A friend sent me the Nashville Statement. A coalition for Biblical sexuality met to draft a statement on marriage and sexuality.

The statement does a good job of promoting marriage as between one man and one woman and of denying that homosexuality or transgenderism are consistent with God’s purposes in creation. They also distinguish between desire and immorality.

You can read the statement and see what you think. CLICK HERE TO SEE IT ().

There are fourteen points and the first thirteen cover sexuality, the point of the coalition.

However, Article 14 is off the mark. Here is what it says:

WE AFFIRM that Christ Jesus has come into the world to save sinners and that through Christ’s death and resurrection forgiveness of sins and eternal life are available to every person who repents of sin and trusts in Christ alone as Savior, Lord, and supreme treasure.

WE DENY that the Lord’s arm is too short to save or that any sinner is beyond his reach.

While I understand that they are trying to relate the gospel to homosexuality, transgenderism, and so forth, they sadly stick in Lordship Salvation, even though many of the signers do not believe in Lordship Salvation.

Notice that eternal life and forgiveness is for “every person who repents of sins and trust in Christ alone as Savior, Lord, and supreme treasure.” While they don’t explain what that means, they imply that a homosexual can’t come to Christ just as he is. He must turn from his sins, homosexuality and all others, in order have everlasting life.

In addition, people who sin sexually must also “trust in Christ alone as Savior, Lord, and supreme treasure.” This suggests that there must be commitment to serve Him.

While they deny the view that homosexuals and transgenders are beyond saving—which is good, they also deny that they can simply believe in Jesus and have everlasting life—which is bad.

The woman at the well was guilty of serious sexual sin and the Lord knew it (John 4:16-18). He used that knowledge to lead her to faith in Him (John 4:19-26, 29). But he did not tell her that she had to repent of her sins. He did not say she had to submit to Him and follow Him to be born again.

I applaud the Nashville Statement for standing up for Biblical sexuality. But I am disappointed in Article 14, the last article. Maybe they just could have said something like this:

WE AFFIRM that Christ Jesus has come into the world to save sinners, including adulterers, homosexuals, and transgenders. He died on the cross and rose from the dead for the sins of the whole world. Anyone who comes in faith to the Savior has everlasting life.

WE DENY that the Lord’s arm is too short to save or that any sinner is beyond His reach.

That statement is something even Lordship Salvation people could agree upon, though they would define “coming to faith in the Savior” as including submission, repentance, and obedience. But Free Grace could live with such a statement, even though it is not as explicit as we would like. We’d like it to say that everlasting life is a free gift to all who simply believe in Jesus and that our works both before and after the new birth have nothing to do with whether we have the gift of life or not.