Same Sex Marriage
CROSSROADS BIBLE CHURCH
15815 SE 37th St
Bellevue, WA 98006
Table of Contents
A Biblical Response to Same-Sex Marriage and Homosexuality.............................................1
Biblical Clarity.....................................................................................................................................2
Jesus’ Teaching ...............................................................................................................................2
Old Testament Teaching ..................................................................................................................3
New Testament Teaching ................................................................................................................4
Conclusion .........................................................................................................................................6
Compassionate Response....................................................................................................................6
Resources .............................................................................................................7
Recently there has been a lot of discussion about homosexuality as an alternative sexual choice, and
homosexual marriage has become legalized in the State of Washington. We believe that the leadership
of Crossroads Bible Church should respond to this trend in our culture. What is the biblical, evangelical
position on homosexuality and gay marriage? What does Crossroads believe and teach? And what is our
view of and response to those who are part of the homosexual lifestyle?
The purpose of this paper is to provide that response - to give a biblical perspective of the issue, and to
offer hope and compassion to those who are struggling and to families who have been impacted by the
fallout from this debate.
We understand the sensitivity of this topic and aim to address these concerns with the compassion of
Jesus. We have studied and wrestled with the biblical passages on the issue and have been careful to
handle these passages responsibly. We intend to be faithful to the teaching of scripture, even when that
teaching is difficult.
First, here are the fundamentals upon which we base our doctrine and practice at Crossroads Bible
Church:
Crossroads Bible Church is an evangelical church committed to the Bible as the authoritative and
inerrant Word of God, and to the historical teachings of the church. We believe that God has
made His will known to man in the 66 books of Scripture by the revelation and inspiration of the
Holy Spirit for the benefit and blessing of man 1. We further believe that all of Scripture points to
the Lord Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and as the Savior of the
world. We strive as a church to build a healthy and strong community of faith to re ach people
with the gospel, to build them up as disciples, and to send them out as disciple -makers into the
world.
A Biblical Response to Same-Sex Marriage and Homosexuality
In addressing this topic, we want to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. John’s gospel says that
Jesus Christ came into the world as the Son of God, full of grace and truth:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory
as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth . . . For the law was given
through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:14, 16) 2
1
“We believe that the Bible is God’s wri tten revelation to man. We believe that the Word of God i s an objective, authoritative
revel ation (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Cori nthians 2:13), verbally i nspired in every word (2 Ti mothy 3:16), i nerrant in the original
documents, infallible, a nd God-breathed. We teach the literal, grammatical-historical interpretation of Scripture. We believe
tha t the Bible constitutes the only i nfallible rule of faith and practice (Matthew 5:18; 24:35; John 10:35; 16:12-13; 17:17; 1
Cori nthians 2:13; 2 Ti mothy 3: 15-17; Hebrews 4: 12; 2 Peter 1:20-21) a nd is sufficient for everything related to godly l iving.”
How We Teach What We Believe, 3. (The complete s tatement i s available at http://www.cbcbellevue.com/ - /a bout-us/whatwe-believe.)
2
Unl ess otherwise noted, biblical references are from the English Standard Version (Wheaton: Cros sway Bibles, 2001).
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Our aim is to balance grace with truth - to gain a proper understanding of the issues and to maintain a
healthy attitude toward parties from all sides. We recognize that we may not fully understand all the
details of this issue, but we want to be clear about our position and active in love and respect for
everyone.
We’ll first look to the Bible for clarity on this issue, then we’ll examine how we apply that truth with
compassion. Clarity and compassion go hand in hand.
Biblical Clarity
First, we look at clarity on this issue: What did Jesus, Old Testament Law, and New Testament writings
have to say about this issue?
