Should Gender Be A Choice?
Sermon Notes
Intro
Today we’re continuing our teaching series called Graceful Resistance, which is about living with convictions in a culture of compromise. We’re addressing some major cultural topics such as critical race theory, sexuality, gender identity, religious liberties, and cancel culture. We’re addressing these topics not to be controversial, but to show the gospel of Jesus can bring healing to what’s already controversial topics. Our approach to each message is we’re teaching a biblical perspective first, then addressing questions about these topics second. In the first week we discussed critical race theory, last week we discussed sexual orientation, and today we’re discussing gender fluidity. In particular we’re discussing if gender is something we choose, or something determined at birth? It’s a topic affecting so many areas in our country such as female athletics, the privacy of single sex spaces like bathrooms or dressing rooms, even what pronouns to use. It’s a topic we can’t avoid, so let’s address it biblically starting in Genesis 1. You’ll find Genesis in the front of the bible, it’s the first book of the bible, we’ll start in Genesis 1:27-28. Title of today’s message is Should Gender Be A Choice, and here’s the big idea. God’s design for humanity, includes the beauty of gender...God’s design for humanity, includes the beauty of gender.
Context:
Here’s your context. Genesis is a book about beginnings. It’s about the beginning of the world and God’s relationship with the world. The part of Genesis we’re about to enter is the part where God creates the first humans, and gives them genders. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.” This is where the Christian view of human identity and gender begins. It begins with God creating us in His image. Being created in the image of God means we’re uniquely set apart to reflect God’s character in ways the rest of creation can’t. We’re uniquely set apart to reflect things like God’s love, joy, peace, and forgiveness. Every human in the world is created in the image of God regardless of age, race, social class, or gender. This means every human is to be treated with equal worth, value, and love. To degrade another human is to degrade the image of God. One commentary stated, “Knowing we’re made in God’s image and share many of his characteristics, provides a solid basis for self-worth. Human worth is not based on possessions, achievements, physical attractiveness, or public acclaim. Instead it is based on being made in God’s image...Criticizing or downgrading ourselves is criticizing what God has made, and the abilities He has given us.” So the Christian view of human identity begins with God creating us in His image, and we’re to cherish that image in us and others.
Now the Christian view of gender also begins with God. It begins with God creating us male and female like vs. 27 states. Even Jesus held this view stating in Mark 19:4, “Haven’t you read that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female...” So even Jesus held the view that God created gender. The Christian view teaches both our human identity and our gender were created by God. God designed our DNA and bodies in specific ways as males and females, to fulfill certain purposes in the world. One of those purposes is to pro-create.
Vs. 28, “God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it...” When it says be fruitful and multiply it’s talking about pro-creation, which requires both male and female parts. I mean it isn’t like humans started having kids and God’s like “Wow! Didn’t see that coming! Didn’t know they’d use that for that!” God wasn’t shocked by humans pro-creating, He intentionally designed human anatomy for pro-creating. And every human civilization in history’s been able to figure it out. Humanity still exists because God designed us male and female, He created gender, and in vs 31 He says it’s a very good thing.
Vs. 31, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed.” God saw all He made including our gender, and said it’s very good. We’re all a part of God’s very good creation. But things went wrong in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve let the voices in their head tell them something different. They let the voices in their head, the voice of Satan tell them something was missing in their life, and God wasn’t enough for their life. So they tried changing their identity from being wonderfully created in the image of God, to trying to be their own god in control of their own lives, and that’s when things went wrong. That’s when what was natural and good, became unnatural and bad. That’s when they started feeling insecure instead of secure, shame instead of love, joyless instead of joyful. It’s exactly what’s happening to us today. We’re willing to trade the security of our identity and relationship with God, for the insecurity of placing our identity in other things. We’re willing to trade pursuing our joy in God, for pursuing our joy in other things. King Solomon talks about this and his own personal pursuit for joy in Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 states, “I said in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.’”Historically we know Solomon had the financial resources to pursue whatever pleasures he wanted, and that’s what he did. For him the world was a big pleasure experiment, a big buffet where he’d sample whatever pleasure was on the menu of life.
