Conform Yourself To The Truth (Genesis 1-3)
Sometimes a big event happens, and it just interrupts all our regularly scheduled activities. And, as happened with a few other events over the last few years, we will stop and talk about it. I don’t like that because its Thanksgiving week and I really like Thanksgiving. But, like many of you, my thoughts are all entangled in what is happening with the Legislative Branch of our country and the Respect for Marriage Act, as it has been called. The bill is still changing, so I don’t know what the final form of it will be and if protections for religious institutions will remain in it, but the bill is an attempt to redefine marriage from the government level.
I have made it clear that I will not budge on this or any other issue that infringes on Christianity. I will speak about this issue and seek to lead this church in faithfulness to God’s Word, not the dictates of the government. To quote the late Francis Schaeffer,
“The bottom line is that at a certain point there is not only right, but the duty, to disobey the state.”[1]
But since I have said all this before, I do not believe it is necessary to say it right now. I preached a sermon called “Let’s Define Our Relationship With The State” last year around July 4th and at the same time this year, “Give to America What Is America’s And To God What Is God’s”. In January, in response to the pressure people, our society, and our government places upon us to change our view on gender, marriage, and abortion called “Be Courageous” from Daniel 6.
Homosexuality and marriage has been discussed repeatedly as well. In January, in response to a bill in Canada that is similar to the one we are facing now I preached, “God Created And Defined Gender And Sexuality”. Furthermore, our journey through the Book of Genesis led us into this territory quite often. There I preached, “What God Created Let Not Man Redefine” concerning the definition of marriage and the definition of men and women. And then we spent some time in Sodom and Gomorrah during “Pride Month” where we discussed homosexuality, the degradation of society, and our response to it: “Family Responsibility Amid National Judgment”, “You’re A Priest, Pray For The World”, “Flee The Wrath That Is To Come”, “Don’t Do What Lot Did: A Father’s Day Sermon”, and “The Lord Knows How To Punish The Wicked And Rescue His People”.
The reason we’ve spent so much time here is that there is a need to do so. That is where the fighting is taking place, so we have spent a lot of time dealing with this issue. In fact, that was one of the reasons I wanted us to go through the Book of Genesis. It has allowed us to look at these issues from a very foundational level. We have been able to take a clear-eyed look at this topic from its very beginning and root. And praise God for that.
So today, after thought and prayer concerning how to discuss this topic, I decided to approach it from a different angle. And I am approaching it from this angle for a specific reason. The argument for allowing homosexual people to marry is not rooted in anything objective, it is a completely subjective argument. And people simply don’t seem to be able to argue against it.
If something is objective, that means it exists outside of us. If something is subjective it is based upon a person’s feelings, tastes, or opinions. And the major issue in our day is that people think so much about the subjective, that they can’t even fathom that there is objective truth that stands outside of them.
For Christians, and for most people throughout history, it has been understood that truth stands outside of us. Truth is what corresponds to reality. There is something outside of us that our opinions are to conform to. But today the question is not that at all. The question is what do you want to do? What do you think? What would bring you fulfillment?
The Narcissism Of Our Cultural Moment
When a Christian speaks up today and says, “Two men cannot get married.” or, “Changing the definition of marriage denigrates the institution of marriage.” the response that almost always comes next is, “What does it hurt you if these two people want to get married?” I want you to notice something about that response. What understanding of truth does that response come from?
That response comes from a different view of the world than the Christian. That response comes from people who believe that meaning comes from inside their self and the rest of the world is expected to conform to that meaning, even if it means changing the definition of marriage or gender to do so. That is the worldview that undergirds this bill that has passed through the House and now the Senate. It comes from the understanding that the ultimate goal in this world is personal happiness and everyone and everything else is expected to conform to that.
For thousands of years, beginning with the first marriage in Genesis 2:15-24, marriage has been defined as the union of a man and a woman. And the definition of man and woman was understood biologically, also for thousands of year, since the creation of man and woman. And the expectation of many is that we are simply supposed to change the definition of marriage, man, and woman so that they will be able to do what they want and be happy.
This bill, “The Respect For Marriage Act” states that,
“No person acting under color of law of a State may deny full faith and credit to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State pertaining to a marriage between two individuals, on the basis of the sex, gender, race, ethnicity, or national origin of those individuals; or a right (2) a right or claim arising from such a marriage on the basis that such marriage would not be recognized under the law of such other State on the basis of the sex, gender, race, ethnicity, or national origin of those individuals.”
