God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.(Genesis 1:27; 5:2; Mark 10:6).
Who would have thought this verse would become controversial?
If we truly have compassion for mankind, we'll accept Biblical teaching and pray for people trapped in the harmful sins of transgenderism(1) and transvestism.
Our gender is no accident:
Psalm 139:13-16: "you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…Your eyes saw my unformed body..."
We damage our souls when we defy God's choices:
Isaiah 45:9: "What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, 'Stop, you're doing it wrong!'" (also Romans 9:20)
We have different personalities, interests, skills, and mannerisms. Not every man need be ruggedly masculine nor every woman lacy feminine. But God assigns gender, and He knows us better than we know ourselves (Psalm 139:1).
Scripture forbids both homosexuality and men who act like women: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: “Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakos], nor homosexuals [arsenokoitasis], nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Malakos means men who intentionally act like women. Arsenokoitai means same-gender sexual activity.(1)
Revisionist gay teachers claim malakos and arsenokoitasis must be translated together to condemn:
1. Homosexuals who role-play male-female sex roles; and/or
2. Homosexuals who sexually abuse others. In this explanation, they claim malakos refers to abused boys.
Neither of these arguments is legitimate:
1. The Greek does not combine malakos and arsenokoitis but condemns homosexuals and effeminate men separately.(2)
If we assume that the only homosexuals condemned are those who have sex with effeminate homosexuals, then we might just as logically assume that covetous people are only wrong when they participate with thieves. The Greek doesn't reflect this combining of sins.
2. If malakos are victims, God would never condemn them!
Scripture condemns transgender behavior (read more), and it also condemns homosexuality. Nowhere does it make exceptions for either. If this passage actually meant what revisionists claim, our all-wise God would have worded it to reflect that meaning because our sexual behavior is of utmost importance to God (1 Corinthians 6:18).
In addition, revisionist gay teachers generally approve of transgenderism, which further weakens their arguments. Why would God approve of transgenderism but condemn people born male who act like women?
--------------------
(1)This devotion is not discussing ambiguous genitalia (atypical genitalia), which is a birth defect where a child is born with genitalia that are not clearly defined. This devotion is discussing people who are clearly born with male or female genitalia but claim they are meant to be the opposite sex or who claim they are neither or both male and female.
For more:
What Does the Bible Say About Transgenderism?
What Does the Bible Say About Transvestism?
As Christians, we know that the most powerful voice for any subject is Scripture. But there are also some strong voices in the secular world that still consider transgenderism a mental disorder that needs to be treated, not enabled. Perhaps they will be silenced as time goes on, but they are worth noting:
John Hopkins Psychiatrist on Transgenderism
Regret Isn't Rare
This article, from a Christian perspective, is written about a man who had a sex change and later became a Christian:
Walt's Story
Bible Study
1. The most loving thing Christians can do is accept and defend Biblical truths.
We don't do anyone a favor by remaining silent about damaging choices, no matter how strongly they are defended and promoted in our culture.
Proverbs 24:11-12: Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
A compelling quote:
Dr. McHugh also reported that there are “misguided doctors” who, working with very young children who seem to imitate the opposite sex, will administer “puberty-delaying hormones to render later sex-change surgeries less onerous – even though the drugs stunt the children’s growth and risk causing sterility.” Such action comes “close to child abuse,” said Dr. McHugh, given that close to 80% of those kids will “abandon their confusion and grow naturally into adult life if untreated ….” Some children, before the age of puberty, are now getting sex change surgical procedures that cannot be reversed. John Hopkins Psychiatrist
But it is actually the decline of mankind similar to what is described in Romans 1:18-32.
Romans 1:24: Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
3. The Old Testament clearly forbids men dressing like women or women dressing like men.
Deuteronomy 22:5: A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this.
The New Testament also contrasts appropriate dress based on gender (1 Corinthians 11:1-16).
Some Christians believe these passages prohibit a woman from wearing pants or require a woman to wear a head covering. Obviously, we should respect different interpretations of this law, but the spirit of the law is that a man should not present himself as a woman nor a woman present herself as a man.
Transvestism involves sexual arousal from wearing clothing of the opposite sex, and has long been considered a mental disorder and a sexual perversion. But transgenderism takes this perversion to a deeper level - it involves permanently altering sexual organs through surgery and hormones and having same-sex relationships. (See what God says about same-sex relationships HERE).
4. We cannot deny that God has assigned our gender, and we cannot reassign it. Surgeries and hormones may make us look like the opposite sex, but we will always maintain our birth gender.
Psalm 139:13-16: You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
This is another area where we can trust God or trust ourselves, and many people have found out too late that they should have trusted God.
Walt Heyer had surgery to become a woman, but now has become a Christian and accepted his manhood. He seeks to save others from his tragic sin. I encourage you to read Walt's Story (also linked above).
copyright 2017, Gail Burton Purath, Bite Size Bible Study
I wanted a better understanding of what the bible says on transgenderism and I had asked God for help. He has brought me to this blog and I am forever grateful, thank you.
ReplyDelete