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The Declaration
Human sexual (genital)
behavior is intended by God to be expressed solely within the confines of
heterosexual, monogamous marriage. Since God is love, sexual activity can
only be considered a true act of love when carried out within these
parameters, clearly established by God in His Holy Word (the Bible).
Sexual intercourse is to be
the same giving act that it represents - which is Jesus Christ's union
with His Bride, the Church. It is two becoming one flesh - physically,
spiritually and emotionally - the ultimate end of the separating of Eve
from Adam's side.
It is a procreative and
pleasure-giving act that may bear the fruit of children. It is a cause for
the continuation of the human race and a bonding agent for the love shared
between husband and wife. When done out of love by two spiritually healthy
human beings, it will enhance the well-being and solidify the growing
oneness of man and wife.
God purposed in creation
that human sexual interaction be a reflection of that ultimate marriage to
which He has called us - that between God and man / between Christ and the
Church.
Just as God remains
faithful, undivided and undeflected from His commitment to man, so this
central act in marriage must remain equally faithful, undivided and
undeflected - exemplifying the love, the trust and the commitment of a
spouse to his/her marital partner.
Fidelity to God's blueprint
for human sexual behavior is integral to healthy human spirituality.
The proscriptions on human
sexual behavior established by God in His Holy Word (the Bible) are
positive and life-giving. They are designed to bring both maximum glory to
God and to be protective measures for those who might otherwise try to
find life and fulfillment in alternative sexual behavior, which can only
bring death and destruction. As such, they are an expression of God's
perfect love and desire to protect those He has created.
Any deflection from these
intended purposes of the Creator God is rebellion against the wisdom and
goodness of God and sets one at enmity with Him until that person has
repented of their actions and come into agreement once again with God's
design. The idea that man has the right to chose his own methods of sexual
expression flies in the face of everything taught in sacred Scripture.
For those who find
themselves caught in an aberrant sexual lifestyle, God offers the atoning
death of His Son, Jesus Christ, which brings forgiveness, cleansing,
healing and transforming power. Jesus did not come to condemn mankind, but
to save any and all who would come to Him for cleansing.
We are Speaking
Out
- We are speaking out
against the attempts by those in secular and religious communities who
seek to overturn and redefine the clear teachings of the Bible, to
make it appear as though sexual behavior outside of the bounds
described above is somehow normal and blessed by God. There has been a
clear and unbroken Judeo-Christian, scriptural witness on these
matters for over thirty-five hundred years.
- We are speaking out
against the impression being given by a minority of religious and
media figures that their version of sexual morality is consistent with
the biblical witness and/or accepted by the Church.
- We are speaking out
against the unchecked confusion and division sown in the Church by
such apostles of immorality.
- We are speaking out
against the death and destruction that such teachings have brought to
our culture and the confusion that it has sown in our children.
- We are speaking out
against any sex education program that would teach such ideas to our
young people.
- We are speaking out
against the impression given by some that those who support biblical
definitions of morality hate those who refuse to accept or live by
them.
We Stand in
Opposition
- We oppose any and all
efforts to normalize or sanctify homosexual behavior, to advocate or
bless homosexual marriages or to ordain those who engage in homosexual
behavior.
- We oppose any attempt to
stigmatize or reject persons who are turning to Christ for
forgiveness, healing and transformation who have been struggling with
their sexual orientation.
- We oppose any suggestion
that they are lesser or more sinful human beings than anyone else.
They are welcome in the Church.
- We oppose any and all
attempts to normalize or sanctify heterosexual immorality, including
the use of pornography or prostitutes, adulterous or other non-marital
sexual relationships or any other behavior outside of healthy,
heterosexual, marital monogamy.
- We oppose the taking of
a human life in its mother's womb or any other form of abortion.
We Call Out
- We call for people to
return to the God of the Bible, through His Son Jesus Christ.
- We call for people to
return to God's design for human behavior (sexual and otherwise) as
found in the Holy Bible.
- We call for people to
seek and receive from God Almighty the forgiveness, the cleansing, the
deliverance and the healing that they need as a result of their
unnatural sexual behavior.
- We call for people to
seek and receive from God the desire and the power to walk in His
ways.
- We call for those in
government to honor the institution of marriage as it has been held
for thousands of years by keeping it restricted to heterosexual,
monogamous unions.
- We call for government
to resist the legitimization of alternative sexual lifestyles in
creating civil unions for couples who do not qualify for marriage.
- We call for our
educational system to remove sex education materials that promote
promiscuity, homosexual behavior or any other sexual behavior outside
of traditional marriage.
- We call for the
producers and distributors of every form of media communication to
resist the temptation to fatten their coffers by continuing to spread
the toxic message of sexual immorality.
- We call for religious
leaders to stand firm against the tide of moral relativism and to
remain faithful to God's Holy Word.
- We call for religious
leaders to refuse to ordain those who engage in homosexual or
non-marital heterosexual activity.
- We call for those
leaders and laity in the Church who have not yet done so, to extend
the same hand of love and grace to the repentant sinner that Christ
has extended, and to repent from any condescending or hateful
attitudes that they have held toward those who struggle with unholy
sexual temptations.
- We call for religious
leaders to refuse to bless what God calls sin, including homosexual
unions, but to instead invite those who struggle with unholy sexual
desire to the same fount of forgiveness and healing as everyone else -
even Jesus Christ, the Lord.
To endorse this statement, click
here.
This statement may be
copied or reproduced in its entirety for news stories, bulletins,
newsletters, flyers, etc., or copied and distributed at public or private
meetings for the purpose of obtaining supporting signatures, without our
further permission. Please credit Mastering Life Ministries of Jacksonville, Fl. as the source
and our web site as a contact point (www.MasteringLife.org).
(c) Copyright 2000, Mastering Life Ministries
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