Introduction

To sanctify is to set apart for holy use, to separate out from the profane for the sacred (Hebrew, qadesh; Greek, hagiazo). As with justification, sanctification is the work of God. It is a work of grace based on the merit of Christ. Paul writes in Galatians 6:14, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Through the work of Christ, God separates the believer from sin for the purpose of holiness, which is accomplished as the believer follows after the Spirit putting to death the misdeeds of the body (See Rom 6:22, 8:1-14).

The entire Christian life depends on the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “…from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” (2 Thess 2:13-14). Peter also wrote that we are “God’s elect…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood” (1 Pet 1:1,2). What then is involved in this sanctifying work of the Spirit in the believers? The full breadth of that work includes two dimensions. The first is initial sanctification that is positional in Christ and occurs when a person receives Jesus Christ as Savior. The second is the experiential dimension that is expected and commanded of Christians. For example, note Paul’s words in Philippians 2:12, “…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” The moment one receives Christ as Savior the believer dies to sin and becomes alive to holiness (Rom 6:2-4). Then Paul commands Christians to keep on counting themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom 6:11). Christians should stop letting this age squeeze them into its mold but should continue permitting themselves to be transformed by the renewing of their minds (Rom 12:2). Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24).

I. Initial Sanctification

To understand the full implication of what the work of sanctification includes, we must first appreciate the biblical truth involving our identification with Christ in his death on the cross. He not only died as our Redeemer, but he also died as our substitutionary Representative, paying the price for our sins. In Christ therefore, God sees every believer as being crucified with his Son and hence as a saint positionally sanctified in him (Rom 6:6-7; 1 Cor 1:30, 6:11; Gal 2:20). Paul writes that God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin on behalf of us in order that we ourselves might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor 5:21). The idea is that the Christian’s position in the mind of God is that of a person who died with Christ and is positionally sanctified. In God’s sight the Christian is viewed as never having sinned. Thus even the carnal Christians in Corinth (1 Cor 3:1) could be truthfully called saints earlier in Paul’s letter (1 Cor 1:2). However, one cannot read the New Testament or observe the lives of some Christians without concluding that not every Christian who is indwelt by the Spirit is “filled with the Holy Spirit,” that is, living according to his controlling leadership. It is a fact of the Bible that every Christian is indwelt by the Spirit of God (Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 6:19-20) but not all are controlled by him. (See Rom 7:14; Heb 5:11-6:12.)

II. Experiential Sanctification

Positional sanctification, consequently, must be translated into one’s own personal life experience by the help of the Holy Spirit via the Word of God (John 17:17). This is that to which Paul refers when he writes to the Christians in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “This is the will of God, even your sanctification.” While this experiential dimension of sanctification begins at conversion, substantial progress in holiness occurs when a believer willfully makes a complete commitment to the Lord’s control (Rom 6:12-13; 12:1). Experiential sanctification involves three aspects.

A. The Decisive Aspect. The decisive aspect is commanded by Paul of the Roman Christians in Romans 6:12-13 and exhorted in 12:1. He describes this aspect as the presenting of one’s bodily members to God by a determined effort of will. This placing of one’s bodily members at God’s disposal can begin at conversion, as it did for the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-46). However, more often than not it begins with a resolute decision subsequent to salvation to make Christ Lord of every area of one’s life. This decision usually follows a period of education and spiritual growth until one comes to realize that there is more to the Christian life than what has been experienced to that point in time. This is what Jesus had in mind when he said in Matthew 16:24 that, if anyone wished to come after him as a disciple, he would have to deny himself and take up his cross, thus putting himself at God’s disposal. Some call this decision “dedication,” “consecration,” or “a crisis experience.” This is the point when, to the best of one’s ability and with all the light available at the time, a person gives all of one’s self and bodily members over to God’s control and God then “baptizes” or “fills” the individual with his Spirit. (Compare Acts 1:5 and Acts 2:4.)

B. The Progressive Aspect. From then on, the progressive aspect of sanctification continues at a more rapid pace. In Romans 6:11 Paul commands the Christians to count themselves dead repeatedly to sinning of all kinds and alive unto God every time they are tempted to sin. In Romans 12:2, believers are to stop letting this age conform them into its likeness and they are to continue letting the Lord transform their living by the renewing of their minds. As Jesus stated in Matthew 16:24, they are to continue following and obeying him and his teachings. The intent is that the longer we live this progressively holy life, the more our lives will become conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ, God’s Son (Rom 8:29). We are to continue being filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18).

The Spirit-filled life is a life lived under the control of the Holy Spirit using the Bible as one’s guide. This does not mean that a Spirit-filled Christian will never yield to temptation and sin. However, if one should sin, confession should be made immediately and personal forgiveness accepted by faith (1 John 1:9-2:2). It is to be remembered that the fruit of the Spirit does not come automatically to people still involved with sin dwelling in their members (Rom 7:14-25). The fullness of the Spirit does not make obedience to God an automatic thing nor the demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit something easy to exhibit on all occasions. However, this does not mean that the ideal should not be one’s aim. New circumstances may call for renewed dedication of one’s body to God as a living sacrifice when the Spirit leads and as the Christian matures in Christ. All of this involves lifelong growth and development in Christ-likeness through the continual sanctifying work of the Spirit by the truth of his Word (John 17:17).

C. The Completed Aspect. Finally, the sanctifying work of the Spirit is completed in one sense at the time of physical death when the spirit of the Christian enters into the Lord’s presence (Heb 12:22, 23). However, sanctification will be completed in the final sense when the Christian’s body is resurrected and glorified (1 Cor 15:51-54; Phil 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2). Then the believer will attain complete sanctification for all eternity.