Vs. 3, “I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine...” He sought pleasure in drinking Cabernet, Pappy, Crystal...unless you’re a strict Baptist then it’s Crystal Lite.
Vs. 4, “I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.” Notice he didn’t just have a house, he had houses! He didn’t just have a vineyard, he had vineyards! One scholar said, “Solomon had incredible real estate with massive palaces, parks, and gardens. He had a private zoo with exotic animals from around the world, and a ranch with 12,000 horses. He had a staff of roughly 30,000 servants committed to solely serving him. He had on demand access to performances by his favorite artists and comedians. He had unlimited sex fulfilling all his sexual desires with his 1,000 wives and concubines. He had rock star fame, the highest IQ, and power to do what he wanted.” Yet he says this in vs 11.
Vs. 11, “Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind...” He says all the things we’re pursuing after hoping it’ll bring us joy, will only leave us feeling like there’s still something missing. Our pursuit of pleasure’s like pealing an onion. You peal layer, after layer, only to find yourself in tears in the end. “If I only had more money, a spouse, a vacation, a new career, a new car, a new sexual orientation or gender.” It’s layer after layer, tear after tear. As one theologian said, “Solomon tried to find meaning by enjoying anything and everything apart from God, but found it’s a meaningless waste of time. It proves you can have a full fridge, full house, full closet, full bank account, full social life, full mind, full stomach, full liquor cabinet, full résumé, full bedroom, yet an empty soul...” Solomon lived a lot of life, enjoyed much of what life offered, but still had an empty soul...In vs. 25, he points to the one thing that finally filled his soul.
Vs. 25, “Apart from him, who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” He says apart from Him, apart from God, you’ll never have lasting joy and pleasure. But his story is our story! We keep trying to pursue our joy in other things rather than God too! One of the ways its manifesting itself today is in people choosing their own gender and individual autonomy. But like Solomon, it’ll only leaves people feeling empty, feeling like there’s still something missing. The biblical view of human identity and gender is that every human is created in the image of God, every human should be treated with equal worth, value and love, and when God created us male and female He said it’s a very good thing. The way to get back to that very good place again, is to place our life and identity back into the hands of God, not our individual autonomy. That’s our biblical foundation, so let’s address some questions regarding gender fluidity being a choice.
#1 Why is there now a + symbol in the LGBTQ+ acronym? = It’s because many people today view their gender subjectively and personally, meaning it’s a matter of personal choice. Several years ago Sweden shifted to saying gender specific pronouns like ‘he’ and ‘she’ aren’t acceptable, and they came up with the gender neutral word ‘ze.’ Some people tried getting this approved at the University of Tennessee, but it didn’t get enough votes. At the center of all this is a desire for individual autonomy instead of God’s design for gender and human identity. The reason there’s now a + symbol in the LGBTQ acronym, is to not leave anybody out. I think most of us aren’t aware of how far this subjective view of gender has gone. I’ll read a few ways people are identifying their gender today. It isn’t something to mock or laugh at, it’s something to grieve, because it shows how confused our culture is. The + symbol for gender entails “Male, Female, Nonbinary, Transgender, Trans*, Trans+, Gender Non-conforming, Genderqueer, Gender Fluid, Gender Neutral, and the list goes on...” This is where a subjective view of gender takes us. It takes us far away from a biblical and biological view of gender, and there’s literally no end to it. It’s why there’s now a + symbol, and new pronouns like ‘ze.’
