TCCC Statement Concerning Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

With a firm reliance on the applicability of the Holy Scriptures¹ to every area of life², Tri-City Covenant Church affirms the following:

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God³. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God in that person.⁴

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union⁵, as delineated in Scripture.⁶ We believe that God intends and commands sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other.⁷

We believe that His design for human marriage is actually derived from God’s grander antecedent design for the union of Christ and His Church.⁸ We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Condoning such behavior would be a denial and refutation of our Church’s identity and mission.⁹

We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God¹⁰ and subject to His negative sanctions.¹¹

We believe that in order to preserve the functional integrity of Tri-City Covenant Church and Tri-City Christian Academy as a local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to Tri-City Covenant Church members and Tri-City Christian Academy students as well as to the surrounding community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Tri-City Covenant Church or Tri-City Christian Academy in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers or potential role models to members or students in any way, abide by this statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality.¹² 

We further believe that God graciously offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin and seek His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.¹³ We support the efforts of Christian ministries and professionals who work to assist individuals overcome temptations to sexual immorality and to guide them towards godly restoration.¹⁴

We therefore believe that each person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity as bearer’s of God’s image, however flawed that image-bearing may be, and as potential members of Christ’s Redeemed Humanity – even if they may not agree with this statement.¹⁵ Hateful, provocative, and harassing behavior and attitudes towards any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture or the doctrines of Tri-City Covenant Church or Christian Academy. Rather, a posture of sincere humility¹⁶ is required in communicating and enforcing the requirements of God’s law.

It is the prayerful intent of Tri-City Covenant Church’s governing leadership that our Church and Christian school be known in our community more for our personal compassion towards our neighbors in need of God’s grace and mercy, than for our positions and policies, however correct these may be.¹⁷ This preeminent desire, however, shall not be realized by compromising these stated positions and policies.

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¹ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: II Timothy 3:16

² IV. The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, depends not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God. –Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter I, Paragraph 4

³ And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. –Genesis 1:26 & 27

⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. –Matthew 5:14-16

⁵ Marriage is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband, at the same time. –Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter XXIV, Paragraph 1

⁶ And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And 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. 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. –Genesis 2:18-25

⁷ Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. –I Corinthians 6:18-20

Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. –I Corinthians 7:2-5

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. –Hebrews 13:4

⁸ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. –Ephesians 5:31 & 32

⁹ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. –Matthew 28:18-20

¹⁰ But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. –Matthew 15:18-20

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. –I Corinthians 6:9 & 10

¹¹ But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: –Deuteronomy 28:15

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. –Galatians 6:7

¹² Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. –Philippians 2:14-16

Abstain from all appearance of evil. –I Thessalonians 5:22

¹³ Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. –Acts 3:19-21

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. –Romans 10:9 & 10

¹⁴ Brethern, if any of you do err from the truth, and one converteth him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. –James 5:19-20

¹⁵ And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. –Mark 12:28-31

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. –Luke 6:31

¹⁶ And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. –I Corinthians 6:11

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. –Psalm 130:3 & 4

¹⁷ And of some have compassion, making a difference: –Jude 22