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The Biblical Example
"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:26-27
"And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." - Genesis 2:22-25
"For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." - Romans 3:22-25
"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." - Romans 1:22-27
"And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." - Genesis 2:22-25
"For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." - Romans 3:22-25
"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." - Romans 1:22-27
The Picture at LCC
At LCC, we celebrate the dignity and value of each child of God and affirm that all are welcome in the Kingdom of God provided that they confess and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. In matters of church practice, we continue to strive toward a gracious and loving posture that does not compromise our commitment to teaching and modeling the truth we find in Scripture.
All have sinned, and none are righteous of their own merit (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10). There are many forms of sexual sin and/or brokenness, including (but not limited to) lust, pornography, adultery, homosexuality, lewdness, fornication, vanity, sexual violence or harassment, discrimination, and shame. Therefore, we humbly acknowledge that all people, including those who have experienced sexual intimacy only in the confines of biblical marriage (as defined in the marriage distinctive), are fallen, and are awaiting full restoration in Heaven.
We know that human sexuality and sexual expression can be a divisive topic in our society. For the purpose of fostering unity and compassion, we have established these guidelines to help us live out God’s calling in both truth and love.
All have sinned, and none are righteous of their own merit (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10). There are many forms of sexual sin and/or brokenness, including (but not limited to) lust, pornography, adultery, homosexuality, lewdness, fornication, vanity, sexual violence or harassment, discrimination, and shame. Therefore, we humbly acknowledge that all people, including those who have experienced sexual intimacy only in the confines of biblical marriage (as defined in the marriage distinctive), are fallen, and are awaiting full restoration in Heaven.
We know that human sexuality and sexual expression can be a divisive topic in our society. For the purpose of fostering unity and compassion, we have established these guidelines to help us live out God’s calling in both truth and love.
- Anyone is welcome to attend services at LCC regardless of their sexual orientation or sexual activity (provided that it is not illegal, predatory, dangerous, or harmful to our church body), and as long as they are willing to not actively promote a set of values counter to those held by the local congregation.
- To be an official member of LCC, it is necessary to agree with and strive to live out the biblical values described in our statement on sexuality no matter how imperfectly. We expect members to express a desire for and willingness to pursue God-honoring ways to embody and express their sexuality.
- Teachers, leaders, and any official representative of the LCC community must promote a biblical view of sexuality as described in this statement. Public advocacy for any form of sexual brokenness is not appropriate for a leader or teacher in our church body.
- We expect LCC members to treat every individual with the love, kindness, respect, and dignity they deserve as those created in the image of God (Luke 6:31, Mark 12:28-31), regardless of their sexual identity, history, or orientation.