God created us as males and females. Our sexes compliment each other for the blessing of bearing children. God also made us complementary in spirit, so that we help and complete each another through God’s gift of marriage (Genesis 2:20-24). The only God-pleasing expression of sexual attraction, love, and physical joining occurs within marriage.

The Bible teaches that God has condemned many kinds of sexual thought and behavior as sinful. Of all the sins we commit against God and other people, this kind of sin is also against ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

Any lustful sexual desire for a man or a woman, apart from a husband and wife within marriage, is sinful (Matthew 5:27-28). Physical sex with anyone outside of the union of a husband and wife within marriage is sinful (Exodus 20:14). Because a husband and wife become one flesh in marriage, divorce is sinful. God desires the reconciliation of troubled marriages, but an innocent party may remarry if the marriage was broken by the sin of adultery (Matthew 19:3-9).

God condemns all homosexual attraction, love, and physical contact (Romans 1:26-27). Scripture does not teach that homosexuality is a normal or natural condition. Scripture teaches that marriage is only between one man and one woman, therefore homosexual marriage is neither natural nor God-pleasing.

We all are born with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5). Throughout life we learn various ways to sin. All kinds of sexual sins proceed from our corrupt nature and God condemns them all (1 Corinthians 6:9). The Church must proclaim this Law to our permissive world, so that people caught in sexual sins will hear the truth and repent. God forgives all who repent and believe in Jesus. More important, the Church must help those who have turned from sexual sin and encourage them as they resume a God-pleasing life.