This is blog #7 of a continuation of my response to a missive/blog posted several months ago entitled "Why I am a Christian Who Supports Gay Marriage." Please Google it and check it out before continuing.
Concerning the Misrepresentation, Misinterpretation and Misuse of The Holy Scriptures
I think that perhaps the biggest travesty of the author's declaration is her gross misrepresentation and misinterpretation of the New Testament Scriptures, primarily the writings of Paul, concerning marriage and homosexuality. It seems satan has developed quite a talent, especially in this day of age of word processors, social media and bloggers, for causing the adding and subtracting some words in Scripture, and outright changing the meaning of others, in order to interpret the "message" according to the Scriptures, instead of interpreting the Scriptures according to the message, the Gospel of Christ. The problem is even more compounded when one tries to use a Bible translation that was never meant to be used as a reference or study Bible, such as The Message (especially when the author of The Message himself says not to do that!), to the exclusion of comparing specific passages or verses on a subject to other translations in order to insure that the base meanings and teachings of said passages are not altered. Using a couple of Scriptures that the blogger referred to, here are some examples of what I mean:
1) "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."(NIV, 1 Cor 6:9-10)
"Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom".(The Message, 1 Cor 6:9-11)
Do you see how different these two passages are worded, although they both originated from the same Scripture reference? Do you see how not just words, but whole concepts are different between the two? Did you notice that the NIV version lists specific identities that disqualify people from inheriting the Kingdom of God (such as "men who have sex with men"), while The Message version generalizes and softens the behavioral identities, leaving out the homosexual behavior reference, and changing the section referring to the Kingdom of God. Yet, if we compared these two different interpretations to other major bible translations, like The King James Version, The New American Standard Bible, The Catholic Bible or even the Amplified Bible (Which I hope you will take time to do in your own studies), you will find that virtually all of the other translations line up pretty much with the NIV translation, while none even come close to resembling The Message translation.
2) Concerning what the Scriptures say about marriage and getting married, she writes this:
"On top of everything, there’s the small issue that for a large part of the New Testament, people are told they shouldn’t marry at all. Paul maintained in no less than eight scriptures that you should only marry if you cannot control your lust and are 'burning with passion.'" I challenge her to present the eight scriptures she is talking about, and to show us any indication that Paul ever meant his "advice", not "commands", about marriage to include men marrying men or women marrying women; even The Message translation doesn't give the slightest hint of support for homosexual marriage.
Yet, here is what the Scriptures say about marriage in virtually the only chapter (1 Cor 7) in the New Testament where the sacrament is discussed in length, not just by Paul, but by anyone else:
"Now I want to deal with the things you wrote me about. Some of you say, “It is good for a man not to have sex with a woman.” But since there is so much sexual sin, each man should have his own wife. And each woman should have her own husband. A husband should satisfy his wife’s sexual needs. And a wife should satisfy her husband’s sexual needs. The wife’s body does not belong only to her. It also belongs to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong only to him. It also belongs to his wife. You shouldn’t stop giving yourselves to each other except when you both agree to do so. And that should be only to give yourselves time to pray for a while. Then you should come together again. In that way, Satan will not tempt you when you can’t control yourselves. I say those things to you as my advice, not as a command. I wish all of you were like me. But you each have your own gift from God. One has this gift. Another has that."(NIV, 1 Cor 7:1-6)
"Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, Is it a good thing to have sexual relations? Certainly—but only within a certain context. It’s good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder. The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality—the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights. Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out. Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it’s for the purposes of prayer and fasting—but only for such times. Then come back together again. Satan has an ingenious way of tempting us when we least expect it. I’m not, understand, commanding these periods of abstinence—only providing my best counsel if you should choose them."(The Message, 1 Cor 7:1-6)
Please note an important caveat that Paul inserts into this particular section of the Scriptures concerning marriage that is missing from virtually all the other Scriptures he penned: He qualifies this section as his own recommendation and advice to married couples (male husbands and female wives), NOT a command from either him or God. Basically, he felt that marriage and all its responsibilities, passions and problems could be a huge distraction (boy, is that an understatement!) from focussing on developing our relationship with Almighty God and learning and accomplishing the individual purpose for which He created each one of us, as it relates to spreading the good news of the Gospel. As for her suggestion that homosexuals ought to be allowed to get married because they burn with passion too, I guess the same could be said for those with other sexual proclivities, such as pedophiles and those involved in polygamy, incest and bestiality!
Interestingly enough, though most of Paul's thoughts in this chapter are, by his own admission, his advice, he specifically states in verses 10-11 that it is God' s command, not his, that a wife must not leave her husband, and a husband must not divorce his wife: "To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife."(1 Cor 7:10-11) So much for that command, huh!
Then there is matter of the author's complete misunderstanding and erroneous interpretation of Romans Chapter 1 and it's integrally related chapters, 2 and 3. (I find it laughable that she chastises anyone for singling out Rom 1:18 without having read the whole chapter for context [which she highly recommends], then she herself presents Rom 2:1 without placing it in the context of the entire rest of Chapter 2!) Any basic study of the Book of Romans using any combination of the top ten most popular versions of the Bible (by sales, of which The Message is not one) will reveal that Romans 1:18 thru 3:20 develops the theme of righteousness from God through faith, as opposed to Man's attempt to achieve righteousness through his own behaviors and actions. Basically, the section reveals what happens when people try to live by their own righteousness instead accepting the righteousness God has provided through His Son, Jesus Christ. In fact, Romans 1:17 says this: "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" Paul sets the stage by showing that all have sinned and therefore need the righteousness that only God can provide. He expounds upon the sin of the Gentiles in verses 1:18-32, the sin of the Jews in verses 2:1-3:8, and then summarizes the sin of all - Jew and Gentile alike - in verses 3:9-20. Paul points out that the Gentile sin of pursuing his own righteousness is all about rebellion against God (much like it is today, including this subject) while the Jewish sin is more about being prideful and judgmental, especially against Gentiles, while they do many of the same things they accuse the Gentiles of doing; he then advises them both that righteousness comes only from God, and only through faith in Him and the saving works of Jesus Christ.
What God is telling us through the writings of Paul in the second half of the very first chapter of the very first Epistle in the New Testament is not rocket science or some mystical, deep revelation that's hard to understand! He's saying that if you are engaged in any of the shameful activities described in verses 24-32 in Romans Chapter One, which includes women exchanging natural sexual acts with unnatural acts and men abandoning natural sexual relations with women to commit "shameful acts with other men" (which is the definition of the word "homosexuality"), then you have willfully abandoned God and His righteousness; you have exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and you have chosen to worship and serve created things rather than the Creator…Period!
1) "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."(NIV, 1 Cor 6:9-10)
"Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom".(The Message, 1 Cor 6:9-11)
Do you see how different these two passages are worded, although they both originated from the same Scripture reference? Do you see how not just words, but whole concepts are different between the two? Did you notice that the NIV version lists specific identities that disqualify people from inheriting the Kingdom of God (such as "men who have sex with men"), while The Message version generalizes and softens the behavioral identities, leaving out the homosexual behavior reference, and changing the section referring to the Kingdom of God. Yet, if we compared these two different interpretations to other major bible translations, like The King James Version, The New American Standard Bible, The Catholic Bible or even the Amplified Bible (Which I hope you will take time to do in your own studies), you will find that virtually all of the other translations line up pretty much with the NIV translation, while none even come close to resembling The Message translation.
2) Concerning what the Scriptures say about marriage and getting married, she writes this:
"On top of everything, there’s the small issue that for a large part of the New Testament, people are told they shouldn’t marry at all. Paul maintained in no less than eight scriptures that you should only marry if you cannot control your lust and are 'burning with passion.'" I challenge her to present the eight scriptures she is talking about, and to show us any indication that Paul ever meant his "advice", not "commands", about marriage to include men marrying men or women marrying women; even The Message translation doesn't give the slightest hint of support for homosexual marriage.