Summary

To reiterate, the Holy Spirit enters and indwells the life of an individual at his/her conversion, and sainthood begins positionally (Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 6:19-20). The Spirit takes over control in many Christians’ lives in a decisive moment of sanctification when that Christian permits the Spirit total control. From then on the indwelt and controlled Christian is expected to continue walking according to the Spirit’s leading via God’s Word, the Bible (John 17:17). This filling or controlling is something that is intended to continue in the sanctified Christian’s life (Eph 5:18; 2 Cor 7:1) until it is completed in one sense at the Christian’s death (Heb 12:22-23) and in the final sense at Christ’s return when the Christian receives a resurrection body (Phil 3:12-14, 20, 21).

— Adopted by the 2003 General Conference

 

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

(Gen 1:27)

Sexuality and Creation

The Bible begins its discussion of human sexuality in the book of Genesis with the account of Creation. Jesus himself rooted his teaching on marriage and divorce in Genesis 2, citing the creation account as both authoritative and forever binding (Matt 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9). The Apostle Paul reasoned likewise, anchoring his exhortations concerning Christian marriage in the specific language of Genesis 2:24 (Eph 5:31).

In Genesis 1-2 sexuality figures prominently in a larger conversation concerning God’s original intention for humankind—his crowning creative achievement. God, we are told, created human beings “male and female,” indicating that gender distinctions are part of the created order itself, not mere culturally conditioned artifacts. Gender supplies, then, an important component of what it means to be human.

Furthermore, gender distinctions prove essential for the fulfillment of God’s purposes for humanity. Indeed, the fulfillment of God’s initial mandate requires humankind to be both male and female. We read in Genesis 1:28: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.’” Obedience to this original divine directive would be impossible without God creating and blessing innate gender distinctions.

Gender enables the wonderful mix of likeness and difference that makes sexual intimacy and procreation possible. Gender and sex are both divine gifts, part of a finished creation that God pronounced “very good” (Gen 1:31). However puzzling and problematic human sexuality may have become—especially in our day—God did not intend it to be this way.

Sexuality is a divine blessing. God created human beings, not only for spiritual intimacy with himself, but also for an extraordinarily rich intimacy within marriage. We read in Genesis 2:24: “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Gen 2:24). This same truth we find underscored in the New Testament (Matt 19:4-6; Eph 5:31).

The creation account lays the foundation for a consistent and comprehensive theology of sexuality that will be developed throughout the rest of sacred Scripture. We may summarize the biblical understanding in brief: Human sexuality is a divine gift, by which human beings, created male and female, may experience within marriage a deep and multi-faceted union—one that is physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual—and fulfills the divine mandate to “be fruitful and increase in number” (Gen 1:28).

Before we conclude this overview of sexuality and creation, however, we should interject one important observation: while the Bible consistently celebrates the gift of marriage (Gen 2:18, 2:24; Prov 18:22, 19:14; 1 Cor 7:2; Heb 13:4), it also celebrates the gift of celibacy (Matt 19:10-12; 1 Cor 7:25-38). Both are divine blessings. Both provide a context for human flourishing.

Sexuality and the Fall

God’s initial created order was, indeed, “very good” (Gen 1:31), but the Fall changed everything. It disrupted, first of all, the spiritual intimacy that God intended human beings to enjoy with him. It disrupted, secondly, the intimacy that God intended us to enjoy within marriage, including its sexual dimension. In a word, since the Fall, our sexuality is broken. The Fall left no aspect of human nature or human experience uncorrupted. Human nature fell; and human sexuality fell with it.

It should come as no surprise, then, that we find such sexual disorder in the world. God’s original design for sex—that it thrive within the context of a marriage between one man and one woman—has been thwarted in countless ways. Pre-marital sex, co-habitation without marriage, adultery, pornography, and various forms of sexual abuse are rife in contemporary culture.

Sadly, we witness these disorders even in the church. On rare occasions, even some pastors have succumbed to sexual immorality. Sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy is but one of the more egregious signs of the depth and pervasiveness of human sin.

Disordered sexuality is not a uniquely contemporary problem. It was a plight in the biblical world as well. Many biblical passages clearly forbid particular sexual practices (Exod 20:14, 22:19; Lev 18, 20:10-21; Deut 22:13-30, 23:17-18; Matt 5:27-30; Mark 7:21-23; John 7:53-8:11; Acts 15:19-20; Rom 13:13; 1 Cor 5:11, 6:13, 6:18, 10:8; 2 Cor 12:21; Gal 5:19; Eph 5:3; Col 3:5-6; 1 Thess 4:3-5; Rev 2:20). Other texts catalogue the egregious consequences of disordered sexuality (Gen 19:1-29, 19:30-38; Num 25; 2 Sam 11-12; 2 Sam 13; 1 Kgs 11; Prov 2:16-19, 6:30-35).

From almost the beginning of the human story, God’s gift of sexuality—which he intended for our good—has been misused by us to our own detriment. Even the most illustrious Old Testament heroes—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon—practiced polygamy, though God originally intended marriage for one woman and one man. David himself was an adulterer. Biblical spirituality, in both its Old and New Testament manifestations, has been threatened with destruction by disordered sexual desire in its myriad forms.

We should not think, then, that our contemporary sexual chaos and confusion are somehow unique. They are evidence of the fallen human condition. Disordered sexuality is a problem both for believers and unbelievers. It is a problem for both men and women. It is a problem for those with both different-sex and same-sex attraction. Clearly disordered sexuality is a universal human problem.

