AFFIRMING GOD’S GIFT OF MARRIAGE by Pastor Thomas Goodroad

Because the month of June has been proclaimed and widely celebrated in our communities as “Pride Month” that seeks to confess what the world believes about marriage, we as your pastors wanted to prepare a statement that affirms what God’s Word teaches, and therefore what we believe, teach, and confess, about God’s gift of marriage. This is that statement. Our intent with this statement is to
proclaim that, out of the many and various ways He blesses us, marriage is among the chief blessings which God has bestowed upon us (Psalm 127, 128; Proverbs 31: 10-31).

We, the undersigned pastors, confess boldly and confidently, in unity of faith and in fellowship with one another, God’s good gift of marriage as it is taught in the Holy Bible, which is God’s Word breathed out by the Holy Spirit. In order to uplift and extol this blessing from God and to teach those who God has put under our watch as His undershepherds, we publicly recognize and uphold that the following
points are taught in God’s Word and therefore are unequivocally true and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3: 16):

I. Marriage is an institution created by God for humans before the fall into sin (Genesis 2: 24; Matthew 19: 4-6).

II. Because it comes from our God, who alone is holy Himself (Revelation 15:4), and because it was instituted before the fall, marriage is itself a very good and holy institution (Genesis 1: 31) in the eyes of God. Marriage should therefore be held in honor by all (Hebrews 13: 4)

III. Marriage is defined by God as one man leaving his father and mother and holding fast to his wife, the two becoming one flesh (Genesis 2: 24). This alone is marriage in the eyes of God. All other unions are therefore definitively outside of God’s Will (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18; Romans 1: 26-28; I Timothy 1: 8-
11).

IV. Marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:25-32). Because it is the role of the Church to submit to Christ (Ephesians 5: 24) and Christ took upon Himself the role of Redeemer of the Church and gave himself up for it (Ephesians 5: 23, 25), it is the God-given role of wives to submit to their own
husbands as to the Lord (I Corinthians 7: 1-5; Ephesians 5: 22, Colossians 3:18; Titus 2: 3-5; I Peter 3: 1-6) and of husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5: 25-30), giving themselves up for them, loving them (I Corinthians 7: 1-5; Ephesians 5: 25; Colossians 3: 18), and living with
them in an understanding way (I Peter 3: 7).

V. Marriage is given to us by God for the primary purpose of fulfilling God’s blessing and command to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1: 28; 8: 13-17) and for the secondary purpose of companionship and mutual uplifting (Genesis 2: 18, 23-24; Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10; Isaiah 62: 5; I Corinthians 7: 2-5).
Because the above points are found and taught clearly in the Holy Bible, we as His people are bound by our faith to believe them and hold to them as the inspired Word of God over and against all teachings found elsewhere.

Signed, the following pastors of the Lincoln South Circuit
Rev. Ron Benson Rev. Tom E. Goodroad Rev. Adam S. Moline
Rev. Jeffrey Bloom Rev. Andrew Greer Rev. David Muench
Rev. Art Brinkmeyer Rev. John Kunze Rev. Clint K. Poppe
Rev. Keith Burk Rev. Dustin Lappe Rev. Verdell Schramm
Rev. Tim Gall Rev. David Loeschen Rev. Maynard L Toensing, Jr.