Statement of
Concern regarding the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage
“When the foundations are being
destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord
is on His heavenly throne.” (Psalms 11:3-4a)
The Scriptures, the Old and the
New Testaments, must be the only and final Word in the matters of faith,
doctrine and conduct. This is the very fundamental principle of the Baptists in its
history and tradition. Baptists read the Old Testament from the perspective of
the New Testament and especially in the light of Jesus’ teachings. This means
that any practice, doctrine and conduct that it is against the Bible and Jesus’
teachings are not to be accepted or practiced.
In a day and age when
same-sex marriage and homosexuality divide our society, it is more important
than ever that the Church stand strong on the Word of God. The Church must be a
place where the Truth of God’s Word is preached as much as the Love of God is
shown. It is a must that the Ministers of the Gospel and all Christians show
love for all men and women, thus being to proclaim the Truth and to show to all
people the way of God for holiness and purity is the greatest proof of Love.
Because salvation, healing, hope and restoration are found only in the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, through His Name, His Blood and His Word.
We are at the crossroad of
history and we do have to decide whom we will serve and follow. We will be known today
and in the next generations, if we have been standing for Truth or if we have compromised
our message to pleasing men and following society.
Because the Bible is clear
and consistent regarding the authority of God and Holy Scripture in addition to
its clarity on homosexuality and sin, we acknowledge the following to be true:
Whereas,
the Bible, our Superior and Ultimate Constitution declares that “God
created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and
female He created them” (Genesis
1:27). The sex is determined by God’s creation. The Creator made them
male and female to be suitable partners for each other. Marriage is the
exclusive union of a man and a woman. This is the relationship that God created
at the beginning of Creation. This is the way God constituted the family and
the children are naturally the fruits of that union.
23 “And Adam said, This is
now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because
she was taken out of Man. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father
and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
(Genesis 2:23-24)
“4And He answered and said
to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning
"made them male and female, 5and said, "For this reason a
man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two
shall become one flesh'? 6So then, they are no longer two but one
flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."”
(Mathew 19:4-6)
Whereas,
the Bible teaches that God does not change and Jesus taught that He is the
fulfillment of the Law and that God’s Laws do not change.
“I the LORD do not
change.” (Malachi 3:6)
17"Do not think that I
have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them
but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth
disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any
means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone
who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the
same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and
teaches these commands will be called great in the Kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew
5:17–19)
Whereas,
the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin that is unacceptable in God’s
eyes, and the Bible also teaches us that a person living a life of unrepentant
sin will keep him or her from the Kingdom of heaven.
“ 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a
woman; that is detestable.” (Leviticus 18:22)
“If a man lies with a man
as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.”
(Leviticus 20:13)
“25They
exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things
rather than the Creator--Who is forever praised. Amen. 26Because of
this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural
relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also
abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one
another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves
the due penalty for their perversion. (Romans 1: 25–27)
“7As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the
cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over
to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (Jude 1:7)
9Do you
not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male
prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy
nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”(1
Corinthians 6:9–10)
Whereas,
the Bible teaches us that a Christian Minister must live, teach and preach
faithfully the Word of God in all ways. And as the Bible also clearly teaches
us the sinfulness of the homosexual relationship, it is unacceptable that
homosexual people exercise the Ministry of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“1This is a faithful saying:
If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2A bishop then must be
blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior,
hospitable, able to teach.” (I Timothy 3:1-2)
“12Let no one despise your
youth but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in
spirit, in faith, in purity.” (I Timothy 4:12)
“5For this reason I left you
in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint
elders in every city as I commanded you-- 6if a man is blameless, the
husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or
insubordination. 7For a bishop must be
blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given
to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8but hospitable, a lover of
what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9holding fast the faithful
Word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to
exhort and convict those who contradict.” (Titus 1:5-9)
Whereas,
we believe that everyone is free to choose the lifestyle they want according to
their convictions, as well we are free not to accept it. It is not
discrimination to call the homosexual relationship as an abomination or sin.
That is what God calls it in His word. Also He calls it immoral, detestable and
a perversion. We are not to keep company or associate with anyone named a
brother or a sister who is sexually immoral, unless they repent and abandon
their wicked ways.
“ 9I wrote to you in my
epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10Yet I certainly did not
mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or
extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
11But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone
named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a
reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner -- not even to eat with such a
person. 12For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do
you not judge those who are inside? 13But God judges those who
are outside. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil
person." (I
Corinthians 5:9-13)
“7Let the wicked forsake his way, and
the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have
mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)
“20Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of
his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (James
5:20)
“9If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
Whereas,
the General Board of the American Baptist Churches adopted in October, 1992 the
following resolution on homosexuality: “We affirm that the practice of
homosexuality is incompatible with Christian Teaching.” And in June
1.984 the General Board of the American Baptist Churches adopted the following
Policy Statement on Family Life, in which, regarding marriage, declares: “We
affirm that God intends marriage to be a monogamous, life-long, one flesh of a
woman and a man, who in response to God’s call leave father and mother and
cleave to one another. We affirm God’s blessing and active presence in marriage
relationships so entered in response to God’s call.”
Whereas,
we believe in the traditional Baptist principles of church autonomy and
association: the autonomy of a church must be kept in all circumstances, but
that autonomy shall not harm the associational principle when the Word of God
is not respected. Our differences of opinions shall be respected, but not
opinions that compromise the Word of God and the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Baptist polity must never be more important than the Bible, moreover,
when the churches, per example, through the General Board, adopts resolutions
and policy statements according to the Word of God we have the duty do uphold
them, because the Bible is the Book that ultimately must hold us together.
“8But even if we or an angel
from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let
him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say
again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted,
let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:8-9)
“16All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (II Timothy 3:16)
Therefore,
we call upon the Board of Directors of The American Baptist Churches of
Massachusetts to acknowledge and affirm that:
1.
The Bible is the inerrant and authoritative Word of God.
2.
Homosexuality is not compatible with Christian living and
Christian ministry.
3.
Marriage is to be exclusively between a man and a woman in a
monogamous life long relationship.
4.
Premarital, adulterous and homosexual relationships are
inconsistent with biblical teaching and also, according to the Bible, sexual
abstinence is to be maintained by the unmarried.
5.
There is a desperate need to develop and maintain special
ministries for people who struggle with homosexuality and any sin, knowing that
there is healing and restoration, not only forgiveness, through the Blood that
Jesus Christ shed on the Cross and through the Power of His resurrection.
Worcester January 5th, 2005
Document
approved unanimously by the members of World Outreach Evangelical Community to
be presented at the 2005 Annual Gathering of TABCOM – The American Baptist
Churches of Massachusetts
Rev.
Josimar Salum-Gouvea
475 Burncoat St. - Worcester, MA 01606
