Today disciples of Jesus Christ and believers in the holy Word of God have before them both a unique challenge and a singular opportunity.

The time-tested standard of marriage between man and woman reflects the purpose of God Himself.

June 26, 2015, will go down in history as a day when even the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court questioned the Court’s scope of authority. On that day, five Supreme Court justices—a bare majority—issued an opinion that imposed the legality of same-sex marriage on all 50 states.

The ruling caused great controversy in altering the millennia-old biblical model of marriage. The secular ruling holds spiritual implications, as the Supreme Court appeared to attempt to define the state of marriage in the United States to include something fully opposite of what only God can define for His special creation of men and women (Genesis 1:26-27).

The Bible unequivocally teaches that there is but one spiritual standard for marriage acceptable before God. That is, of course, the life-long physical and spiritual union of a man and woman, as affirmed by Jesus Christ (Matthew 19:4-6). There is no other example of marriage. Indeed, there cannot be. The challenge for Christians is simply this: “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).

The further challenge is the recognition that the United States is shifting away from the standards of biblical teachings that once deeply influenced the nation. As the Encyclopedia of American Civil Liberties rightly points out, “American perceptions of civil liberties and human rights are rooted not only in the Enlightenment [an intellectual movement in the 1700s] but . . . [also] in the Bible.” There are many examples of this, including the American national motto, “In God We Trust.” Increasingly that is not the case.

The time-tested standard of marriage between man and woman reflects the purpose of God Himself. The Bible declares that a purpose of the Almighty is focused on “bringing many children to glory,” as is stated in Hebrews 2:10 (New Living Translation). Notice that we are here spoken of as God’s “children.” The apostle Paul made this even plainer during his speech in Athens. There he stated to the Athenians that “we are the offspring of God” (Acts 17:28). If we are the offspring of God—who is revealed in the Bible as our divine Father—then we Christians are part of an expanding spiritual family of God, with Jesus Christ revealed as our elder brother.

That understanding represents the unique opportunity before us. Jesus Christ, the Savior for all of humanity, declared that we are to be an example to the world. Marriage between man and woman represents part of that example. A marriage based on biblical principles naturally produces offspring (Genesis 1:27). Biblical marriage offers an opportunity for flawed human beings to learn more about God and His relationship with us. As illustrated in Ephesians 5:22-33, marriage was designed by God to have a profound purpose.  It illustrates the mystery of the relationship between Jesus and the Church (biblically referred to as His Bride).

While America may have changed its secular laws, the disciples of Jesus Christ hold a dual citizenship that yields to a higher calling: “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20), which also transcends our earthly citizenship. The Bible is clear that in this age, many will not hold to the same understanding that Christians are blessed to hold in America or elsewhere.

Therefore in the days to come we embrace the instruction of the apostle Peter, who tells us to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone...but do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15, New International Version). The Bible also tells us to “Cry aloud, spare not...tell My people their transgression” (Isaiah 58:1). The United Church of God continues to proclaim God’s truth through our many media efforts, through our ministers, and, yes, through the example of our members and those who fellowship with us.

What of this world? Jesus Christ summed it up: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mark 2:17). God loves this world despite its shortcomings (John 3:16) and amazingly, He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). That includes those who through lack of spiritual understanding miss the biblical mark.

As Christians let us seize this opportunity before us to demonstrate the love of God in our lives. Let us yield to God and humbly follow the biblical example of marriage between man and woman alone.

For more information about the God-ordained institution of marriage and what it means to you, please read our study guide Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension.