Recently, Amy Grant, Christian songwriter, and her country music star husband, Vince Gill, announced they would be hosting Amy’s niece’s wedding on their family farm. Amy said it was her family’s “first bride and bride” nuptials.
Amy continued, “Honestly, from a faith perspective, I do always say, ‘Jesus, you just narrowed it down to two things: love God and love each other.” Faith perspective in what?
There has been some criticism from the Christian community as you might expect about Grant and Gill hosting a same-sex marriage. Franklin Graham commented that “God defines what is sin [in the Bible], not us; and His Word is clear that homosexuality is sin.”
Of course, Franklin is right. The question then would be, Why do people who claim to be Christians have a skewed perspective of love as taught in the Bible? The answer is either they do not believe God’s Word or misunderstand and subsequently misapply them.
But it is difficult to believe one misunderstands what the Scriptures teach about homosexuality because God’s Word is clear on sexual sin with no ambiguities. I do not believe they understand the biblical context of God’s love or God’s holiness.
Most people will say that God is love, and that is true, but God’s love cannot be based on what one imagines God’s love to be apart from its Scriptural context. I have said if you could use only one word to describe God that word would be holy.
The first time the word ‘holy’ is used in Scripture is when Moses turns aside to investigate the burning bush that is not consumed. When he gets to the bush, God speaking from the bush tells Moses, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground,” Exodus 3:5.
When Isaiah saw the Lord “lofty and exalted” the seraphim cried “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory,” Isaiah 6:3.
God did not enjoin Israel to be “loving as I am loving,” He commanded them “you shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy,” Leviticus 19:2. God is not holy because He is loving; He is loving because He is holy. God’s love flows from His holiness.
In our culture today there are many who try to understand God from the perspective that He is loving, and He is. But our culture has misinterpreted and misapplied what biblical love is. God’s love, biblical love, is first of all holy, and that is not the perspective of many in our culture today.
I find it sad that those who name the name of Christ have forsaken the authority of the Scriptures which Christ did not. Paul framed it well when he wrote, “although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them,” Romans 1:32.
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