“Cherry Picking” the Bible means to pick the verses you like and discard the ones you either don’t like or which run counterculture to what our culture is endorsing at the time.
But here is the reason it is such a dangerous practice. If I am picking and choosing the parts of the Bible that please me, how can it be the standard that will judge me one day? Jesus warned that He doesn’t judge anyone, but that His words will judge us. (John 12:48) He says that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never pass away. (Mark 13:31)
Therefore, the word of God is eternal and binding. Jesus totally endorsed the Old Testament. He was willing to live by and even die by the veracity of the Old Testament. The same Spirit that inspired and empowered Jesus to do miracles guided the New Testament writers also.
The gospels and epistles were endorsed by the early church fathers. Many of them gave their lives for their surety of the truth they contain. Believers in every age have attested to their absolute integrity and faithfulness. These believers will agree with Jesus that His words hold up and keep their houses intact (“built on the rock”) when others around them are crashing on “sand.” (Matthew 7)
I was recently saddened by a believer who said she would choose the stance of a liberal denomination over that of a conservative one because of the issues of “women” and the “gay lifestyle.” If forced to choose, she would not attend a conservative church because of its view of the role of women. The conservative view teaches women are not qualified for some offices while the liberal view states they are eligible for all offices in the church and also condones the gay lifestyle, stating that it came with birth. But if people are born with a certain orientation, how can they be accountable on the Great Day (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)?
From certain scriptures in the New Testament, it is clear that women cannot be elders because elders must be the husband of one wife, disqualifying women. (I Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:6)
Whether we like the New Testament requirements for elders or not, we cannot be “cherry pickers” of God’s word. Whether we like verses condemning homosexuality or not, we cannot be “cherry pickers” of God’s word. We must accept it as the standard that will judge us one day.