Higher Ground also highly esteems the marriage covenant. This gift from God has been given to us to learn of God’s love for us, for our enjoyment and for procreating His image-bearers to fill the earth. Along with the clear teaching in the Sacred Scriptures, we affirm that this gift, which pertains to our lives’ most intimate relationships, is to be expressed through a union that is life-long, monogamous, and gender-diverse as an embodiment of male/female complementarity. The importance of gender difference in defining the marriage covenant is affirmed throughout the Bible, including the specific teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ himself (Matthew 19:4-6). In short, Christian marriage is given to be between one man and ​one woman.

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​Among the manifold blessings of marriage is sexual intimacy. Sexual activity outside of this sacred covenant, otherwise known as fornication, is sinful (Mark 7:21-23, Galatians 5:19). Hence, Jesus’ alternative to heterosexual marriage is celibacy (Matthew 19:10-12). Though we repent of any needless pain caused by fellow Christians to those who struggle with same-sex desires, and though same-sex partnerships may supply some of the benefits such as sexual pleasure and companionship, which God, in His common grace, bestows on us through relationships, we cannot affirm same-sex unions as God’s will for followers of Christ.