But we currently find ourselves at a cultural crossroads. Two particular expressions of sexual disorder have come to occupy center stage in the contemporary debate on human sexuality, namely homosexuality and transgenderism. These have always been part of the fallen human condition, but the widespread clamor for their acceptance as morally appropriate lifestyle choices is unprecedented. It is incumbent upon the church, then, to think about such disorders—and those who wrestle with them—as deeply, biblically, and compassionately as possible.

Homosexuality

Homosexuality has become a hotly contested topic in recent years. Matters of great import hinge on this debate, including the nature of human sexuality and the nature of biblical authority. So we must think deeply and speak clearly to the issue. We are, however, called as Christians to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). That requires us to carefully navigate the narrow space between two different errors.

On the one hand, we cannot accept the growing cultural consensus regarding homosexuality. More and more people accept homosexual behavior as a valid personal choice, exempt from any kind of moral censure. Same-sex marriage is becoming commonplace. Increasingly, objection to homosexual practice—no matter how charitably expressed—is characterized as hateful and “homophobic.” We cannot simply adjust our theology to accommodate the changing moral climate. We must not exchange conventional “wisdom” for the truth of God’s Word.

On the other hand, we must not overreact. We cannot single out homosexual practice, as if it were uniquely subject to divine denunciation. Indeed, the Scriptures clearly indicate God’s disapproval of homosexual behavior (Gen 19:1-22; Judg 19:1-21; Lev 18:22, 20:13; Rom 1:24-28; 1 Cor 6:9-10; 1 Tim 1:10). But the Scriptures are equally clear about God’s disapproval of heterosexual immorality. (See previously cited Scriptures.) Sexual immorality of all kinds contradicts clear biblical teaching, distorts the divine gift of sexuality, and stands under the righteous judgment of a holy God. The Scriptures warn us: “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18), in whatever form that immorality may take.

While we find ourselves in the midst of a cultural debate on homosexual practice, we also find ourselves debating sexual orientation itself. Some see sexual orientation as a matter of biological determinism. People are prone to same-sex attraction because of genetics, they say. Others think that it is conditioned by initial sexual experiences. Still others think that same-sex attraction is purely voluntary.

At this point, thoughtful Christians may have more questions than answers. Human sexuality is a remarkably complex phenomenon with biological, psychological, emotional, and spiritual components. To explain same-sex attraction over-simplistically—as merely nature, merely nurture, or merely an act of the will—fails to do justice to sexuality’s complexity.

But we do know this: we live in a fallen world in which much is not as it was supposed to be. Disaster, disease, death—none of these accord with God’s original intent. They are part and parcel of a creation in “bondage to corruption” (Rom 8:21). In a fallen, disordered creation, it should come as no surprise that human desires become disordered, that sexual desire—which was designed to blissfully propel us toward sexual intimacy and procreation within marriage—gets bent out of shape. Some people, through no fault of their own, find themselves struggling with same-sex attraction. This fits with what we know about our fallen world and our falleness within it. Creation is broken, waiting to be restored. We are still waiting for Jesus to make “all things new” (Rev 21:5).

Nonetheless, we do not need to fully understand the origins of same-sex attraction to insist that God both demands and divinely enables obedience to his commands. The Bible clearly prohibits sex beyond the bounds of heterosexual marriage. So even if the Bible has little to say directly about sexual orientation, that is something of a moot point. What the Bible prohibits is sexual immorality. Sexual attraction is not the issue; sexual behavior is.

Transgenderism

Though God originally created two distinct and complementary sexes (Gen 1:27; Matt 19:4), a distinction evident in the physiological makeup of the human race, one of the effects of the Fall is that some persons experience gender confusion. They perceive their gender to differ psychologically from their gender biologically. This differs from the rare condition of intersexualism or hermaphroditism, conditions in which a person’s sex is biologically ambiguous—that is, a person possesses both male and female primary sexual traits. In the case of transgenderism, an individual’s sex is biologically clear but psychologically unclear. It is an issue, not of physiology, but of self-perception.

Recently, the American medical community has begun providing a range of treatment options for what is technically called “gender dysphoria,” including hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery. Many LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) advocates are seeking to normalize transgenderism, insisting that individuals have a right to define gender according to their self-perception, rather than according to their biological makeup. Furthermore, many public schools are encouraging parents and staff to validate the feelings of those with “gender dysphoria.”

Nonetheless, any understanding of gender as self-defined or self-determined stands in sharp opposition to the created order and to the Word of God. God, in his wisdom, made humankind “male and female” (Gen 1:27). That order, and each individual’s participation in it, must be valued and affirmed. Gender is an important component of human personhood and cannot be tampered with without individuals suffering untold harm.

How gender roles should be understood and appropriately expressed may vary from culture to culture, but gender itself remains rooted in Creation rather than culture. While gender embraces more than mere biology, it cannot be determined apart from it.

It is indeed tragic that the Fall has introduced biological anomalies like intersexuality into human experience. It is tragic that some individuals suffer from gender identity confusion. We look longingly for the liberation of creation from its current “bondage to corruption” (Rom 8:21) and the “redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23). In the meantime, we must show love and compassion to those struggling with gender identity confusion and invite them to share in the hope for wholeness held out in the gospel.

While we cannot condone the actions of those who seek to chemically or surgically alter their biologically indicated gender, we must sympathize with the profound “gender dysphoria” that inclines them to do so. Some of those who wrestle with this issue are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must embrace them in the bonds of Christian affection and fellowship, following the example of Jesus, of whom it was said: “A bruised reed he will not break” (Isa 42:3; Matt 12:20).

