Marriage and the Family

Lakewood Baptist Church believes that marriage and the family are divine institutions established by God from the very beginning of the human race or creation. We believe that they are institutions that are to be regulated by His specific commands and provisions. We reject the notion that marriage and the family are social constructs, and that they are therefore subject to regulation by societal conventions or norms. As such, we affirm and support the following:

Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman for a lifetime. (Genesis 2:24-25; Romans 7:1-3; Matthew 19:3-10)
Intimate sexual relations are Biblically legitimate only between a man and a woman who are bound together by marriage. Pre-marital and extra marital intimate relationships are condemned by Scripture as sinful practices that will come under the judgment of God (Matthew 19:9).
Sexual relations between members of the same sex and sexual relations with animals are condemned by Scripture and were originally under the sentence of capital punishment (Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:24-28; 1 Corinthians 6:9).
In the marriage relationship the husband and the wife play different roles that are equal and complimentary (Ephesians 5:21-23).
v. 21 equal roles, neither being superior or inferior.
v. 22-24 wives are to submit to their husbands since God has tasked the men with the headship of the home and marriage relationship. The illustration is that of the church being subject to Christ in all things.
v.25-33 husbands are to love their wives self-sacrificially placing the well-being of the wife before their own needs. The illustration is that of Christ giving His life for the church that He might affect her redemption.
Marriage forms the basic building block of a society, and God's design in marriage is the growth and development of both of the marriage partners (Genesis 2:18-25).
A family consists of a husband, wife and children living together under the same roof.
An extended group of related individuals can also classify as a family when living together.
The God-intended purpose for the family is to raise up godly children who will be rightly related to God and will fulfill His purposes (Malachi 2:15).

Lakewood Baptist Church rejects as un-Biblical and unacceptable any and all attempts to redefine the institution of marriage, or of the family, to fit into the political, religious or personal agendas of those movements which seek to recast them in light of modern appetites. God's design has stood since the very beginning as the foundation of societies as the world has known them, and changes to the Creator's design spells disaster for any nation that would change them.

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