Jesus’ Teaching
Jesus spoke to the purpose and design of marriage when He responded to the question “Is it lawful to
divorce one’s wife for any cause.” (Matthew 19: 3) In His response, He goes back to creation in Genesis 1
and 2 and the origin of man and marriage:
“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male
and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold
fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but
one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew
19: 4-6)
The Lord follows the centuries-old teaching from the Hebrew Scriptures regarding the sexes and
marriage. He goes back to the creation by recognizing that God created man and woman in His own
image 3. They are unique and elevated over creation by the fact that they have the ability to think, the
ability to feel, and the ability to choose. They have a capacity to be in a spiritual relationship with God.
The starting point for men and women understanding themselves is the image of God in them. Both
male and female are complementary expressions of the divine image, thereby giving us the starting
point for understanding our identity, our sexuality, and our relationships.
Concerning identity, we reflect our Creator and bear His image to reflect His glory. Concerning sexuality,
sex is basic to our humanness and plays a significant role in our personality - we are not created for
sexual gratification but our sexuality is part of how we reflect God’s image . Concerning relationships, we
relate to others in honorable and respectful ways, as every person bears God’s image. In marriage, a
man and a woman share their lives together in a covenant relationship of love, with complete oneness.
Marriage is defined by Jesus as a covenantal relationship of love between one man and one woman they are one flesh for life 4 . Consequently, sexual activity outside of this definition of marriage, whether
heterosexual or homosexual, would be contrary to God’s purpose.
3
Genesis 1:17. “So God created man in his own image, i n the i mage of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
4
For a deeper l ook at the church’s vi ew of marriage and divorce, see the Crossroads Bible Church position paper, Pri nciples of
Di vorce a nd Remarriage (http://storage.cloversites.com/crossroadsbiblechurch/documents/Divorce and Remarriage
Pri nci ples.pdf).
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Old Testament Teaching
The Old Testament addresses the issues of homosexuality in three important passages:
Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). The story of Abraham’s nephew, Lot, being visited by two angels
while living in the city of Sodom indicates the spiritual and moral decline of the city. After offering the
angels hospitality and a bed for the night, the evening was interrupted by the men of the city:
“But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and
old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot,
‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may
know them.’” (Genesis 19: 4,5)
The term to “know” is a common Hebrew expression for sexual relations5 . The men of the city came
demanding that Lot give over the two men for the purpose of having sex with them. This attempted act
of gang rape confirmed the extent to which the culture had fallen morally and provided the reason why
God stood in judgment against the two cities.
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. Both of these passages are from the Holiness Code in the Law of Moses and
they speak to the topic of homosexuality:
“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”
“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an
abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”
Unlike the Greek language of the New Testament, the Hebrew language does not have a term for
homosexuality. Therefore, these verses describe the act of homosexuality where a man has relations
with a man. The act itself is called an abomination, something that is abhorred, spiritually and morally
unclean6. The same would be true of two women behaving in the same way 7. Because of the clear
teaching from the Law that served to form the constitution of the nation, homosexual behavior was rare
within the Jewish culture in Israel in the time of Moses and also in the time of Christ. This very likely may
be why Jesus spoke about sexual immorality and adultery but didn’t have occasion to speak about
homosexuality.
One point should be made: While many of the dietary and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament are not
practiced in the Church, the moral laws are still in effect. Jesus himself spoke on the topic of marriage
5
Fra ncis Brown, S.R. Dri ver a nd Charles A. Bri ggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon Press,
1977), s .v. “ַ‫די ע‬.
ָ “The i mmediate context makes it cl ear that sex was what was i n the minds of the men of Sodom (19:8). So also
Jude 7: “. . . jus t a s Sodom a nd Gomorrah a nd the s urrounding ci ties, which likewise indulged in sexual i mmorality and pursue d
unna tural desire, s erve as a n example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”
BDB, s .v. “ָ‫“ שע ה‬. Homos exuality was common in the l and of Egypt and i n the nations surrounding Israel, but the Israelites
were commanded not to walk i n their ways (Leviticus 18: 3,4).
6
7
John Stott, Same-Sex Pa rtnerships?: A Chri stian Perspective (Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1998), 24. “The plain, natural
i nterpretation of these two verses is that they prohibit homosexual intercourse of every ki nd.”