As believers, we are called to extend to our neighbors love and compassion. We are called to affirm the worth of every person as an image bearer of God. We are called to invite them into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Yet we also insist that individuals should not seek to alter their biologically indicated gender in order to align it with their gender as self-perceived.

Sexuality and Redemption (Present and Future)

Disordered sexuality remains a deep and pervasive problem, but God has provided a redemptive remedy in the gospel of Jesus Christ. God created us for wholeness as human beings—including sexual wholeness. This wholeness, so tragically distorted by sin, can be restored by God’s grace. Our fallen sexuality can be redeemed in Christ.

We can be redeemed from the penalty of sin. Jesus bore all of our sins on the cross. Christ died for those with same-sex attraction and gender confusion just as he died for those of us whose lives are sexually broken in other ways (Rom 3:23). There is no sin, sexual or otherwise, that cannot be forgiven by God for those who trust in Jesus (1 Cor 6:9-11). When we are in Christ, sin’s penalty is cancelled. Our true identity, then, is found in Christ, not in sexual attraction.

We can now also be redeemed from the power of sin. God’s moral demands are impossible to meet in our own strength. But Jesus breaks the power of cancelled sin. With the divine aid of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit, God’s grace enables those who follow Jesus to live lives of moral purity and holy sexuality. This does not mean that grace necessarily eliminates the desire for sexual expressions God has ruled out of bounds. It does not mean, for example, that God will necessarily eliminate a person’s same-sex attraction or gender confusion. God has clearly forbidden adultery, and yet the Scriptures and Christian experience make clear that Christians still wrestle with adulterous desires. Temptation to sin remains a characteristic feature of the Christian life. But while temptation may be inevitable, succumbing to temptation is not (1 Cor 10:13). God provides us freedom from sin’s enslavement (Rom 6:6). But, as followers of Christ, in order to experience this freedom, we must continue to resist the dangerous undertow of our sinful nature (Gal 5:17; Col 3:5). We are enabled to resist the power of sin, sexual and otherwise, as we walk in the Spirit sustained by God’s strength (Gal 5:16; Phil 4:13).

Those in Christ will ultimately be redeemed from the presence of sin. While we can, by God’s grace, progressively overcome the power of sin during this life, we will not attain complete perfection until our bodies are fully redeemed and glorified (Rom 8:23). Then we will forever dwell, sin-free, in the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21:1-5). While gender distinctions will remain in eternity—we will still be male or female—human sexual expression was designed by God only for the current created order, where it serves as a symbol of the spiritual intimacy between Jesus and his bride, the Church (Eph 5:31-32). Once Jesus has been fully united with his bride, marriage and sexual expression, as we now know them, will be replaced with the higher pleasures and the perfect intimacy of the new creation (Matt 22:23-33).

Human Sexuality: Core Affirmations

Therefore, the Missionary Church, in faithfulness to the Scriptures, and in concert with historic Christian orthodoxy, affirms the following truths:

o We affirm that God’s intention for sex is that it adorn the institution of marriage—a sacred covenant between one man and one woman.

o We affirm that sex is a divine gift, given to seal the marriage covenant, and intended both for pleasure (Prov 5:18-19) and for procreation (Gen 1:28).

o We affirm that sex is part of the current order of creation, where it serves as a symbol of that glorious spiritual intimacy by which it will be subsumed in the new creation (Matt 22:23-33).

o We affirm that God intends heterosexual marriage to serve as a living symbol of the relationship between Jesus and his bride, the Church (Eph 5:31-32).

o We affirm that God declares all sex outside the boundaries of marriage—whether pre-marital or extramarital, whether heterosexual or homosexual—as sin.

o We affirm that sexual disorder is a universal human problem and that all sexual sin lies under the judgment of God.

o We affirm that God calls and empowers all Christians, whatever the nature of their sexual attraction, to moral purity and “holy sexuality.”

o We affirm that homosexuality is contrary to God’s original design for human flourishing and that homosexual behavior is clearly forbidden in the Scriptures.

o We affirm that homosexual marriage, even though it may be sanctioned by the State, remains forbidden by God.

o We affirm that gender is a divine gift, essential to both our humanity and personal identity.

o We affirm that God’s design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female, a distinction evident in physiological makeup of the human race.

o We affirm that gender identity is biologically (physiologically) determined, rather than being dependent on self-perception.

o We affirm that sexual sin—in whatever form it manifests itself—cannot efface the image of God. All human beings—whatever the precise nature of their sin—remain worthy of our compassion and respect, just as they remain the object of the lovingkindness of God (Rom 5:8).

o We affirm that God calls us to love sinners, even as we grieve for their sin.

o We affirm that all have sinned (Rom 3:23) and are in need of the redeeming and restorative grace of God.

o We affirm our confidence in the saving power of the gospel (Rom. 1:16) and the life transforming power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (2 Cor 3:18). God intends grace, rather than sin, to have the last word in the lives of his children. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:57).

— Adopted by the 2015 General Conference

 

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

(Gen 1:27)

Sexuality and Creation

The Bible begins its discussion of human sexuality in the book of Genesis with the account of Creation. Jesus himself rooted his teaching on marriage and divorce in Genesis 2, citing the creation account as both authoritative and forever binding (Matt 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9). The Apostle Paul reasoned likewise, anchoring his exhortations concerning Christian marriage in the specific language of Genesis 2:24 (Eph 5:31).

