American Council of Christian Churches
73rd Annual Convention, October 21-23, 2014
Bible Presbyterian Church, Apollo, Pennsylvania
“Resolution Concerning Marriage and Sexual Morality”
The American Council of Christian Churches stands for the historic Christian faith as revealed in the Christian Scriptures. Our beliefs concerning marriage and sexual morality are not informed by changing social mores but are grounded in the Word of our holy, eternal, unchanging God.
God established marriage as a lifelong, monogamous covenant relationship between a man and a woman. Marriage of a man and a woman was instituted by God at creation before sin entered the world (Gen 2:24), was codified as monogamous in God’s Law to Israel (Exod 20:14; Lev 20:10; Deut 5:18), recognized as a covenant relationship by the prophets (Mal 2:14), reiterated and demanded by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 19:4-6), and taught by the apostles of the church (1 Cor 7:2; 1 Pet 3:1, 7).
Morality involves beliefs of what is right and wrong, and is rooted in and expressive of the unchanging, perfect character of God (Matt 5:48). Regarding sexual morality God’s will is complete abstention from all immorality, controlling one’s desires rather than being controlled by such, remembering His sure judgment and call to holiness (1 Thess 4:1-8).
Specifically, God condemns sexual activity and relations outside of marriage as sinful (Heb 13:4), including adultery (Exod 20:14), sexual promiscuity (Rom 13:13), immorality (1 Thess 4:3), homosexuality (Lev 18:22; Rom 1:26-27; 1 Tim 1:10), transgenderism (Gen 1:27; Deut 22:5; Mark 10:6), incest (Lev 20:11-21; 1 Cor 5:1), pornography (Matt 5:28), and prostitution (Prov 5:1-23; 1 Cor 6:15-20). The Bible unequivocally states that no person committed to a life of immorality has eternal life (1 Cor 6:9; Eph 5:5; Rev 21:8; 22:15).
Through repentant faith in the Lord Jesus Christ those who are sexually immoral can have their sin washed away, be declared justified before God, and sanctified by the Spirit (1 Cor 6:9-11). Christians must put to death the sinful feelings, passions, and actions that characterized their lives as unbelievers (Col 3:5). Christians are not to engage in sexual immorality but must flee it (1 Cor 6:18) and must be blameless with regard to such (Eph 5:3). Within the marriage bond Christian husbands and wives joyfully demonstrate their love for and submission to Christ (Eph 5:22-33) and enjoy each other as God’s gift to one another (Prov 5:15-23).
Therefore, the American Council of Christian Churches, at its annual convention, October 21-23, 2014, at the Bible Presbyterian Church of Apollo, PA, affirms its belief in and unswerving allegiance to these unchanging biblical truths regarding marriage and sexual morality.
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