#2 What pronoun should we use? = This is something Christians disagree on. Some Christians believe they shouldn’t use the person’s pronoun of choice, because it reinforces a false identity against God’s design, and hinders the potential for healing if experiencing psychological issues from their gender dysphoria. But other Christians believe if we don’t use their pronoun of choice, it’ll burn bridges before even getting the chance to share the gospel of healing. These are both valid concerns, and we can argue Jesus loved everyone, without agreeing with everyone. So we might need to treat this in case by case scenarios. For example if a transgender guy wants me to agree on him using women’s bathrooms, I’d disagree with a graceful resistance since that goes against my view of biblical and biological gender. If he wants me to call him Betty I’d do it, since there’s nothing biblically wrong with me calling him by his name. If he wants me to call him she, ze, or they, I’d have to discuss that with him to see how psychologically entrenched he is in that being his reality. The deeper entrenched he is, the more grace I’d have towards his level of psychological reality. When my mom had Alzheimers I didn’t fight her hallucinations, I entered the pain of her hallucinations, while helping to redirect her reality. We can lovingly acknowledge a person’s reality, point them to the gospel reality, without agreeing with their reality.
#3 Is there a difference in genetic sex, gender identity, and gender expression? = In a biblical view genetic sex is determined by God in Genesis 1, and biologically confirmed at birth in our DNA. Our genetic sex is hardwired into our DNA, into having XY or XX chromosomes, and no surgeries or hormonal treatments can change that. So biblically we believe genetic sex is determined by God, it’s confirmed biologically, and the way we identify our gender is by our genetic sex from birth. We also believe in showing care and compassion for those dealing with genetic anomalies such as XXY chromosomes or ambiguous genitalia. But those cases are very rare, and most are able to still noticeably identify as male or female.
Now when it comes to gender expression, the bible certainly teaches we have different roles and responsibilities as men and women, but we have to be careful of imposing cultural stereotypes that aren’t backed by scripture. We have to be careful of saying “This is what a man does, or this is what a woman does,” because it can create gender confusion for those who don’t fit the stereotype, making transgender an intriguing option. Many women today wrestle with their bodies not fitting a stereotypical mold. They compare their bodies with other women on Instagram, create a stereotypical beauty in their mind, then use a surgical knife called a filter to digitally change their bodies, before posting for hearts and likes. There’s also men who feel they don’t fit the stereotypical mold of masculinity. One of my buddies growing up was a cheerleader instead of a football player, but he was straight. Another buddy was a killer hard hitting safety in football, but was also in drama. We teased him until he got a leading role on the tv series Friday Night Lights. Men can be sensitive, tender, artistic, and less athletic, but that doesn’t mean they’re less masculine. In scripture we see David as a fierce warrior, but also playing the harp. We see Esther being quiet and gentle, but also being bold and courageous. So it’s best to view our cultural stereotypes as descriptions, instead of biblical prescriptions.
#4 What’s the issue with viewing Gender as a choice? = Well first it doesn’t make any biological sense, because our personal feelings and choice can’t change our biological sex, just like it can’t change our biological age or height. No matter how hard I try, how many products or cosmetic surgeries I have, I’ll never be able to feel my way back to being biologically 20 again. No matter how hard I claim to be Chinese trapped in a white man’s body, that doesn’t make me Chinese or change my biological DNA to reflect Chinese ancestry. Second we need to ask who will get harmed by making gender a choice? For example some children are being harmed because their parents are giving them drugs to block puberty, which is causing issues in their development and fertility. They’re doing it so their children can make an easier gender transition later if they choose. Young woman are also being harmed by this having to compete against transgender men in athletics. Our women can miss out on athletic scholarships or even get seriously injured having to physically compete against a biological male. In the U.S. there’s already been 2 women beat up in MMA fights against 2 transgenders. Both women lost within a few minutes, one girl suffered a broken skull, and the other was choked out. Where do we draw the line, and who will get hurt in the process, if we make gender a choice?