Also, the Attorney General is given the power of enforcement.
“The Attorney General may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court of the United States against any person who violates subsection (b) for declaratory and injunctive relief.”
And, the individual is able to file a lawsuit if they feel harmed.
“Any person who is harmed by a violation of subsection (b) may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court of the United States against the person who violated such subsection for declaratory and injunctive relief.”
Because we do not know the final look of the bill, we do not know what will stay or go, but it is certainly going to become law here in the United States. No less than 12 Republican Senators joined Democrats in favor of this bill becoming law. It goes back to the House of Representatives, where the bill originated and then to the President who has already said he will sign it.
Because, deep within their selves, some people believe that they should be married that do not fit the definition of marriage, all of society is expected to change. And this change will be enforced with the force of law.
But we see things differently.
God Created The World, Us, And Marriage So He Makes The Rules
There was a time when nothing existed except God. It’s hard to fathom, but that is exactly what we read in Genesis 1:1.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 ESV)
There was no ground to stand on. There were no people to talk with. There were no animals to look at. There was no air to breathe. There was only God. And He created all things in this moment.
Consider the creation account. Throughout the entire account God brought the Universe into existence. He brought forth everything. Everything owes its existence to the God, even human beings.
Not only did God create the world, plants, animals, and human beings but He created the structures through which we would live our lives. Marriage is the first of these institutions.
“Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:18-25 ESV)
The creation of marriage is the creation of the structure in which one man and woman are to come together and create families, towns, governments, nations, societies, and populate the earth. All of that flows from this. It flows from this very important institution that God created long ago.
Because God created all of it, He is the one that gets to define reality. God says what a man is. He says what a woman is. And He says what marriage is. God says how families are made. And God says how all of these things come to be. God defines the boundaries, not us.
Because God created all things and stands outside of us, we do not get to define what is right and what is wrong. We don’t get to change the definition of marriage because we really feel like a lot of folks would like for it to be that way. We don’t have that right. We don’t have that ability. And insofar as we think we have the ability to do these things we are crazy.
Why Do We Face This Struggle Now?
For a long time Americans believed this much. There were a lot of denominations, but really America was a Protestant country. It’s hard to believe that JFK had a hard time running for president because there were so many Protestants in the country that didn’t trust the Pope. And it’s also interesting to understand that Roman Catholics began creating their private schools because the schools that existed up until the 1960’s were just too Protestant.
There was a consensus in America on at least this much, God created the world and as Creator and Ruler we were to conform our lives to reality as He created it. There was also an understanding that we are sinners in need of a Savior who is Jesus Christ, and Jesus is Lord of all. That much was agreed upon and that much allowed us to flourish as a society.
There were people that did not agree with everything with parts of basic Christianity, but they still understood that God created the world, and that they were obligated to conform their selves to that standard. That is why, so often in the writings of the leaders of this country, they would write something that simply said that our country would collapse if it did not follow God’s Word.
John Adams, one of the founders and president from 1797-1801 famously said,
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (John Adams)
A little over 120 years later, Calvin Coolidge is saying basically the same thing. He was president from 1923-1929. He is thought to have restored dignity and integrity to the office of President. He said several things about Christianity’s role in America, but here is a snippet of Coolidge’s understanding.
“Equality, liberty, popular sovereignty, the rights of man — these are not elements which we can see and touch. They are ideals. They have their source and their roots in the religious convictions. They belong to the unseen world. Unless the faith of the American people in these religious convictions is to endure, the principles of our Declaration will perish. We can not continue to enjoy the result if we neglect and abandon the cause.” (Calvin Coolidge)
Calvin Coolidge died long before this consensus left our country. And, as time passed, this view has slowly faded in America. I am not at all saying that it is non-existent. But we see that, through the passage of laws such as this that it is slowly fading and that it has been fading for a long time.
No longer is it taken for granted that God created the world and everything in it. No longer is it taken for granted that God gave order to the Universe and to mankind. No longer is it taken for granted that God is a law giver that stands outside of us and has told us how we are to order our lives. And no longer can it be taken for granted that our neighbor knows these things, or knows the gospel.
So, what do we do?
Live Like There Is An Objective Standard
One of the interesting things to consider here is that this understanding of the world was lost, even while most of America claimed to be Christian. While the rest of the world runs amuck, we will not. The early portion of Genesis speaks plainly and boldly a truth that we know and is now being forgotten, and even while the rest of the world abandons this we will not. We will live like there is an objective standard.
