“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (rf. Jn. 13:34 NAS)
“Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean…” (rf. II Cor. 6:17 NAS)
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”(rf. I Jn. 2:15-17 MEV)
We live in a time when binary choices, that is, choices limited to only two options, are frowned upon, if not, outrightly ridiculed or condemned. Our culture and society relish in the belief that, as human beings, we have a plethora of alternatives before us. Indeed, “choice” itself has become the reigning god of the 21st century. According to the prevailing culture, we should be able to exercise our preferences without any limitations. This pertains especially to the number of sexual partners we have, the ability to deal with unwanted pregnancy as we will, being able to select our own sexuality from a seemingly infinite number of options. It is our society’s belief that our evolution has provided us freedom from any and all limitations. Indeed, a binary perspective is viewed as a relic of the past that is no longer desired and from which we have been freed.
The Bible, in contrast, provides clear boundaries and limitations for human beings in general. God created us as male or female (rf. Gen. 1:27; Matt. 19:4). We had and have no choice in the matter. Our own personal DNA reflects His decision and purpose for us as referencing our gender. Our feelings on the matter are completely and totally irrelevant to the truth of who He has created us to be. Secondly, we are either married or single. Our sexuality can only be fully expressed within a marital relationship with a spouse of the opposite gender. All other relationships and expressions of sex outside of marriage are considered wrong by God. Indeed, the Scriptures in Ecclesiastes 3 outline a number of different binary alternatives God has set before us as norms in life (e.g. life/death; war/peace; love/hate; etc.).
The time has come for Christians to realize our own uniqueness and difference from the culture. We are called by God Himself to “be separate” from the surrounding world, not to seek to be relevant to it. Our difference from the world presents the strongest witness to God’s reality in our lives and the transforming power of the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are to “love one another”, while not appropriating the beliefs of our society. The effectiveness of our witness will be based on our ability to be dissimilar. This, too, is a binary choice for us to make, whether to obey or disobey God’s directive. The greater the difference between ourselves and our culture, the more He can use us to make an impact for Him and His message of salvation to the world.
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