Yet, here is what the Scriptures say about marriage in virtually the only chapter (1 Cor 7) in the New Testament where the sacrament is discussed in length, not just by Paul, but by anyone else:
"Now I want to deal with the things you wrote me about. Some of you say, “It is good for a man not to have sex with a woman.” But since there is so much sexual sin, each man should have his own wife. And each woman should have her own husband. A husband should satisfy his wife’s sexual needs. And a wife should satisfy her husband’s sexual needs. The wife’s body does not belong only to her. It also belongs to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong only to him. It also belongs to his wife. You shouldn’t stop giving yourselves to each other except when you both agree to do so. And that should be only to give yourselves time to pray for a while. Then you should come together again. In that way, Satan will not tempt you when you can’t control yourselves. I say those things to you as my advice, not as a command. I wish all of you were like me. But you each have your own gift from God. One has this gift. Another has that."(NIV, 1 Cor 7:1-6)
"Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, Is it a good thing to have sexual relations? Certainly—but only within a certain context. It’s good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder. The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality—the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights. Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out. Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it’s for the purposes of prayer and fasting—but only for such times. Then come back together again. Satan has an ingenious way of tempting us when we least expect it. I’m not, understand, commanding these periods of abstinence—only providing my best counsel if you should choose them."(The Message, 1 Cor 7:1-6)
Please note an important caveat that Paul inserts into this particular section of the Scriptures concerning marriage that is missing from virtually all the other Scriptures he penned: He qualifies this section as his own recommendation and advice to married couples (male husbands and female wives), NOT a command from either him or God. Basically, he felt that marriage and all its responsibilities, passions and problems could be a huge distraction (boy, is that an understatement!) from focussing on developing our relationship with Almighty God and learning and accomplishing the individual purpose for which He created each one of us, as it relates to spreading the good news of the Gospel. As for her suggestion that homosexuals ought to be allowed to get married because they burn with passion too, I guess the same could be said for those with other sexual proclivities, such as pedophiles and those involved in polygamy, incest and bestiality!
Interestingly enough, though most of Paul's thoughts in this chapter are, by his own admission, his advice, he specifically states in verses 10-11 that it is God' s command, not his, that a wife must not leave her husband, and a husband must not divorce his wife: "To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife."(1 Cor 7:10-11) So much for that command, huh!
Then there is matter of the author's complete misunderstanding and erroneous interpretation of Romans Chapter 1 and it's integrally related chapters, 2 and 3. (I find it laughable that she chastises anyone for singling out Rom 1:18 without having read the whole chapter for context [which she highly recommends], then she herself presents Rom 2:1 without placing it in the context of the entire rest of Chapter 2!) Any basic study of the Book of Romans using any combination of the top ten most popular versions of the Bible (by sales, of which The Message is not one) will reveal that Romans 1:18 thru 3:20 develops the theme of righteousness from God through faith, as opposed to Man's attempt to achieve righteousness through his own behaviors and actions. Basically, the section reveals what happens when people try to live by their own righteousness instead accepting the righteousness God has provided through His Son, Jesus Christ. In fact, Romans 1:17 says this: "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" Paul sets the stage by showing that all have sinned and therefore need the righteousness that only God can provide. He expounds upon the sin of the Gentiles in verses 1:18-32, the sin of the Jews in verses 2:1-3:8, and then summarizes the sin of all - Jew and Gentile alike - in verses 3:9-20. Paul points out that the Gentile sin of pursuing his own righteousness is all about rebellion against God (much like it is today, including this subject) while the Jewish sin is more about being prideful and judgmental, especially against Gentiles, while they do many of the same things they accuse the Gentiles of doing; he then advises them both that righteousness comes only from God, and only through faith in Him and the saving works of Jesus Christ.
What God is telling us through the writings of Paul in the second half of the very first chapter of the very first Epistle in the New Testament is not rocket science or some mystical, deep revelation that's hard to understand! He's saying that if you are engaged in any of the shameful activities described in verses 24-32 in Romans Chapter One, which includes women exchanging natural sexual acts with unnatural acts and men abandoning natural sexual relations with women to commit "shameful acts with other men" (which is the definition of the word "homosexuality"), then you have willfully abandoned God and His righteousness; you have exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and you have chosen to worship and serve created things rather than the Creator…Period!
