their sins through false pleasure and allowance. No matter…God wins.