Dutch Sheets Has 5 Words About the Supreme Court’s Gay Marriage Ruling

4) Sadly, America will experience further judgment.

There are two types of judgment in Scripture. There are direct actions by God, such as the plagues visited on Egypt because of their slavery and mistreatment of Israel. And there are also the built-in results of sin. Most “judgments” are simply the inevitable and automatic results of disobeying God’s word and principles, not God’s direct action. Sin has inherent wages (Rom. 6:23). To believe we can escape those ramifications is as foolish as believing we can defy natural laws. Without oxygen, we will die; wishing otherwise will not change this. Likewise, breaking God’s laws will bring painful consequences to us.

Disobedience to God also moves us out from under His protection, which is another form of judgment. Jonah 2:8 says those who worship idols forfeit the grace or mercy that could be theirs. In most cases, judgment is simply losing the blessing, favor and protection of God. America has repeatedly rejected God—His authority, presence and ways—for a generation now, thereby forfeiting the grace and mercy that could be ours. We wonder why our economy fails, crime increases, and horrific and violent acts have occurred. The answer is not that a vindictive God is throwing a temper tantrum, but that we have removed ourselves from His protection and blessing.

With this arrogant and rebellious ruling, America has challenged God’s authority and justice once again. We have defiled the first covenant He established on earth, second in importance only to the covenant He gave us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, this is the covenant relationship He uses to picture our union with Christ! The pride and rebellion demonstrated by trampling under foot this millennia-old, God-established covenant will cause us immeasurable harm. Though of a slightly different nature, this sin ranks up with abortion and slavery. I tremble at the cost of this. I do not know in what form the reaping will come—terrorism, disease, natural disasters, poverty, loss of destiny—but I am very confident the price will be greater than any we as a nation have paid in decades.

One form of reaping will certainly be persecution against Christians. You do not have to take my word for this, just read the Dissents of the other four Justices. Not only are they scathing in their exposing of the ruling’s unconstitutionality, they clearly warn of the persecution and loss of religious liberty the ruling will generate. Justice Thomas said, “It appears all but inevitable that the two [this ruling and religious liberty] will come into conflict, particularly as individuals and churches are confronted with demands to participate in and endorse civil marriages between same-sex couples. The majority appears unmoved by that inevitability.”

The floodgates are open. And yet …