Rev. 1.19.2021
Our confession, the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, in summarizing the teaching of Scripture, clearly affirms in chapter 25, paragraph 1 that “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.” It seems necessary because of the present widespread degradation of sexual morality in our culture to state our views of this matter more specifically and formally.
- We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning, and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one genetic male and one genetic female in a single, exclusive, covenantal union, as delineated in Scripture.
- We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between one genetic male and one genetic female who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a genetic male and a genetic female.
- We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexual conduct, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, any use of pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s genetic sex, is sinful and offensive to God.
- We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
- We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the church.
- We believe, nevertheless, in spite of the kindness to be shown to sinners, impenitence in the aforementioned sins is inconsistent with a Christian’s biblical profession of faith and conduct. Therefore, any prospective or current student of CBTS must not profess belief or impenitently act in a manner incompatible with the 1689 Confession and the above statements at the risk of denial of entry or expulsion. Any prospective or current employee of CBTS will forfeit employment eligibility if they profess belief or impenitently act in a manner incompatible with the 1689 Confession and any of the above statements.
Major portions of Scripture from which these beliefs are drawn are as follows: Genesis 1:27-28; Genesis 2:18-25; Exodus 20:14; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; Ephesians 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4.
This statement has been adapted from Section 2 of the constitution of our host church, Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. For further exposition of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary’s views on sexuality, including affirmations and denials, please see the Nashville Statement. (https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement)
May God help us as we seek to remain faithful to Him in proclaiming His truth in this generation.
The Lord Reigns,
John Miller, Chairman of the Board
Jim Savastio, Board Member
Mike Spickard, Board Member
Mike Waters, Board Member
Christopher Sheffield, Board Member
Ron Miller, Board Member
Ben Carlson, Board Member
Tom Hicks, Board Member
Jorge Rodriguez, Board Member
John Divito, Board Member
Jon Hueni, Board Member
Fred Malone, Board Member
Sam Waldron, President and Academic Dean
Rex Semrad, Dean of Students and Director of Administration
CBTS Faculty fully subscribe to the 1689 Confession of Faith, hold an advanced
degree in their field of instruction, and possess significant pastoral experience.
