Fellowship Church Statement on Marriage and Homosexuality

Mike Hosey, An Elder

The culture that once made America great was rocked in June, 2015, when the Supreme Court of the United States legalized marriages for gay couples in all 50 states of the union.  The decision by 5 of the 9 justices on that court has far reaching  implications, not just for the secular community and its culture, but for those of us who have submitted ourselves to God as well.

For the secular world of lost men who depend on external powers to govern them, the court's decision will strengthen those forces who foolishly wish to shape a new culture that has no place for God, His authority, or His order. Their desire isn't to celebrate a legalized union between two people of the same sex who love each other.  That option was already available in a variety of forms.  Instead, what they want to do is to bring about a new and fundamental morality and impose it on all domains of humanity by force of secular law. Sexuality is but one small front on their march.  Those forces practice a kind of ungodliness, and take pleasure when others do as well (Romans 1:24-32). At the moment, those spearheading this change are advancing in their pursuit.  Ultimately, they will not win. But, for the time being, they will have victories. Their march will bring fundamental change not only to the fabric of America, but also to the world.

For the church, there are many questions which those of us in leadership will have to grapple with, and many possibilities for which we will have to prepare.  For instance, will the state force us to officiate same sex wedding ceremonies? (This is not likely for the foreseeable future) Will the state eventually penalize us for preaching and teaching that marriage is only between one man and woman, and that homosexual marriage isn't marriage at all? How will we communicate to the world that homosexual behavior displeases God and is sin when the prevailing culture eventually accepts it as normal, and perhaps even wholesome?

You may rest assured that the elders at Fellowship Church will defend, preach, and teach what we believe the Bible says about marriage, as well as any other part of the human condition, regardless of what any secular power attempts to impose.  We understand that it is better to suffer the disapproval of men than to suffer the disapproval of God (1 Thessalonians 2:4). We understand that while we have citizenship here in America, we have a greater citizenship in Heaven (Philippians 3:18-20).

Here is a very short brief of some of the things we will continue to teach:

HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR IS SIN:  Though Jesus doesn't address homosexual behavior directly, it is listed many times among a litany of other sins (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Furthermore, when Jesus was tempted concerning the issue of divorce he replied “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female (Matthew 19:4 NASB)? In making this statement, Jesus confirmed and affirmed the creation account of Genesis.

AND SO IS HETEROSEXUAL ADULTERY (or any other kind of sexual immorality): Proverbs 6:32, Matthew 5:28 (this would include pornography and many other "accepted" American behaviors), Hebrews 13:4, 1 Corinthians 6:18.

AND SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU: The beauty of the 1 Corinthians passage above is that we can escape the bondage of any sin.  While we may always wrestle with certain desires (Romans 7:18-25), we do not have to be a slave to them (1 Corinthians 6:11).

WE BELIEVE IN LOVE: We will teach and model that love means being committed to the well being of others. This means that to the extent biblically possible, we will strive to accept and include all people in the activities of our church community, and that we will treat them with kindness, dignity, gentleness, and respect, regardless of what sins are hindering their walk. It also means that we cannot lie to them about God's expectations, or the damage caused by their sin.

TOLERANCE DOES NOT MEAN ACCEPTANCE:  The word tolerance actually means to put up with or to endure something that one finds wrong, distasteful, or problematic. God tolerated divorce, but he did not accept it as good or right (Matthew 19:8).  God also tolerated polygamy but His standard was always one man, one woman in a covenantal physical relationship that pointed to a spiritual reality (Eph 5:31-32).  In that spirit, Fellowship will extend grace and love, and will tolerate (but only to a point) the existence of sin in the human condition. Our desire, however, is that everyone may enter into a Real Relationship with God, experience Real Change, and find Real Purpose while growing in that blessed state of sanctification. This desire or expectation regards ALL sins, homosexual behavior or otherwise.