How many times have you been confronted with a statement from God’s Word then said, “I don’t like that” or “I like to look at this way” and disregard what God’s Word says? How many times have you been confronted with something in God’s Word that would force you to make an uncomfortable change and you just disregarded it because you thought you knew better?
How many times have you been confronted by God’s Word personally and decided that your feelings were going to guide you instead? How many times have you decided, based on some sort of tradition or emotion within yourself, that you will not believe or do something that is in God’s Word?
Now, how is that line of reasoning different from the person that looks at what God’s Word says about marriage and disregards it?
The truth we see in God’s Word is that He is the Creator. And He sets the rules. And as Christians we are the people that understand that. And as we go through life we should conform ourselves to Him. As God’s people, we are
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2 ESV)
We don’t conform to the world. And we are not to insist that everyone and everything conform to us. We are to be transformed by the renewal of our minds to God and His ways. This understanding comes from God’s Word. When God’s Word is preached rightly or read rightly, we are receiving God’s Word and His will for our lives. And rather than live according to our own standards or the standards of this world, we are to be conformed to Him. God stands outside of us and we are to conform to Him.
It’s not enough for us to complain and be upset about what is happening in American, we must ourselves be constantly reforming to the standard.
One of the cries of the Protestant Reformation should also be the cry of our heart, “Semper Reformanda” and it means always reforming. We should always be reforming ourselves to the Lord and His ways.
And related to this is,
Quietly Order Your Life And Family According To God’s Standard
People believe everything needs to be big, bold, and loud. Because the inner feelings and emotions are what are important to people today, big experiences that bring big emotions are thought to be the gauge of good, bad, right, and wrong. The problem is that when this leaks into church and family life, people don’t realize that it is a byproduct of the world’s prioritizing of emotions. Experiences, especially those that bring liver shivers, reach levels of high importance today whether they are grounded in truth and reality.
Most of your life is boring. And you are called to be faithful even though things are not exciting. Many onlookers will see what you are doing now and say they want something more. Even so, you are called to be faithful in the mundane. It is because they don’t yet understand the importance of the mundane.
But we understand that we, as human beings were created for what they now look at as mundane. Men and women were created to come together in marriage, have children, and build a home. As men and women forego marriage later and later and push off having children later and later, we want to order our lives after God’s standards not our own. In this land of rebellion and rejection of God, we live quietly faithful lives ordered by God’s Word.
As Paul said to the Thessalonians,
“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 ESV)
We are influenced by our culture to think that the big and emotional event is what is needed. But that completely misses what we see throughout Scripture. We are to personally live quietly faithful lives that are ordered by God’s Word.
And, because we were created for this, we end up happier anyway. As it turns out, focusing on yourself and your inner emotions does not lead to happiness. You have to go outside of yourself for that. For decades study after study has shown that married people are happier than unmarried people. And many studies also show that married people with children are happier still.
This quiet faithfulness has always been what God has called His people to do in a land of unbelief. And that is how we should view this.
“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:5-7 ESV)
So, sit around the dinner table and teach your children the Word. Pray with them. Teach them. Help them to see the truth and beauty of faithfully living according to God’s Word. Discipline them and teach them to follow His ways.
Do not think so much about national politics that you fail to be faithful to do these massively important things. Don’t think so much about those things that you fail to be the husband, father, parent, grandparent, or child you are supposed to be. Be quietly faithful to the Lord.
Men, lead your families in this quiet endeavor. Lead your home in faithfulness to the Lord. Wives, come alongside your husbands in this endeavor. And so, live properly among the outsiders here in Conway, Arkansas.
I also believe that, as Americans, part of this is actually going out and voting our conscience and morals. We have the ability to vote for the people that represent us. That means that we get exactly the leaders we deserve as we vote for them. Go vote. We have a civic duty that was unknown to people for most of human history. And I do believe we could consider this leading a quietly faithful life in this country.
As we are quietly faithful, people take notice. The well-ordered life of the Christian home will soon become quite an oddity in this world. But building that takes time, effort, and it’s not all that exciting.
And as you are doing so, there may come a time that you need to stand for the truth in a more exciting way.
Be Faithful To The Lord, No Matter The Cost
When the bill passed the House of Representatives there was little to no protection of religious freedom. And even then, four republicans were going to vote for it in the Senate. But in the Senate there were provisions added that look to protect churches 501c3 status and offer protections for religious schools that dissented.
At least there’s that.
But, how long does that last?