In Genesis 1-2 sexuality figures prominently in a larger conversation concerning God’s original intention for humankind—his crowning creative achievement. God, we are told, created human beings “male and female,” indicating that gender distinctions are part of the created order itself, not mere culturally conditioned artifacts. Gender supplies, then, an important component of what it means to be human.

Furthermore, gender distinctions prove essential for the fulfillment of God’s purposes for humanity. Indeed, the fulfillment of God’s initial mandate requires humankind to be both male and female. We read in Genesis 1:28: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.’” Obedience to this original divine directive would be impossible without God creating and blessing innate gender distinctions.

Gender enables the wonderful mix of likeness and difference that makes sexual intimacy and procreation possible. Gender and sex are both divine gifts, part of a finished creation that God pronounced “very good” (Gen 1:31). However puzzling and problematic human sexuality may have become—especially in our day—God did not intend it to be this way.

Sexuality is a divine blessing. God created human beings, not only for spiritual intimacy with himself, but also for an extraordinarily rich intimacy within marriage. We read in Genesis 2:24: “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Gen 2:24). This same truth we find underscored in the New Testament (Matt 19:4-6; Eph 5:31).

The creation account lays the foundation for a consistent and comprehensive theology of sexuality that will be developed throughout the rest of sacred Scripture. We may summarize the biblical understanding in brief: Human sexuality is a divine gift, by which human beings, created male and female, may experience within marriage a deep and multi-faceted union—one that is physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual—and fulfills the divine mandate to “be fruitful and increase in number” (Gen 1:28).

Before we conclude this overview of sexuality and creation, however, we should interject one important observation: while the Bible consistently celebrates the gift of marriage (Gen 2:18, 2:24; Prov 18:22, 19:14; 1 Cor 7:2; Heb 13:4), it also celebrates the gift of celibacy (Matt 19:10-12; 1 Cor 7:25-38). Both are divine blessings. Both provide a context for human flourishing.

Sexuality and the Fall

God’s initial created order was, indeed, “very good” (Gen 1:31), but the Fall changed everything. It disrupted, first of all, the spiritual intimacy that God intended human beings to enjoy with him. It disrupted, secondly, the intimacy that God intended us to enjoy within marriage, including its sexual dimension. In a word, since the Fall, our sexuality is broken. The Fall left no aspect of human nature or human experience uncorrupted. Human nature fell; and human sexuality fell with it.

It should come as no surprise, then, that we find such sexual disorder in the world. God’s original design for sex—that it thrive within the context of a marriage between one man and one woman—has been thwarted in countless ways. Pre-marital sex, co-habitation without marriage, adultery, pornography, and various forms of sexual abuse are rife in contemporary culture.

Sadly, we witness these disorders even in the church. On rare occasions, even some pastors have succumbed to sexual immorality. Sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy is but one of the more egregious signs of the depth and pervasiveness of human sin.

Disordered sexuality is not a uniquely contemporary problem. It was a plight in the biblical world as well. Many biblical passages clearly forbid particular sexual practices (Exod 20:14, 22:19; Lev 18, 20:10-21; Deut 22:13-30, 23:17-18; Matt 5:27-30; Mark 7:21-23; John 7:53-8:11; Acts 15:19-20; Rom 13:13; 1 Cor 5:11, 6:13, 6:18, 10:8; 2 Cor 12:21; Gal 5:19; Eph 5:3; Col 3:5-6; 1 Thess 4:3-5; Rev 2:20). Other texts catalogue the egregious consequences of disordered sexuality (Gen 19:1-29, 19:30-38; Num 25; 2 Sam 11-12; 2 Sam 13; 1 Kgs 11; Prov 2:16-19, 6:30-35).

From almost the beginning of the human story, God’s gift of sexuality—which he intended for our good—has been misused by us to our own detriment. Even the most illustrious Old Testament heroes—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon—practiced polygamy, though God originally intended marriage for one woman and one man. David himself was an adulterer. Biblical spirituality, in both its Old and New Testament manifestations, has been threatened with destruction by disordered sexual desire in its myriad forms.

We should not think, then, that our contemporary sexual chaos and confusion are somehow unique. They are evidence of the fallen human condition. Disordered sexuality is a problem both for believers and unbelievers. It is a problem for both men and women. It is a problem for those with both different-sex and same-sex attraction. Clearly disordered sexuality is a universal human problem.

But we currently find ourselves at a cultural crossroads. Two particular expressions of sexual disorder have come to occupy center stage in the contemporary debate on human sexuality, namely homosexuality and transgenderism. These have always been part of the fallen human condition, but the widespread clamor for their acceptance as morally appropriate lifestyle choices is unprecedented. It is incumbent upon the church, then, to think about such disorders—and those who wrestle with them—as deeply, biblically, and compassionately as possible.

Homosexuality

Homosexuality has become a hotly contested topic in recent years. Matters of great import hinge on this debate, including the nature of human sexuality and the nature of biblical authority. So we must think deeply and speak clearly to the issue. We are, however, called as Christians to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). That requires us to carefully navigate the narrow space between two different errors.

On the one hand, we cannot accept the growing cultural consensus regarding homosexuality. More and more people accept homosexual behavior as a valid personal choice, exempt from any kind of moral censure. Same-sex marriage is becoming commonplace. Increasingly, objection to homosexual practice—no matter how charitably expressed—is characterized as hateful and “homophobic.” We cannot simply adjust our theology to accommodate the changing moral climate. We must not exchange conventional “wisdom” for the truth of God’s Word.