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and sexuality, and (as we’ll see below) other writings in the New Testament confirm the Old Testament
teaching on morality in general and homosexuality in particular 8 .
New Testament Teaching
The teachers of the early church spoke to homosexual behavior in several important passages:
Letter to the Romans. The Apostle Paul addresses homosexual lust and behavior in his discussion of
God’s righteousness revealed and man’s rebelliousness exposed:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth . . .
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the
dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth
about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,
who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable
passions. For their women exchanged natural relations 9 for those that are contrary to
nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations 10 with women and were
consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men
and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.” (Romans 1:18, 24-27)
In this passage, Paul speaks about truth as suppressed and about what is natural being exchanged for
what is unnatural. In verses 26-27, much like Jesus, he goes back to creation and to God’s original intent.
God’s natural order is that sex is only between a man and a woman wi thin the context of a heterosexual
marriage relationship. What is unnatural is sexual relations within the same sex, whether men or
women. The unnatural behavior of homosexual acts is the antithesis of what God designs and intends
for man. What is natural aligns itself with the image of God in man and fulfills the purpose of God for
man and woman in marriage.
8
Common evangelical teaching regarding Ol d Testament laws distinguishes between the ceremonial laws, which were fulfilled
i n Chri st, a nd the moral laws, which are s till to be followed in the l ife of a believer (for example, the “Golden Rule” of Leviticus
19:18), even more s o when repeated i n the New Testament. For a thorough handling of this s ubject, s ee chapter 3 of What
Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality (Kevi n DeYoung, Crossway, 2015).
A us eful s ummary of this vi ew is presented in The Bible and Same-Sex Relationships: A Revi ew Arti cle by Tim Keller
(http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-bible-and-same-sex-relationships-a-review-article):
“…the New Testament understanding [is] that the ceremonial laws of Moses around the sacrificial system and ri tual purity were
ful filled in Christ and are no longer binding, but that the moral l aw of the Old Testament is still i n force. Hebrews 10:16, for
exa mple, tells us the Holy Spirit writes ‘God’s laws’ on Christians’ hearts (so they a re obviously s till in force), even though that
s a me book of the Bible tells us some of those Mosaic laws—the ceremonial—are no l onger binding on us. This vi ew has been
a ccepted by a ll branches of the church since New Testament ti mes. … The tra ditional vi ew is this: Yes, there a re things i n the
Bi ble Christians no l onger have to follow, but if the Scripture is our final authority, only the Bible i tself can tell us wha t those
thi ngs are. The prohibitions against homosexuality a re re -stated in the New Testament (Romans 1; 1 Cori nthians 6; 1 Ti mothy 1)
but Jes us himself (Ma rk 7), a s well as the rest of the New Testament, tells us the clean l aws and ceremonial code is no l onge r i n
force.”
9
The New American Standard Bible (NASB) translates chrḗsis (χρῆσις) a s “function”.
10
Is a 55:6-9; Romans 3:21-26.
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The practice of sin of any kind, including homosexual behavior, is a rebellion against God’s original intent
of creation. Homosexual behavior, along with the lists of sins that follow in verses 28-32, creates a
condition whereby God gives man over to his sin and the consequences of those sins. Even in doing so,
there is a grace extended such that man, experiencing the pain and dysfunction of sin, might pursue the
forgiveness of an ever merciful and gracious God who has love for everyone.10 We believe that grace is
extended to all people and forgiveness of sins comes only through the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
Letter to the Corinthians. Paul also addresses homosexual behavior in a list of sins that are not
compatible with either God’s coming Kingdom or our salvation in Christ:
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not
be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who
practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were
washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6: 9-11)
In this passage, Paul reminds us that certain practices are labeled as “unrighteous” and have no place in
a Christian’s life. At one time, these practices characterized the lives of these believers and depict how
we all once lived. At one time, some of them were engaged in homosexual activity 11, as was common in
the Greek culture of their day. Coming to repentance and faith in Christ changes the rel ationship of the
Christian to the practice of sin. Believers are cleansed, sanctified, and justified in the blood of Christ by
the work of the Holy Spirit, rendering such practices incompatible with the new way of living 12.
