Matthew 19 and the Marital Boundary

The "evolutionary truth left" is fond of allegorically "discovering" that whatever Jesus did not address directly in the four gospels is somehow allowable for Christians today. This philosophy has emerged in a "tail wagging the dog" sort of way. It manifests itself primarily out of an obsession of somehow saying as Jesus does not "directly" discuss the subject of homosexuality, it is somehow a justified practice...despite what the apostolic writers have to say about it. The idea that the apostolic writers were somehow not speaking for Christ is an absurd proposition, to be discussed in a future article. When the apostolic writers speak, Christ speaks.

At hand here, though, is the fact that Jesus DID directly condemn the practice of same-sex intercourse. He did so by appealing to the universal marriage covenant between men, women, and God. Jesus in Matthew 19.1 - 12 directly teaches against adultery and divorce. He does so by appealing to the universal covenant of marriage which disallows sexual intercourse for all humans except within the God joined marital covenant. He returns to what is foundationally stated in Genesis 1.27 and Genesis 2.24. In God's pronouncement He limits all intercourse between two humans to the marital covenant between one man and one woman for life, joined together by vow with God. Thus, He disallows all other sexual contact whatsoever. A difficult saying for many, but the sexual boundry is clearly defined...sex only in marriage. All candidates for marriage must be only one man and one woman. This foundational truth is later corroberated by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 5.31. The covenatal marriage is held up as God's illustration of the love that Christ has for His church. The act of any kind of fornication, therefore, is an act of blasphemy against Christ and His bride, especially for Christians.

A now popular sidebar of the "evolutionary truth left" is to bring up the fact that the word "homosexual" is not found in the Scriptures, and is in fact, an English word that came into use long after the New Testament was written. This begs the question and is a specious argument at best. Same sex intercourse is directly condemned by Christ's apostle Paul in I Corinthians 6.9. Paul here, along with other sins, says that the "effeminate" (those who receive the sexual advance of a same sex partner) and "abusers of themselves with mankind" (those who advance sexual contact onto a willing receiver) shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The attempt to "justify" the "unjustifiable" by ignoring the obvious puts one in a very dangerous spiritual position, inviting as it were, the wrath of God. Jesus uses the universal law of sexual restraint within the marital covenant to teach that divorce is un-biblical except for adultery. That same law of sexual restraint condemns all fornication - any sexual contact between any two people, outside of the "undefiled marital bed" shared by one man and one woman for life.

Russell H McCullough serves as the gospel preacher for the Archdale church of Christ in Charlotte, NC. He is a regualar contributor here on LinkedIn Pulse.