On the other hand, we must not overreact. We cannot single out homosexual practice, as if it were uniquely subject to divine denunciation. Indeed, the Scriptures clearly indicate God’s disapproval of homosexual behavior (Gen 19:1-22; Judg 19:1-21; Lev 18:22, 20:13; Rom 1:24-28; 1 Cor 6:9-10; 1 Tim 1:10). But the Scriptures are equally clear about God’s disapproval of heterosexual immorality. (See previously cited Scriptures.) Sexual immorality of all kinds contradicts clear biblical teaching, distorts the divine gift of sexuality, and stands under the righteous judgment of a holy God. The Scriptures warn us: “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18), in whatever form that immorality may take.

While we find ourselves in the midst of a cultural debate on homosexual practice, we also find ourselves debating sexual orientation itself. Some see sexual orientation as a matter of biological determinism. People are prone to same-sex attraction because of genetics, they say. Others think that it is conditioned by initial sexual experiences. Still others think that same-sex attraction is purely voluntary.

At this point, thoughtful Christians may have more questions than answers. Human sexuality is a remarkably complex phenomenon with biological, psychological, emotional, and spiritual components. To explain same-sex attraction over-simplistically—as merely nature, merely nurture, or merely an act of the will—fails to do justice to sexuality’s complexity.

But we do know this: we live in a fallen world in which much is not as it was supposed to be. Disaster, disease, death—none of these accord with God’s original intent. They are part and parcel of a creation in “bondage to corruption” (Rom 8:21). In a fallen, disordered creation, it should come as no surprise that human desires become disordered, that sexual desire—which was designed to blissfully propel us toward sexual intimacy and procreation within marriage—gets bent out of shape. Some people, through no fault of their own, find themselves struggling with same-sex attraction. This fits with what we know about our fallen world and our falleness within it. Creation is broken, waiting to be restored. We are still waiting for Jesus to make “all things new” (Rev 21:5).

Nonetheless, we do not need to fully understand the origins of same-sex attraction to insist that God both demands and divinely enables obedience to his commands. The Bible clearly prohibits sex beyond the bounds of heterosexual marriage. So even if the Bible has little to say directly about sexual orientation, that is something of a moot point. What the Bible prohibits is sexual immorality. Sexual attraction is not the issue; sexual behavior is.

Transgenderism

Though God originally created two distinct and complementary sexes (Gen 1:27; Matt 19:4), a distinction evident in the physiological makeup of the human race, one of the effects of the Fall is that some persons experience gender confusion. They perceive their gender to differ psychologically from their gender biologically. This differs from the rare condition of intersexualism or hermaphroditism, conditions in which a person’s sex is biologically ambiguous—that is, a person possesses both male and female primary sexual traits. In the case of transgenderism, an individual’s sex is biologically clear but psychologically unclear. It is an issue, not of physiology, but of self-perception.

Recently, the American medical community has begun providing a range of treatment options for what is technically called “gender dysphoria,” including hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery. Many LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) advocates are seeking to normalize transgenderism, insisting that individuals have a right to define gender according to their self-perception, rather than according to their biological makeup. Furthermore, many public schools are encouraging parents and staff to validate the feelings of those with “gender dysphoria.”

Nonetheless, any understanding of gender as self-defined or self-determined stands in sharp opposition to the created order and to the Word of God. God, in his wisdom, made humankind “male and female” (Gen 1:27). That order, and each individual’s participation in it, must be valued and affirmed. Gender is an important component of human personhood and cannot be tampered with without individuals suffering untold harm.

How gender roles should be understood and appropriately expressed may vary from culture to culture, but gender itself remains rooted in Creation rather than culture. While gender embraces more than mere biology, it cannot be determined apart from it.

It is indeed tragic that the Fall has introduced biological anomalies like intersexuality into human experience. It is tragic that some individuals suffer from gender identity confusion. We look longingly for the liberation of creation from its current “bondage to corruption” (Rom 8:21) and the “redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23). In the meantime, we must show love and compassion to those struggling with gender identity confusion and invite them to share in the hope for wholeness held out in the gospel.

While we cannot condone the actions of those who seek to chemically or surgically alter their biologically indicated gender, we must sympathize with the profound “gender dysphoria” that inclines them to do so. Some of those who wrestle with this issue are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must embrace them in the bonds of Christian affection and fellowship, following the example of Jesus, of whom it was said: “A bruised reed he will not break” (Isa 42:3; Matt 12:20).

As believers, we are called to extend to our neighbors love and compassion. We are called to affirm the worth of every person as an image bearer of God. We are called to invite them into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Yet we also insist that individuals should not seek to alter their biologically indicated gender in order to align it with their gender as self-perceived.

Sexuality and Redemption (Present and Future)

Disordered sexuality remains a deep and pervasive problem, but God has provided a redemptive remedy in the gospel of Jesus Christ. God created us for wholeness as human beings—including sexual wholeness. This wholeness, so tragically distorted by sin, can be restored by God’s grace. Our fallen sexuality can be redeemed in Christ.

We can be redeemed from the penalty of sin. Jesus bore all of our sins on the cross. Christ died for those with same-sex attraction and gender confusion just as he died for those of us whose lives are sexually broken in other ways (Rom 3:23). There is no sin, sexual or otherwise, that cannot be forgiven by God for those who trust in Jesus (1 Cor 6:9-11). When we are in Christ, sin’s penalty is cancelled. Our true identity, then, is found in Christ, not in sexual attraction.