#5 What’s the issue with our internal desires shaping our identity? = I read a great article titled Is My Sexuality Who I Am written by Andrew Bunt. He lived a same sex orientation lifestyle and is now a Christian speaker, author, and leader in a church. In the article he explains that shaping our identity on internal feelings and desires isn’t stable, because our feelings and desires change. It’ll cause our identity, who we think we are, to be unstable. He also argues that shaping our identity on external factors isn’t stable either, since things like our achievements, our careers, or how people view us can change too. So neither internal feelings or external factors are good for shaping a healthy stable identity. Andrew Bunt states, “The better alternative is divine identity. Divine identity is given to us by God, and it’s static, stable and life-giving. For every human this identity is being created in the image of God...For every Christian there’s an even better identity as a child of God, adopted by him, eternally loved by him. It isn’t an identity we have to earn by living a certain way, and it isn’t something we have to discover inside ourselves. It’s an identity given to us by God. Because it’s based on how God created us, and what God has done in us in Christ; it’s solid, stable, and unchanging.” Simply put, our internal feelings and external factors are constantly changing. So the only way to have stability in your life is to root your life not in your individual autonomy, but in the stability of God. In Christ I get to discover who I really am, instead of worrying about defining who I am. I get to have the stability of Jesus shaping my identity and life, instead of the instability of internal feelings and external factors.
#6 How do we live with graceful resistance? = How do we live with graceful resistance, in a culture that believes in gender fluidity? Andrew Bunt wrote another great piece called People Not Pronouns, and he gives Christians 3 ways to interact with people who believe in gender fluidity, especially those who are transgender or gender dysphoria people.
#1 A Heart Response = We should have a heart response remembering that we’re
dealing with people not pronouns. We’re dealing with people who were created in the image of God like us, whose human identity has been affected by sin just like us, and who Jesus came to die on the cross for just like us. Behind the names, labels, acronyms, pronouns are people whose hearts are hurting in ways only Jesus can fill. Christian Ethicist Russell Moore states, “We need to recognize when dealing with transgender neighbors, they’re not enemies to be destroyed, and they’re not freaks. They’re people created in the image of God, and they're people who are bearing very heavy burdens...What we really need in our congregations is for people who are experiencing this sort of confusion, or a sense of alienation, to not think ‘Well if I talk about this, that means I have to leave the church, and no one's going to understand what I'm talking about.’ No we think the gospel is big enough to address anything, including this topic.”
#2 A Head Response = We should have a heart response, but also a head response. In other words we need to ask questions that help people define who they really are. This is true for any of us, because we all have our moments where we’ll define our lives based on things other than Christ. We need to ask questions like “How do you define who you are? Is defining yourself by your internal and external desires really the best way to define yourself? If your internal and external factors can change, how can you ever be certain of who you are? Another great question is what’s lacking inside you, that you think changing your gender will fulfill? Whatever that thing is, it won’t ever be able to fill the joy void in your heart, that only God was meant to fill. C.S. Lewis once said, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
#3 A Hope Response = So we need to engage the heart, engage the head, but also provide some hope. The reality is there’s studies showing elevated rates of suicide and mental health issues among transgender and gender dysphoria people, even after having hormonal and surgical treatments. We need to do what we can to provide hope and healing through the gospel. Rosaria Butterfield states, “The gospel is the best news! If you have a friend who has gone from gender dysphoria through a sex-change surgery, you need to remember that God’s grace and the gospel is the best news for people who have become transsexuals and have now come to Christ. In the New Jerusalem there is no genital mutilation, and you are made whole again. It’s never too late in Christ, and you are never too far gone.”This is true for all of us! Not a single one of us is ever too far gone for Christ to be able to save, redeem, and restore.
The Big Idea:
The big idea of the message is God’s design for humanity, includes the beauty of gender. When God created human identity and gender He said it’s very good, but we distorted the image of God we were created in with our sin. Jesus came to die for our sins, to restore our distorted identity, and to give us eternal security in an eternal relationship with him. Our weary souls will never find rest, until we place our identity and life in Him. In the words of St. Augustine, “You have made us for yourself O Lord, and our heart is restless, until it rests in you.” Let’s pray.