Since Focus on the Family’s founding nearly fifty years ago, ministry representatives have worked tirelessly to help listeners, readers and viewers discern the times.
This motivation is rooted in the Scriptures, where Christians are called to put feet to their faith. It was Jesus Himself who warned the Pharisees and Sadducees, “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3). In a world that regularly emphasizes and prioritizes the wrong things, many are lured into seeing events and situations from man’s viewpoint instead of God’s perspective.
That’s just one reason why the Daily Citizen has adopted the slogan, “Think critically, live differently.” One of our goals is to help readers be discerning regarding the news and the various competing ideologies. It’s especially critical that Christians appreciate the distinction between good and evil but also recognize that what’s legal isn’t necessarily what’s biblical.
Bible-believing Christians know that just because something is lawful, doesn’t mean it’s moral. Yet they also need to know that just because something is immoral doesn’t mean we can simply ignore it. That’s reckless passivity. Scripture is clear that while we’re subject to government authority (Matthew 22:21), government is also subject to God’s jurisdiction. As Christians, when we recognize an evil, we’re expected to identify it and wherever possible, do something about it (Ephesians 5:11).
Here are eight policies today that are legal – but not biblical:
1. Abortion: Despite the reversal of Roe in 2022, abortion remains legal to some degree in 37 states. The Bible is clear that all life is sacred and worthy of protection (Psalm 139:13-16).
2. No-fault Divorce: All 50 states allow married couples to seek a divorce for any reason or no reason at all. Contrast that with how the Bible characterizes marriage as a lifelong commitment and only justifies divorce for infidelity and abandonment (Matthew 19:9, 1 Cor. 7:15).
3. Same-Sex “Marriage”: Although ruled constitutional in all 50 states following the Supreme Court’s Obergefell ruling in 2015, the Bible defines marriage as an exclusive union between one man and one woman.
4. Surrogacy: A hotly debated subject, even among some Christians, Focus on the Family believes Scripture commands that procreation should occur exclusively between a husband and wife (Genesis 1:28).
5. Gambling: Once relegated mostly to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, the explosion of online sports gambling has ignited a devastating epidemic that’s ensnaring millions of Americans, especially young men. Scripture warns against the “love of money” (1 Tim. 6:10) and the draw to gain something for nothing via get-rich-quick schemes (Proverbs 13:11).
6. Prostitution: While illegal nearly everywhere in the U.S., Nevada has licensed brothels and the state of Maine has decriminalized the selling of sex between adults. Scripture repeatedly forbids prostitution, and the Apostle Paul warns believers, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!” (1 Cor. 6:15).
7. Assisted Suicide/Medical Aid in Dying: Tragically, 14 states allow some form of it. Christians understand that life is sacred and God alone is sovereign over decisions of life and death. Wrote the Psalmist, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (139:16).
8. Recreational Drug Use: Seen as a financial boon for tax revenue, 24 states along with the District of Columbia allow adults to possess marijuana/cannabis for non-medical purposes. While Scripture is silent on the use of pot, God’s teaching is clear that we’re to remain “alert and sober-minded” (1 Peter 5:8). We can also consult with what He has to say about not getting drunk with wine (Ephesians 5:18).
When the discerning Christian is battling any number of modern-day vices that might tempt or lure them, they would be well served to look to God’s Word and not the world’s sinful and tortured ways.
Christians are called to simultaneously live lawfully and biblically – and those who do both stand to thrive best of all.
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