I don’t know. And my reason is simple. The original bill in the form that made it out of the House of Representatives would have made it possible for this church to lose its tax free status because we stood in opposition to the bill. It likely would have also opened us up for lawsuits if the pastor ever said things that I am certain he would one day say. Both of these things would cause substantial hardship to this church financially.
It looks to me like we were close to that being a possibility. Even though we completely disagree with the redefinition of marriage and imposition of a false view of marriage from the Federal level, for now we are still free to disagree. I just wonder how long that will last.
So, what would we do if that were the case?
We have to decide as a church to be faithful no matter the cost. What that looks like, I am not quite sure. It would certainly take a lot of discussion to figure that out. But faithfulness to the Lord would be the priority, not keeping our tax free status, avoiding lawsuits, and avoiding bankruptcy.
The Book of Daniel depicts this sort of thing often. These Israelites were leading quietly faithful lives until confronted by someone powerful that told them to disobey the Lord. But because they desired to conform to God’s standards and not the world, they faced danger and death rather than disobey God. Daniel resolved not to be defiled by the king’s fare (Daniel 1). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to worship the idol and were thrown into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). Daniel refused to stop praying to God and was thrown into the lion’s den (Daniel 6).
In the New Testament we see the same sort of thing. John the Baptist preached against Herod’s sinfulness and ended up in prison and eventually beheaded for it (Luke 3:18-20, Matthew 14:1-13). And the disciples would not stop preaching even though the government told them to stop (Acts 4).
As we are quietly faithful to the Lord, there may come a time in which we need to be faithful in a more dangerous manner. This is exciting, but it is excitement that we would rather not see come to fruition. And, at least for now, we may get to avoid that sort of excitement.
Understand That, Christ Came To Bring Us Into Truth (Genesis 3, 3:16, John 18:35-38)
God created the world and everything in it. He ordered the Universe and people in such a way that we were made to conform to Him and His ways. But something happened in Genesis 3 that brought us to where we are today.
The first man rebelled against God’s Law in the Garden of Eden. God told Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15). Adam passed that information down to His wife and she repeated it to the serpent, though the said they were not allowed to eat it or touch it (Genesis 3:4). Satan lied to her and told her that God was lying to her. And then, rather than conforming herself to God’s standard she began to be drawn to the fruit God had forbidden. She saw it was “good for food” and “a delight to the eyes” and that it “was desirable to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6 ESV). She was deceived by Satan and did not conform herself to the truth of God’s Word. She conformed herself to the lies of the evil one and desired what was forbidden. And Adam, who was with her the whole time at it as well.
Since then, all of mankind has been stained with the taint of sin. We’ve been corrupted. If all of mankind is a river, Adam sinned and dumped a barrel of toxic waste into the beginning of the stream, and it has affected the rest of the river. We are now born rebellious and sinful. We don’t sin because it is something outside of us, we sin because we are sinners. But God did not leave us in that situation without remedy. God gave to us Jesus Christ. God the Son took on flesh and dwelt among us. He lived a perfect life and accomplished salvation for us needy and rebellious sinners. He died on the cross and paid the full punishment for sin. And He rose from the grave three days later. That is the reason Jesus came to Earth. He came to live that perfect life, to die that sacrificial death, and to rise from the grave.
In a conversation with Pilate before Jesus’s death, the two of them had a discussion about truth.
“Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world–to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.” (John 18:35-38 ESV)
Jesus came to save His people. Jesus testified to the truth and came to accomplish the redemption foretold all the way back in Genesis 3:16).
There is no hope for us outside of this redemption. And there is no hope that people outside of Christ will think according to the truth. Our greatest need is redemption in Christ. Our neighbor’s greatest need is redemption in Christ. Our country’s greatest need is redemption in Christ.
I do not believe that, apart from a massive revival that the direction of the country will change. And I believe we should pray for just that to occur. But I would never think that our country’s greatest need is a godless conformity to a moral standard. Our country’s greatest need is faith in Christ. As God’s Word spreads and people are converted conformity to God’s standard takes place.
Conclusion
The news is likely on too much at your house. If it’s not, you likely pay attention to it too much on your phone. You should not allow it to make you think that there is no hope. We have hope in Jesus Christ. So, we declare God’s Word. We declare His grace and mercy to the lost and dying sinner. And we also understand that we are called to live a life of faithfulness before the Lord amid a dark generation.
R. Dwain Minor
[1] Francis Schaeffer, “A Christian Manifesto”, Crossway Books, 1982, p. 93