We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image and likeness. Every human life has immeasurable worth, regardless of age or condition, including pre-born babies, the elderly, and those who are physically or mentally challenged. We are called to defend, protect, and value all human life from conception to natural death.

We also recognize the tremendous empathy that should be extended to those experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. We believe it is vital to stand with those who choose life, while never condemning anyone who, in our view, made the wrong choice to end a pregnancy. Like all of us, they need grace, compassion, healing, and forgiveness.

God created sex, gender identity, and marriage, and in the beginning, they were a perfect representation of what God intended. However, the story didn't end there, unfortunately. As we all know, Adam and Eve sinned, and when that happened, death, darkness, and deception entered the world. Their sin resulted in brokenness passed down through every generation. The Bible states in Romans 3:23 that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's perfect standard. This brokenness affects our sense of identity and shapes our feelings, attractions, and desires.

The unfortunate truth is that we cannot reliably look to our self-perception, desires, or attractions as a trustworthy guide for our lives. The good news, however, is that God did not leave us without trustworthy guidance. The Holy Scriptures contain everything we need to know about how God desires us to live, what is good and holy, and what is not. 

Romans 12:2 says: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Our self-perception, gender identity, and sexual desires do not define us; the Word of God does. We do not create a God in our likeness; we look to Christ to know His blueprint for ourselves. 

With this truth in mind, we believe the following is what the scriptures teach about sex, gender, and marriage.

We believe that marriage is a holy sacrament established by God, reflecting the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. City Lights Church affirms that, according to God’s design and intent, sex difference (male and female) is an intrinsic part of marriage. Therefore, we hold to the historical Christian view that marriage was intended to be a one-flesh union between one man and one woman in a lifelong commitment.

Note for individuals who may experience same sex attraction: We believe that God loves people who experience same-sex attraction, and He desires more than anything to walk in a loving relationship with them. We believe that simply experiencing attraction to the same sex (or any other sexual temptation) is not in itself a morally culpable sin; however, we do believe that following Christ's will for one's sexuality will result in laying down those desires for His will. We understand that this may feel difficult, but when we lay our weakness at the foot of the cross, Christ gives us grace. The exchange is more of Him, more grace, more freedom! If you are an individual experiencing same sex attraction, you are welcome to pursue Christ with us at City Lights, but know that we will always encourage you to live a lifestyle of holiness resulting in first, celibacy, or secondly, heart transformation and renewed desires.

Sexual Behavior - 7 Important Truths:

1. We believe that according to God’s design and intent, humans are sexual beings.

2. We believe that the Fall of man has corrupted God’s original intent for human sexuality; therefore, all people experience corruption in their sexuality.

3. We believe that Christians are called to submit their sexuality, desires, and temptations to Christ’s Lordship. 

4. We believe that all sex outside of marriage is sin, as are entertaining lustful thoughts and the use of pornography.

5. We believe that all forms of sexual behavior that are not consistent with biblical parameters are forms of sin that are forgivable and should be renounced and repented of.

6. We believe that simply experiencing a sexual temptation is not deserving of condemnation; however, acting upon those desires leads to destruction in one's life.

7. We believe that sex has 3 distinct purposes: reproduction, reconnection (i.e., cultivating intimacy), and recreation.

We believe that God wonderfully and unchangeably creates each person as either male or female.

These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect God's image and nature. The acceptance of one’s biological sex is to acknowledge the image of God within oneself. Pursuing a relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Savior increases our ability to express true masculinity and femininity in how we live and relate to one another, thereby glorifying God.

We believe that God calls both men and women to lead, teach, and pastor His people. Throughout Scripture, we see women empowered by God in leadership roles—such as Deborah, who judged Israel; Priscilla, who taught alongside her husband; and Phoebe, who served as a deacon. We recognize that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts without partiality, and calling is determined by God, not gender. While some interpret passages like 1 Timothy 2 restrictively, we believe these were contextual, not universal prohibitions. Our conviction is that the Church is strongest when every believer—male or female—walks fully in their God-given calling. Judges 4–5, Romans 16:1–7, Galatians 3:28, Acts 2:17–18.