President Abraham Lincoln loved to employ this brain-teaser to make a point to constituents. He would ask, “How many legs would a sheep have if you called his tail a leg?”
Naturally, they would meekly respond, “Five.” “Wrong! You are mistaken. The sheep would STILL have just four legs. Calling a TAIL a LEG doesn’t make it so!” *
In the same way, calling a law “unnecessary and unfair” doesn’t make it so!
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama ordered his administration to stop defending the constitutionality of a federal law (the Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA) that bans recognition of gay marriage. White House spokesman, Jay Carney, stated that President Obama is still “grappling” with his personal views on whether gays should be allowed to marry but has long opposed the federal law as unnecessary and unfair.
There is a warning in Scripture that must be heeded:
“Woe to those who call EVIL good, and good evil;
Who put DARKNESS for light, and light for darkness;
Who put BITTER for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
– Isaiah 5:20
Instead of repealing the law, an APPEAL must be made to the RIGHT STANDARD: THE WORD OF GOD. The Word of God describes homosexuality as something that is “against nature” and “shameful” (Romans 1:26-27). It is sinful! Those who practice such things will NOT inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10).
There were people in Corinth in the first century A.D. that at one time engaged in this immoral behavior BUT… they were “washed,” they were “sanctified,” and they were “justified” in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:11). How so? Because they turned from their sin in repentance (see Acts 17:30-31), placed their trust in Christ and His redeeming blood (see Acts 16:30-31), and were baptized (immersed) into Christ and their sins were washed away (see Acts 2:38; 22:16).
We must call sin what it is: SIN! Why? Because we want to “bash” those who engage in it? NO! Because SIN – ALL SIN – CONDEMNS AND DESTROYS (see Matthew 7:13-14; Romans 6:23).
But Christ came to save sinners (and that includes ALL of us, Romans 3:23), and He WILL save us –IF– we will place our faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins (repent, 2 Corinthians 7:9-10), confess our faith in Him (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) in His name (Acts 2:38).
May each of us ACCEPT the proper Standard (the Word of God) in determining what’s RIGHT and what’s WRONG, ADJUST our lives accordingly, and SUBMIT our lives to Christ for Salvation!
Won’t you?
—David A. Sargent, Minister
Creekwood church of Christ
