“To bring all peoples to the kingdom of the Living God regardless of race, status, belief and religious affiliation through the saving, healing, delivering and transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ” – the JILCW mission statement, emphasis added
With a firm belief that all are created in the very image of God and, also, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, the JILCW staunchly believes that equality should never be a privilege of the few, but the right of all.
Hence, any attempt at disrobing anyone—that is, irrespective of age, gender/sexual orientation, nationality/ethnicity, social class, educational attainment, physical ability and religion—of his/her basic rights is an assault against his/her personhood and must, therefore, be objectionable by law and human ethics.
It is for this cause that we, the JILCW, have, for the past thirty-nine years, so cried: NO to the belittlement of the differently-abled, NO to the exploitation of the youth, and NO to the corruption of the money-hungry. That is, we cry NO to all kinds of abuse and discrimination.
Therefore, in light of the recent stir on the rights of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) group, we say NO to any act that will stifle their right to live with freedom and dignity. This includes, but is not limited to, their right to education, right of suffrage, right to freedom of speech and expression, right to fair trial, right to privacy, and right to social security.
In short, we say YES to the promotion of LGBT rights—BUT only insofar as the moral laws and standards of GOD, who is the Supreme Judge, are NOT violated. This brings us to the case in point: In view of God’s precepts, should same-sex marriage be rendered acceptable?
We now turn to His Word—
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…’” (Genesis 1:27-28)
“‘Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?’” (Matthew 19:4-5)
From these verses, we can gather that, although across time and space marriage has taken on various forms (polygamous vs. monogamous) and definitions (economic security vs. romantic commitment) one kernel of truth remains—that marriage is a God-ordained sacrament between opposite sexes for the purpose of union and procreation. Let us elucidate this definition further:
- It is a God-ordained sacrament. While marriage is a legal matter, it is, first and foremost, a divine mandate: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…’” Hence, marriage must primarily be rooted in God’s decrees, not in any constitution or any human construct. What, then, are God’s decrees about marriage? We move on to the next two points…
- It is between a man and a woman. God’s design for the human body is that males are biologically and physiologically sexually compatible with females—and vice versa (“male and female he created them”). Any other coition will be against the divine and natural order of things—hence, God’s firm command: “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” (Leviticus 18:22)
- It is unitive AND procreative. If marriage were but a pledge of commitment to someone, then it would have been no different from friendship. But marriage is more than that. It is the union of two people: “and the two will become one flesh.” The marital mandate, however, does not stop there: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…” Hence, couples are also expected to fulfill their civic duty of child-bearing/child-rearing—although marriage is not prohibited to couples who are incapable of child-bearing (as in infertility or old age).
With these, any and all changing formulations on the concept of marriage must NOT deviate from the above definition. Juxtapose same-sex marriage with it and we can gather, plain and simple, that same-sex marriage is a clear distortion of the God-ordained concept of marriage.
Having thus considered these, we can gather that since same-sex marriage (or even same-sex coitus) is NOT right before God, marriage can NOT be accorded as a right among same-sex couples.
Hence, we make it plain and clear that while the JILCW respects the LGBT group, we can only do as much as stand with them in fighting for their basic rights, but NEVER stand for same-sex marriage—or any other act that would infringe the highest law of all: the law of God.
This, we believe, should be the stance of the Church. For we are not only the extension of God’s hands to the poor and marginalized; we are also His salt and light to this tumultuous world (Matthew 5:13-16).
So let not the dim issues of life extinguish our flames. Instead, let us allow our little lights to so shine—that all humankind would see THE Light of the World, the be-all and end-all of life, JESUS CHRIST.
We end by saying—
We stand with the LGBTs in their fight for freedom and equality—that is, in all areas except those where our faith and ultimate commitment to God are to be compromised…
We stand with the sanctity of marriage, the dignity of the family, and the blessedness of life…
Because, ultimately, we stand with the supreme GOD and His infallible Word—in whose cause we live and die for.
With a prayerful heart for the LGBT group and their search for meaning and fulfillment,
THE JESUS IS LORD CHURCH WORLDWIDE