Week 3: The Sanctity of Marriage

A couple of weeks ago our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson shared a special message with us as church members in a broadcast. My husband and I listened to his address together later that evening when we returned home from work. Being so close to General Conference, we knew his words had to be important if he was making such an effort to share them now. President Nelson shared a message of God’s love and the unchanging truth of His gospel. The words shared were riveting and soul calming, they were truly inspired by our Heavenly Father.
As we can see from our reading this week, the world focuses on the now more than on an eternal perspective. Many of God’s children are unaware of His love for them and what that can mean for their personal salvation. As the world gets further away from God’s plan, we can rely on the truths of this gospel to keep us on the right path. The truths of the gospel are unchanging, including those in relation to same sex relations. I would like to share the five truths addressed in President Russell M. Nelson’s devotional talk and how they apply to the sanctity of marriage.
  1. “You are sons and daughters of God.”
Believing this truth and living up to our divine potential will give us the strength to have faith in things we may not fully understand. The knowledge that we are sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father gives us direction and a clear example of purpose; He is who we are aspiring to become. Keeping this in mind in aspects of my own marriage will help my husband and I clearly and confidently pursue the path of righteousness.
  1. “Truth is truth.”
We read arguments in the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) in regards to same sex marriage stating that as we have seen laws change and progress in the past, such as women’s rights, we too should make these progressive changes to legalize homosexual marriage. In the view of the gospel, God’s laws do not change. His truth is Truth. While our church leaders can clarify policies and truths of the gospel, they are based on the never changing foundation given to us from the Lord. His definition of marriage as we see in The Family: A Proclamation to the World, is union between a man and a woman. This union is the only place that sexual intimacy of any kind is allowed. Sexual intimacy and marriage were brought about for the purpose of procreation and eternal families. I didn't quite have a full grasp on this concept until I was married for myself. Now, there is nothing more special that the bond my husband and I share and the family we get to create and raise together.
  1. “God loves every one of us with perfect love.”
Although we do not support same sex marriage in our church, this is no excuse for being unkind to any of God’s children. We should show love to all people, no matter their own beliefs because we know that God loves each one of us despite our flaws and sins. He wants us to love our neighbor; there are no if, and’s, or but’s about it. We can’t support same sex marriage but God loves those who do, as should we. Because God loves us he has given us the true and everlasting covenant of marriage in the temple. Because of his love, we can be sealed to our families for eternity and live again. 
  1. “The Lord Jesus Christ, whose Church this is, appoints prophets and Apostles to communicate His love and teach His laws.”
While what our prophets reveal and preach to us is often disliked, they are called by the Lord himself to share these messages. In President Nelson’s talk he says, “Sometimes we as leaders of the Church are criticized for holding firm to the laws of God, defending the Savior’s doctrine, and resisting the social pressures of our day. But our commission as ordained Apostles is “to go into all the world to preach [His] gospel unto every creature.” That means we are commanded to teach truth.
In doing so, sometimes we are accused of being uncaring as we teach the Father’s requirements for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. But wouldn’t it be far more uncaring for us not to tell the truth—not to teach what God has revealed?
It is precisely because we do care deeply about all of God’s children that we proclaim His truth. We may not always tell people what they want to hear. Prophets are rarely popular. But we will always teach the truth!”
I love President Nelson. This piece of his talk gave me a reconfirmation that he is truly called of the Lord, our Savior. Whether we are liked for our stance on marriage or not, it doesn’t change the facts that our Prophet and his Apostles, who are called of God, have revealed again and again to us that the sanctity of marriage should only be between a man and a woman.
  1. “You may know for yourself what is true and what is not.”
Personal revelation is meant for all to experience. We can pray to find answers to otherwise unanswerable questions and be confident that we will receive the right answer. We must set our opinions and bias aside to seek the everlasting and unchanging truth of the gospel and of the sanctity of marriage. 

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