A Response to Homosexuality

Homosexuality is a hot topic in our culture today. How should the church respond to it? Should we hit the streets picketing with anti-gay propaganda? Should we be passive and remain silent? David Platt, in his book Counter Culture, offers a response that may surprise you. Here is a quote from his book and see if you can identify his solution.

"Husbands realize what is at stake here: you and I are representing Christ to a watching world in the way we love our wives. If we are harsh with our wives, we will show the world that Christ is cruel with his people. If we ignore our wives, we will show the world that Christ wants nothing to do with his people. If we leave our wives, we will show the world that Christ deserts his people. What pictures are our marriages giving to our culture about Christ's relationship with his church?"

Now, all the women that are reading this are rejoicing at this point. Let's turn the table and see what role the Word of God says you are to play.

"Similarly, wives, revere Christ through respect for you husband. Hear God's wisdom in the final verse of Ephesians 5: "Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband" (Eph. 5:33). Notice how the husband is commanded to love his wife, yet the wife is commanded to respect her husband. Now obviously that doesn't mean that love and respect should not both be expressed by a husband and a wife, but God's Word is subtly yet clearly pointing out that God has created women with a unique need to be loved and men with a unique need to be respected.

Women often find it easier to love their husbands than to respect them. A woman can sit with other women and speak about her husband disrespectfully, but then quietly go home and care for his needs. Why? Because she loves him. But the more important question is, does she respect him? So also when a wife is trying to work on a troubled marriage, she may tell her husband that she loves him, which is what she would like to hear. But again, the more important question is, does she respect her husband, and does she tell him that she respect him?"

So, here is Platt's solution to respond against homosexuality--Husbands love your wives and wives respect your husbands. In following the Biblical commands set forth in Ephesians 5 we will give an accurate picture of Christ's relationship with the church. What do you think? Is this the best response that we can give?


Contributor / Eric Stewart
Eric Stewart is the Lead Pastor of ONElife Church in Flint, MI.