Letter from Paul to Timothy. Paul clarifies to his young disciple, Timothy, the proper use of the Old
Testament law:
“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that
the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the
ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers
and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality,
enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in
accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been
entrusted.” (1 Timothy 1: 8-11)
11
Wa l ter Bauer, William F. Arndt a nd F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek -English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Ea rly
Chri s tian Li terature, 2nd ed (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979), s .v. “μαλακο ὶ,” a nd “ἀρσενοκοῖται.” Two terms
a re us ed to describe the homosexual practice in this passage. The former term is literally “s oft to the touch” a nd relates to
s omeone who is effeminate or passive i n a s ame-sex relationship. The l atter refers to s omeone who is a ggressive and engages
i n s exual a ctivity with his own s ex. (Stott, 27)
12
Some have a ttempted to i nterpret the Greek words tra nslated here as “men who practice homosexuality” a s referring only
to s pecific kinds of homosexual behavi or such as prostitution or pederasty. However, this is not consistent with the context of
the pa ssage which is describing broad ca tegories of sin, nor is i t consistent wi th the rooting of the words in the Greek
tra ns lations of the Leviticus texts in the Septuagint. There are other Greek words that Paul could have used if h e meant to refer
to thos e s pecific a cts.
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Paul’s reminder for Timothy is that the law is meant to help us know what sin is and why repentance is
important. The practice of the sins listed, and sin in general, is that it is contrary to sound teaching and
to the gospel of Christ. The term arsenokoitai is used to describe the practice of homosexuality as
outside the bounds of God’s will.
Conclusion
In terms of biblical clarity, it is clear that any sexual behavior outside of the holy union of marriage is
contrary to God’s intent for man, whether adultery, homosexual behavior, or immorality. Jesus Himself
is clear on the definition of marriage that marriage is between a man and a woman in a covenant of love
for a lifetime13 .
The position of Crossroads Bible Church is that homosexual behavior is sin and, like all sin, though
perhaps once a part of one’s past, it has no appropriate place in the present or future life of a believer.
Crossroads affirms that marriage is a covenantal relationship of love between a naturally-born man and
a naturally-born woman for the entirety of their lives. Our commitment is first and foremost to loving
God and staying true to His word.
Compassionate Response
Having looked at biblical clarity, we now turn to our response of compassion towards those who
struggle with same-sex attraction and to families affected in some way by homosexuality.
Crossroads Bible Church acknowledges that we are all human beings, and we are al l sinners. Each one of
us struggles with the temptations of our flesh. We are broken by sin and by the consequences of sin, and
we are all in need of God’s grace. We are debtors to grace and to our Savior, Jesus, who has redeemed
us to minister His Word and serve His people in the world. We desire to behave in a Christ-like manner
toward all people, including those who struggle with the temptation of same -sex attraction and those
engaged in the sin of homosexual behavior.
We as an evangelical fellowship commit ourselves to the following:
1. We understand that same-sex attraction can be a painful and alienating experience. We confess
that there have been times when we have failed to show compassion and understanding to
those who struggle. Forgive us. We commit ourselves to coming alongside, to do our best to
understand and support anyone who experiences same -sex attraction.
2. We commit ourselves to pray for anyone experiencing same-sex attraction, to minister to them,
and to help them be free of anything that would keep them from growing into full Christ-like
character and behavior.
3. The goal for those who struggle with homosexuality is not heterosexuality. The goal is holiness 14.
We believe that as Christians grow in grace, they can realize their new identity in Christ as a new
13
Stott, 39. Stott s ummarizes biblical marriage: “. . . Scri pture defines the marriage God i nstituted i n terms of heterosexual
monogamy. It is the union of one man with one woman, which must be publicly a cknowledged (the l eaving of parents),
perma nently l eave (he will “cl eave to his wife”), and physically consummated (“one flesh”). And Scripture envisages no other
ki nd of marriage or s exual intercourse, for God provided no alternative.”