We can now also be redeemed from the power of sin. God’s moral demands are impossible to meet in our own strength. But Jesus breaks the power of cancelled sin. With the divine aid of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit, God’s grace enables those who follow Jesus to live lives of moral purity and holy sexuality. This does not mean that grace necessarily eliminates the desire for sexual expressions God has ruled out of bounds. It does not mean, for example, that God will necessarily eliminate a person’s same-sex attraction or gender confusion. God has clearly forbidden adultery, and yet the Scriptures and Christian experience make clear that Christians still wrestle with adulterous desires. Temptation to sin remains a characteristic feature of the Christian life. But while temptation may be inevitable, succumbing to temptation is not (1 Cor 10:13). God provides us freedom from sin’s enslavement (Rom 6:6). But, as followers of Christ, in order to experience this freedom, we must continue to resist the dangerous undertow of our sinful nature (Gal 5:17; Col 3:5). We are enabled to resist the power of sin, sexual and otherwise, as we walk in the Spirit sustained by God’s strength (Gal 5:16; Phil 4:13).

Those in Christ will ultimately be redeemed from the presence of sin. While we can, by God’s grace, progressively overcome the power of sin during this life, we will not attain complete perfection until our bodies are fully redeemed and glorified (Rom 8:23). Then we will forever dwell, sin-free, in the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21:1-5). While gender distinctions will remain in eternity—we will still be male or female—human sexual expression was designed by God only for the current created order, where it serves as a symbol of the spiritual intimacy between Jesus and his bride, the Church (Eph 5:31-32). Once Jesus has been fully united with his bride, marriage and sexual expression, as we now know them, will be replaced with the higher pleasures and the perfect intimacy of the new creation (Matt 22:23-33).

Human Sexuality: Core Affirmations

Therefore, the Missionary Church, in faithfulness to the Scriptures, and in concert with historic Christian orthodoxy, affirms the following truths:

o We affirm that God’s intention for sex is that it adorn the institution of marriage—a sacred covenant between one man and one woman.

o We affirm that sex is a divine gift, given to seal the marriage covenant, and intended both for pleasure (Prov 5:18-19) and for procreation (Gen 1:28).

o We affirm that sex is part of the current order of creation, where it serves as a symbol of that glorious spiritual intimacy by which it will be subsumed in the new creation (Matt 22:23-33).

o We affirm that God intends heterosexual marriage to serve as a living symbol of the relationship between Jesus and his bride, the Church (Eph 5:31-32).

o We affirm that God declares all sex outside the boundaries of marriage—whether pre-marital or extramarital, whether heterosexual or homosexual—as sin.

o We affirm that sexual disorder is a universal human problem and that all sexual sin lies under the judgment of God.

o We affirm that God calls and empowers all Christians, whatever the nature of their sexual attraction, to moral purity and “holy sexuality.”

o We affirm that homosexuality is contrary to God’s original design for human flourishing and that homosexual behavior is clearly forbidden in the Scriptures.

o We affirm that homosexual marriage, even though it may be sanctioned by the State, remains forbidden by God.

o We affirm that gender is a divine gift, essential to both our humanity and personal identity.

o We affirm that God’s design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female, a distinction evident in physiological makeup of the human race.

o We affirm that gender identity is biologically (physiologically) determined, rather than being dependent on self-perception.

o We affirm that sexual sin—in whatever form it manifests itself—cannot efface the image of God. All human beings—whatever the precise nature of their sin—remain worthy of our compassion and respect, just as they remain the object of the lovingkindness of God (Rom 5:8).

o We affirm that God calls us to love sinners, even as we grieve for their sin.

o We affirm that all have sinned (Rom 3:23) and are in need of the redeeming and restorative grace of God.

o We affirm our confidence in the saving power of the gospel (Rom. 1:16) and the life transforming power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (2 Cor 3:18). God intends grace, rather than sin, to have the last word in the lives of his children. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:57).

— Adopted by the 2015 General Conference

 

A biblical response to racism begins with the understanding that we are all one human race (Acts 17:26). All human beings are created by God and bear his image and his likeness equally (Gen 1:26-27, 5:1, 9:6). While the Bible does not provide us with a concept of race in the scientific anthropological sense of the term, it does speak to the various divisions among people groups, ethnicities, and cultures, and is well acquainted with the realities of disharmony and alienation that exist along these lines.

Scripture teaches us that this alienation is a direct result of the fall, where sin initially entered our world through our first parents (Gen 3:14-24). This led to envy and strife (Gen 4:8-16), the radical corruption of our hearts being bent toward evil (Gen 6:5-6), and widespread division among people (Gen 11:1-9). We understand the sin of racism as a specific form of alienation from the fall. It can be defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism toward a person of a different race based upon the belief that one’s own race is superior. Racism is a pervasive evil that disparages other image bearers on the basis of differences in physical appearance, cultural practice, or certain behavioral traits that correspond to such differences. It is a sin that divides both humanity and the church. And like other sins, it can be both intentional and unintentional and come in forms of both commission and omission (Jas 4:17; Lev 4:27).

Insofar as racism violates the image of God in a person, it is first and foremost a sin against God (Gen 9:6; Ps 51:4). We are all equally bearers of God’s image, and to be prejudiced against another image bearer is an affront against what God has created. Yet racism is also a sin against our neighbor. In the Old Testament, God revealed his intention to bless every nation and people on earth through Abraham’s offspring (Gen 12:3, 22:18). The New Testament also urges us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31), and to honor the image of God in our fellow persons (Jas 3:9; 1 John 4:20).

