The Trinity is the starting point of God’s design for human life and relationships. Loving relationships start with the Trinity, the perfect love that exists within the Godhead. The three persons of the Trinity are distinct and differentiated, yet one Divine Being. They relate in perfect love that is completely selfless, non-competitive, non-threatening, and self-giving. In an intimate prayer recorded in John 17:24, Jesus says to the Father, “the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”
This loving Trinitarian relationship is essential to our understanding of human relationships because God made human beings in his image: “So God created mankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).
From the beginning, God made us to be social beings, relational beings, physical beings, and spiritual beings, just like him (Jesus became a physical being). The only comment about the original creation that God declared “not good” is in Genesis 2:18—“it is not good that man should be alone.” God’s intention is for people to live in loving relationships with one another. Whenever we engage in agape love—in all our human relationships with friends, family, church, and community—whether married or single, we reflect the image of God.
This agape love is most fully described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. And it is most fully demonstrated in the person of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, in his sacrificial, self-giving love for us. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:12-13)
So, we see God’s original design for agape love to characterize human relationships for the well-being and enjoyment of all people. He intended for us to reflect his image as we engage in this kind of self-giving love.

For many, God’s call is to enter into a committed marriage. From the beginning, God also had a plan and purpose for human sexual relationships. In marriage, we reflect the image of God in a unique way by joining together spiritually and physically. In Genesis 2:23, Adam looks at his wife and says, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” This passage describes the establishment of what would later be termed “marriage” as an ordinance of God and not simply a social construct.
The main term that the Scripture uses to describe this relationship is “one flesh”—that is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife in “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). In verse 24, it is not just this man and this woman, but it looks ahead to a pattern in which men and women would enter into this “one flesh” union. This is defined as a distinctive union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.
Much later, Jesus affirmed this definition of marriage. When asked about divorce, he first gave a strong statement about marriage:
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female,” and said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6)
In this affirmation, Jesus makes it clear that God is the one who made people male and female and who established marriage because of sexual distinction.

As stated in question 2, Knox holds that marriage is between man and woman. Married persons reflect the image of God by joining together male and female persons spiritually and physically as “one flesh” within the marriage covenant (Genesis 2:24), which God intends exclusively for monogamous, opposite-sex partners.

While Knox holds that marriage is between a man and a woman, chastity is the core sexual practice enjoined for both married and single people. (Chastity is the practice of refraining from extramarital sexual expression and union). For those married, sexual faithfulness is God’s standard, designed for the flourishing of life in God’s image and the fullness of loving relationships. For those unmarried, chastity practiced as celibacy is God’s standard, intended for the flourishing of life in God’s image and fullness of loving relationships.
Jesus provides us with perspectives that challenge any bias that sexuality (and sexual expression) is the core summation of our human nature or that marriage is the only possible or ideal state for a person to flourish. Jesus disputes any relegation of celibate single life to the category of “less-than, sub-human, or sub-standard” life as he lived the most fulfilling human life as a celibate man, himself.

1. Marriage is a temporal institution and will not carry over into heaven or eternity. In Matthew 22:23-33, Sadducees, who do not believe in the resurrection, question Jesus. They ask him who would a woman be married to in the resurrection, if she had been married to multiple men? Jesus makes an astounding claim in verse 30 when he says, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven.”

2. At the same time, Scripture affirms that there will indeed be marriage in heaven. Marriage will be between Christ the Lamb and the community of his people as the new Jerusalem, not between men and women (Revelation 19:7; 21:2).

3. In Matthew 19, Jesus upholds marriage as “from the beginning,” between a man and a woman becoming one flesh. But he also speaks about people choosing unmarried life as their priority (v.12: “have made themselves eunuchs”) because of the reality of Jesus’ presence and “the kingdom of heaven/God.” So, Jesus upholds, yes even commends, the dignity and value of disciples who have chosen life as single and unmarried.

Both single and married persons reflect the image of God in a variety of relationships marked by purity and self-giving love (agape love).
It is God’s original design for agape love to characterize human relationships for the well-being and enjoyment of all people. At Knox, our eyes are fixed on Jesus’ presence and His Kingdom. We anticipate being a church community where single people (both straight and LGBTQ2I+) thrive in fellowship, find belonging in our church family, and find places to serve with their gifts where they can bear witness to Jesus and build up the Body of Christ.

