Cleveland, TN–The Executive Committee of the Church of God, meeting in session on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, released a statement affirming marriage.
The statement, entitled “Affirmation of Marriage” was passed by the Executive Committee, led by General Overseer Mark L. Williams, David Griffis, first assistant general overseer, J. David Stephens, second assistant, Wallace Sibley, third assistant, and M. Thomas Propes, secretary general.
AFFIRMATION OF MARRIAGE
The Church of God, since its inception, has always believed in “the whole Bible rightly divided.” This belief has its foundation in the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” The teaching of the apostle Paul found in 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (NKJV).
The Holy Scripture is very plain and poignant concerning marriage and God’s commandments to what constitutes a marriage in His sight. Jesus stated in Mark 10:6-8, “But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.” (NKJV). Paul would reiterate this teaching of Jesus in Ephesians 5:31 by stating, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.” (NKJV).
In the entirety of Scripture, there are no cases found anywhere that cite examples of same-sex marriage, but, on the contrary, throughout Scripture, sexual relationships between individuals of the same sex is condemned and often judged by God. (Genesis 19:13; Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; I Kings 14:24, 15:12, 22:46; 2 Kings 23:7; Romans 1:24-32)
The Church of God is committed to the winning of the lost to Christ as found in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), and we affirm our love and compassion for all men and women, understanding that all of us were once in the bondage of sin and in need of redemption as so profoundly stated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionist will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (NKJV).
The Church of God affirms its position based upon the teachings of Holy Scripture that marriage is, and only can be, the union of one man and one woman in the bonds of holy matrimony as stated by Jesus Christ in Mark 10:6-9: “But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate” (NKJV).
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To download the above affirmation as a PDF document, go to www.churchofgod.org [1] and click on the graphic.