After receiving full Congressional approval earlier this month and President Biden’s enthusiastic signature, the so-called Respect For Marriage Act, has officially rejected God’s definition of marriage.

Despite claims by Biden that the Respect For Marriage Act brings the United States “one step closer on our journey to build a more perfect union,” trusted ministry leaders and religious freedom advocates are warning of the legislation’s legal and Biblical ramifications.

“This shows that our nation is veering off a cliff toward godless immorality,” Jenna Ellis, a vocal Christian and Constitutional Law Attorney, said earlier this month. “The thing that is the most shocking out of this is not that the leftists—who have never cared or had any respect for marriage, for God, for America, for the US Constitution—would have passed this type of such a disrespectful, unconstitutional act, but that 39 Republicans also joined in the house and 12 Republicans in the Senate.”

The “silver lining,” Ellis underscored, is that the (Dis)Respect For Marriage Act is plainly unconstitutional, and therefore, it opens itself up to being challenged by Religious Freedom legal centers such as Alliance Defending Freedom and others.

“If you have read the Constitution at all, and I encourage you to, it’s a very, very short document; there is no power given to the US Federal Government at any level, the Congress, the executive, or the judiciary to determine domestic relations issues, including the redefinition of marriage against the will of the states,” she insisted. “It is a state issue in terms of regulating marriage.”

“In terms of the Constitution, that is very clear, that’s very settled,” Ellis stated, stressing that the real issue is: “What do we do as Christians who are faced with an increasingly immoral society?”

A Culture-Destroying, Systematic Attack

Jack Hibbs, the Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, boldly addressed the Biblical consequences of the legislation when it was passed by the House of Representatives.

“[Study] anthropology, sociology, and the history of cultures throughout the ages of man, and you will see many correlations that lead to their destruction,” Hibbs wrote on Facebook. “There is one issue that is always the last manifestation before a culture or a nation is destroyed, or conquered, or judged by God, and that is aberrant sexuality and the worship of sex and the removal of the ancient foundations that God has established.”

“There is no greater institution than that of marriage as invented by God in Genesis chapter 1:26-28,” the pastor explained on the social media platform earlier this month. “This godless and aimless government that we are currently under – voted today to insult and to offend Almighty God. This flagrant and destructive decision seals the coming judgment of God upon America for her godlessness and her evil doing. Galatians 6:7 says, ‘be sure of this God shall not be mocked.’“

In an interview with Ellis on The Jenna Ellis Show, Pastor Hibbs elaborated on why he believes this decision by Congress to be so destructive.

“What we’re looking at is a radical overreach. This is a driven by emotion, pure cultural issue. It fails in science, it fails in history, and of course, it fails Biblically,” he said on the podcast. “It will destroy [our] culture.”

“What we’re seeing now is a systematic attack—this is no doubt satanic stuff, doctrines of demons in this devilish age that we’re in—to undermine everything that is Biblically true,” Hibbs argued. “If it’s marriage, if it’s the life of an unborn child, if it’s the nuclear home—whatever is Biblically given by God and foundational for the nation—it is under attack.”

At What Point Will The Pastors Stand?

Turning his attention toward the church, Hibbs spoke to the pastors, questioning the decision of many to yield to the claim that marriage is a secular, political issue (rather than a pre-political, God-designed institution).

“If pastors [won’t] stand for Genesis one, the very first chapter of the Bible… when will a pastor stand?” Hibbs asked. “Biblically, if people would read the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, it’s crystal clear that God says male, female, husband and wife, and from that blessing, children are produced. So God does say it. In fact, Jesus even reinforces it.”

“I cannot find one place in scripture where a pastor can biblically say we can’t get involved. I see the exact opposite,” he explained.

“We must not let the state invade a religious institution created by God because of fear. We can’t do that. We’ve got to stay true to God rather than man,” he urged. “Pastors need to get a backbone and decide to believe and to teach and to preach the Word of God.”

“The voice that people need to hear is the Bible. When pastors take a stand, congregations like ours at home, get energized, and they get involved in the culture,” the Calvary Chapel Chino Hills pastor described.  

“This is the only hope. It’s not in the statehouse. It’s not in the White House. Believe it or not, the answer is in God’s house,” he continued. “We need pastors to realize this is the last ditch effort.”

“My plea is to the Christian and to the pastor today, mostly to the pastor. Will you throw off the yoke? Is it a board that’s intimidating you? Is it your pay? Trust God! Is it somebody that’s influencing you in such a way that you’re not obeying God?” Hibbs questioned. “I think we need to have a massive Spirit lead—It’s got to be God, it can’t be some conference—where men of God in the pulpit get on their face, seek out God, and get marching orders. That’s the only hope for America right now. That’s the only hope.”

We Need Boldness and Truth In This Hour

In 2 Timothy 3:12, the apostle Paul warns that prior to the return of Christ, “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

Pastor Hibbs highlighted that while persecution arises from speaking Biblical truth, when we stay silent, we are working against a society that is in desperate need of salvation and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

“If we’re really going to be believing the Bible, then we know persecution is coming. People are not going to pat us on the back for taking a stand for righteousness; they are going to hate us,” he reiterated. “Do we really want to follow Jesus? Be winsome, loving, but by all means, not only preach the gospel, preach the full counsel of God. If we do that, we are going to be hated and loved, just like Jesus was. That’s our goal, to be just like Jesus.”

“We’ve got the truth. Paul said that we hold this incredible treasure in earthen vessels, our lives. And this is the hour for us to not get combative or argumentative about things, but we are to give an answer to everyone right with respect and decency. For what reason? To win them to Jesus,” he implored. “It doesn’t help anybody to pat them on the back and say, it doesn’t matter what you do with your sexual life. It does matter! But if we lie to them… then we never bring them to the point that they need the love of God and the forgiveness that you and I have found in Jesus.”