We long to be a church where all are welcome, and we affirm in you the goodness of God’s creation, made in God’s image, fearfully and wonderfully made. We desire you to be able to come and to know Jesus with us, to enrich our community by your presence, and to allow us to love and serve you as your church family.
We’re also aware that our position on same-sex marriage may feel unwelcoming to you. We may disagree on questions that go beyond theology to a tangible impact on your life. We hope to be a church where people can disagree in love and be united first by Jesus’ work in our lives. But if you ever find that impossible and need a fully affirming community as you follow Jesus, we would be glad to help you connect with a church with a different theology on same-sex marriage than ours.

We want you and your family to feel welcome in our church! We desire to be a church where you and your family are valued because you are beloved children of God. Though we may disagree on our theology of marriage, we won’t advocate for the end of your marriage—rather, we only hope that you earnestly seek to follow Jesus.
Nevertheless, we know that as we’re honest and transparent about how we believe Jesus calls all people to submit their sexuality to his Lordship, you may find that you need a church that interprets Scripture as you do on this matter. We hope you can journey with us to discern if committing to our community will be a wise choice. If it seems it will not be, we would be happy to refer you to a community that may be more able to meet your needs.

Caring well for our LGBTQ2I+ siblings has been an important part of this process for our church. The Listening Committee received a number of suggestions from members of our church who are LGBTQ2I+ and members of their families.

This document, and transparency about what we believe, is an important first action of care. Many people named that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” culture was cultivating a sense of uncertainty, fear and exclusion in our community. It also denied people the dignity of choosing to safely self-identify and how (or if) to engage with our church in a well-informed way. We do not want this to continue to be our story.

Secondly, for members of the LGBTQ2I+ community who find themselves wrestling with what our church’s position means for them, or for whom this brings up trauma of any sort, we are prepared to refer and support through a period of counselling to process this experience.

Other actions like an intentionally safe Home Church (small group) for LGBTQ2I+ members of our community, “Safe Pastors” training for staff and elders, funds set aside for ministry to support LGBTQ2I+ people in our church, ongoing occasions for prayer and repentance, and continued educational opportunities for our church (e.g. book studies) are being explored.

Yes, and many do. The church benefits from the many gifts which LGBTQ2I+ people have to offer in service of Christ and the world. LGBTQ2I+ people are welcome to serve in a great number of ministries whatever their convictions on these questions may be.
Certain positions of leadership, including the pastoral staff and the Elders, come with the expectation that those who hold those positions are prepared to live their lives in accordance with the convictions of our church on these matters and uphold the teaching of our church. Therefore, anybody who serves in these roles is expected to be either married to an opposite-sex partner or celibate whether they are straight and cisgendered or identify as LGBTQ2I+.

The Presbyterian Church in Canada has acknowledged two parallel definitions of marriage within our denomination, and this decision is our church’s way of communicating which of those definitions we operate within. It does not change anything about our relationship with our wider church.

Disagreement is common amongst people. Jesus wants His people to endeavour to resolve differences through healthy dialogue. Listening and understanding are key skills to resolve differences. In addition, pastoral staff can also work with people to hear each other.
Many times, differences and disagreements cannot be solved, but our relationships can survive and flourish with some differing views.
To disagree in love is to love and value the person we’re in community with as someone made in the image of God before we let the things that we disagree about divide us. There is so much which unites us in the church, and if we can be friends and family with people who disagree with us on any number of important questions, we are confident that we can be friends and family within the church despite differing views on the question of same-sex marriage.

Yes, absolutely! We want you and your partner to belong among us and learn about following Jesus with us. While we’re clear about what we believe the call of Christ means for stewarding our sexuality, we acknowledge that not all who follow Jesus share these convictions. We want to be a community that presses on toward Jesus despite these differences.

You’re invited to connect with Rev. Nick, or your elder, and other members of the pastoral staff would be happy to discuss your questions, comments, and concerns with you if you felt most comfortable speaking with any of them.