When it comes to a cure for racism, Scripture reminds us that the mind “set on the flesh is hostile to God” (Rom 8:7). With this mind we cannot submit to God’s law in our own power. Only by being united with Christ in his death can the power of sin be broken — and this includes the sin of racism (Rom 6:6-7). Christ himself is our peace, having broken down in his flesh the dividing walls of hostility among different ethnicities, cultures, and races (Acts 2:1-11; Eph 2:14; Col 3:11). His redemption makes a new creation (Gal 6:15; 2 Cor 5:17). Scripture calls believers to be transformed by the renewal of their minds, to set their minds on the Spirit, and to regard no one according to the flesh (Rom 12:2, 8:6; 2 Cor 5:16). We are urged not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Rom 12:3), and to avoid showing partiality in our churches (Jas 2:1-4; Acts 10:34-35). Racism not only violates the image of God, but it also denies the truth of the gospel that all believers are one in Spirit and have been baptized into one body (John 17:22-23; 1 Cor 12:12-13; Gal:3:28).

Jesus plainly says that the work of the gospel in the lives of his disciples will inevitably bear much fruit (John 15:8). It is worth noting that Jesus explained and illustrated neighbor love with a parable featuring persons of different ethnicities (Luke 10:25-37). In his own earthly ministry, he himself crossed barriers of gender, class and ethnicity in his encounter with the Samaritan woman (John 4:7-42). Furthermore, in the early church we see the Holy Spirit confronting cultural and ethnic divisions, bringing about gospel reconciliation (Acts 6:1-7, 10:1-22). Scripture clearly and repeatedly calls God’s people to treat those of a different appearance, background, language group, ethnicity, or culture with respect, love, dignity and care — modeling true unity before the world (John 13:34-35, 17:21; Rom 12:5; Phil 2:2-3).

We reject as unbiblical any theory that would assign guilt or innocence, superiority or inferiority, on the basis of skin color alone. God has created us as a rational, moral people who are both capable of making choices and being held responsible for those choices. Scripture teaches that no sin is inevitable and only one sin is unpardonable — racism is neither. We call upon the Missionary Church to first and foremost think biblically about the sin of racism.

Like many North American denominations, we recognize that the Missionary Church has a somewhat complicated history on the subject of race. With historical beginnings in the late nineteenth century resulting in a 1969 merger, our roots reveal a mixed record. Early publications from our forbearers often reflected an indifference regarding racial issues. When addressed, our approach toward racial injustice was often patronizing and at times resorted to stereotyping. We were both reserved and late to offer condemnation of Jim Crow laws or explicitly racist groups. One of our denominational schools even prohibited interracial dating and marriage. Stated plans to more intentionally and effectively embrace minority groups were not well received, much less carried out. In short, our history reveals that the Missionary Church has tended to drift along with our culture on this issue. The numerical growth of Latino brothers and sisters within our denomination more recently has been a tremendous blessing. The Missionary Church must intentionally and consistently address any sense of disconnectedness and second-class status in our regional and national meetings. Our denomination has much to learn about developing ministries in urban, inner-city, and non-Anglo communities across the nation. Our church planting strategies have historically reflected a tendency to start new works where there has been the greatest interest (and perceived potential to be successful) — not necessarily where there was the greatest need. We not only lament the legacy of every form of racism in our world, but we also acknowledge the presence of historical failures and ongoing shortcomings within our own denomination.

When it comes to a sin like racism, it is important to note that Scripture distinguishes between sin’s guilt and its corruption. Culpability for sin is personal, but corruption can be corporate (Rom 3:10-12, 8:20-21). Some within the Missionary Church may be personally guilty of the sin of racism and have an obligation to seek repentance. Others may simply live in the midst of the corruption of this particular sin and be inheritors of a mixed record. We challenge everyone to examine their own hearts and ask the Lord to reveal any hidden faults (Ps 19:12-14). We also understand that when damage done by previous generations remains unaddressed or unresolved, such damage needs to be repaired and such wrong needs to be righted. Scripture presents several biblical precedents for corporate repentance when not every individual involved was personally guilty (2 Chr 6:24-39; Neh 9:33; Matt 23:31; Rev 2:13-16). Even if one is not directly culpable for specific past sins, repenting of corporate or historical sins can be an expression of regret and a form of public disavowal (Dan 9:3-15). As recipients of the Missionary Church’s heritage, we acknowledge and lament these sins — and where appropriate, we confess such sins personally. Furthermore, we unequivocally renounce any statutes, systems, or structures in our world that would strip individuals of their image bearer status based on prejudice against skin color, ethnicity, language group, or cultural background.

We know that the church will one day worship as a great multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-cultural assembly (Isa 2:1-4; Zech 8:23; Heb 12:22-23; Rev 7:9-10). This picture of the heavenly state, where every tribe, tongue and nation gathers to worship God (Heb 12:18-24), should be reflected in our earthly state (1 Pet 2:9-10). We therefore express our desire to mature in our racial diversity and harmony as brothers and sisters in the Missionary Church. Toward that end we furthermore call upon local churches, regions, and our entire denomination to recognize that from the earliest days of the church God has gifted and called a diverse group of leaders in order that they may raise up a similarly diverse and beautiful bride (Acts 13:1). We live and minister in the bright light of this first-century biblical example. We wholeheartedly affirm our partnership in the gospel and our equal standing together before the Lord — all purchased with the precious blood of Christ. Our prayer is that the Missionary Church will grow as a unified and diverse community of equal image bearers who are being increasingly conformed to the image of God’s Son (John 17:21; Rom 8:29).

— Adopted by the 2021 General Conference