Overture 28

On Pastoral Counsel for Sexual Sin—From the Presbytery of Redstone.

The Presbytery of Redstone overtures the 217th General Assembly (2006) to declare the following:

Recognizing the clear biblical teaching on sexuality and its own long history of upholding a standard of fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman and chastity in singleness, the assembly urges our pastors, elders, and all those who serve in ministries of discipleship to offer pastoral counsel and support toward repentance, forgiveness, and new life in Christ to all those struggling, sometimes failing, to live a life in accordance with biblical standards, and further,

We direct that the materials produced by our national offices reflect both the standard of fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman and chastity in singleness, and God’s readiness to forgive and restore every person through Christ, and further,

That our national offices not encourage governing bodies at any level to recognize as legitimate or confer to couples of either same-sex or opposite sex, domestic partnerships or civil unions, the same rights and benefits as those men and women living in a covenant marital relationship as defined by our confessions and the Bible.

Rationale

Reformed people hold very basic beliefs both about God’s standards of holiness and about God’s tender mercies and readiness to forgive. John Calvin wrote that as we cross the threshold of the Christian Church our first experience is with God’s forgiveness. We are, each one, broken, and in need of a Savior.

As our Confession of 1967 says, our time in history is characterized by sexual confusion and anarchy. Our culture is replete with messages and pressures to abandon biblical sexual standards. Even in the church, the voices are often mixed in the conflict between those who are committed to upholding and those who are committed to changing the church’s historical understanding of God’s will for blessing in sexual expression. As a consequence, many Christians fall into sexual temptations and practices that do not honor God.

As much as we acknowledge the harm of living outside God’s will, we also rejoice that the life-changing power of God and the desire of God to redeem us, forgive us, and restore us is at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As his disciples, we are called to love each other and care for each other, and especially to care for those among us who fall into sin. Scripture teaches us to lead our erring brothers and sisters gently to repentance and a knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim. 2:25)