14
Ephesians 4: 13-16; Roma ns 8:29
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creation15 . Crossroads Bible Church encourages everyone to pursue this upward calling with all
their hearts, to live a life pleasing to the Lord and to be a blessing to others. We understand
that, for some, this may mean living as single and pure 16 .
4. For those who want to become members 17 , Crossroads Bible Church receives into the
membership of the church anyone who has a testimony of salvation and who seeks to live a life
pleasing to the Lord. Christians who struggle with sin, including same or opposite sex attraction,
and who are committed to living for Christ, are welcome into membership. We do not receive
into membership anyone, whether heterosexual or homosexual, who is living in sin and failing to
pursue a godly lifestyle.
5. Our desire for everyone regardless of sexual orientation is to experience authentic and genuine
relationships with others, whether in heterosexual marriage or in friendship18. We encourage
everyone to pursue relationships that maintain purity and mutual respect, to e xperience the
sweet fellowship of Christ in the bonds of His love. We as a church are committed to helping all
people pursue this.
Resources
Sean McDowell & John Stonestreet, Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God’s Design for
Marriage. Baker Books, 2014.
John Stott, Same-Sex Partnerships? A Christian Perspective. Fleming H Revell, 1998.
Kevin DeYoung, What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? Crossway, 2015.
Glenn T. Stanton, Loving My (LGBT) Neighbor: Being Friends in Grace & Truth. Moody Publishers. 2014.
15
2 Cori nthians 5:17
16
1 Cori nthiansinthians 7: 6-8. 8
17
Cros s roads Bible Church distinguishes between regular a ttenders and members. Membership is available for those who want
to ma ke a deeper commitment to Crossroads, i ncluding those who want to be i nvolved i n l eadership. For more details
rega rding membership, s ee the Crossroads Bible Church Constitution
(http://storage.cloversites.com/crossroadsbiblechurch/documents/Constitution.pdf) under “Arti cle IV. Membership”.
Cros s roads periodically holds an informational class for those i nterested i n pursuing membership. For more i nformation,
conta ct Ji m Wri ght, Pastor of Connections.
18
Jos hua & Ca leb (Numbers 14:5-10; Joshua 14:6-13), Na omi & Ruth (Ruth 1:15-18), David & Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:1-3),
Da niel, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego (Daniel 1,3), Pa ul & Ba rnabus (Acts 13), Ma ry & Ma rtha (Luke 10:38-42; John 12:2-3),
Pa ul & Roman Christians (Romans 16: 3-16).
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Erwin W. Lutzer, The Truth About Same-sex Marriage: 6 Things You Need to Know About What’s Really
at Stake. Moody Publishers, 2004.
Glen T. Stanton and Bill Maier, Marriage on Trial: The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage and Parenting.
Intervarsity Press, 2004.
Janelle Hallman, The Heart of Female Same-Sex Attraction: A Comprehensive Counseling Resource. IVP
Books, 2008.
Joe Dallas, When Homosexuality Hits Home: What to Do When a Loved One Says They’re Gay. Harvest
House Publishers, 2004.
Andrew Marin, Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community, IVP Books,
2009.
Biblical Position Paper on Same-Sex Behavior, BIOLA University, 2014,
http://static.biola.edu/as/media/downloads/biblical-position-paper-on-same-sex-behavior.pdf.
Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: an English Professor’s
Journey into Christian Faith. Crown & Covenant Publishers, 2012.
Sam Allberry, Is God Anti-Gay?: And Other Questions about Homosexuality, the Bible and Same -Sex
Attraction, The Good Book Company, 2014.
Gregory Koukl, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing your Christian Convictions, Zondervan, 2009.
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