LGBTQ+, Transgender Issues, and Following Jesus
In a different article, Pastor Gary responds to the issues related to the first two letters of LGBTQ, lesbian and gay, in his article entitled “Same sex attraction.” The purpose of this article is to focus on the current issues of gender and sex and especially transgender issues.
1. What is the truth about sex and gender?
In Gen 1:26-27 God created man as male and female, and both sexes were made in the image of God. When you are conceived God assigns you a sex, either male or female, while in the womb (Jer 1:5). And your sex extends not just to reproductive organs but every cell in your body is either male or female by God’s design. Men and women are both equal in personhood and value but their sex is not identical and interchangeable. While there are rare anomalies due to living in a fallen world, Biblically there are only two sexes.
If someone believes their “true” subjective identity is a different gender than the objective sex that they were born as then they are experiencing something called gender dysphoria. Since the modern notion of gender identity is subjective and sex is scientifically objective, then logic would dictate placing our subjective feelings under objective reality. However, our society has elevated someone’s chosen gender identity over objective reality and as a result, we are experiencing the effects Paul talked about in Romans 1:18-27.
Also whenever the Bible talks about one sex presenting as another sex, regardless of the person’s gender identity, it is always sinful. Here is a selection of passages from the OT and the NT that prohibit this behavior:
1 Cor 6:9 (the term “malak” in this verse refers to men who act like women)
1 Cor 11:2-16 - While there are interpretational difficulties, it is clear that Paul maintains sex differences, not transitioning from one sex to another, as something good.
2. How should a Christian respond to a bisexual, transgender, or queer person?
All Christian responses should be rooted in the two great commandments which are to love God and to love your neighbor in that order (Matt 12:30-31). When we encounter someone from the LGBTQ+ community we should treat them as we want to be treated (Matt 7:12), with empathy, kindness, and gracious & honest words (Col 4:6). We can all empathize with someone who identifies as LGBTQ+ because all humans have thoughts and desires that are sinful. God created sex as a very good thing (Gen 1:31) but in Gen 3 man rebelled against God and sinned and it was because of this sin that humanity experiences brokenness, including sexual brokenness. However, because of Jesus, we should also offer hope to the LGBTQ+ community from the Bible to anyone who asks (1 Pet 3:15). And we should also be a people who are willing to courageously speak truth from the Bible about God’s design for human sexuality. For many, using a transgender person’s preferred pronouns is a form of dishonest speech and should be avoided. In these instances, it would be kind and gracious to use the preferred name of the transgender man or transgender woman when speaking with them.
3. What are helpful resources to learn more?
Helpful resources on this topic include the following.
Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood - John Piper & Wayne Grudem
The Rise & Triumph of the Modern Self - Trueman
Focus on the Family Online Resources
Do you know the sex of your cells?
4. Helpful LGBTQ+ Definitions
L - Lesbian - Sexual or romantic attraction between women.
G - Gay - Sexual or romantic attraction to people of one's same sex.
B - Bisexual - Sexual or romantic attraction to people of one's same-sex and of the opposite sex.
T - Transgender - A person whose gender identity differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth.
Q - Queer - Sexual or romantic attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation.
Sex - Either of the two major forms of individuals that occur in many species and that are distinguished respectively as female or male, especially on the basis of their reproductive organs and structures.
Gender - The behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex.
Gender Dysphoria - A distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person has.