“A person shall leave their parent and their parent and hold fast to their partner, and they shall become one flesh.” You might be wondering what on earth that supposed “translation” of Genesis 2:24 is for! Well, that’s how I imagine a minister in the UK’s Methodist Church must have to read that passage now (if they read it at all!) because the church has issued a guideline encouraging ministers to avoid “hurtful language” like “husband” and “wife” and other gendered terms.
Now, of course, Scripture, from the very beginning, is filled with “gendered” language. In the creation account, we’re told that God created male and female, and then the use of language throughout Scripture mirrors and fleshes out the biblical truth that there are men and women, boys and girls—and that’s a wonderful thing! It’s part of God’s “very good” (Genesis 1:31) design.
Will some people be offended by the biblical truth that God created male and female and designed marriage for one man and one woman for life? Yes, some will be—but the truth is offensive to sinners!
Jesus was called the “friend of sinners,” yet he never watered down his message or excused or explained away sin in order to be less offensive. He loved people (loved them enough to die on the cross for their sin!) and boldly and consistently called them to repent. We, as his people, are to do the same thing. And we are warned not to add to God’s Word!
The way to bring people to Christ is not to water down biblical truth or adopt a supposedly “Christianized” version of the thinking of our day.
The answer to reaching people today is the same as it’s always been—boldly, uncompromisingly, with authority, and lovingly proclaiming God’s truth (the whole counsel of God) to all who will listen, while trusting that God will produce the growth in the hearts of men and women.
