Sex, Gender, & the Will of God
by Tad Morris
"THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGIN'"
Until recently, we used the terms "sex" and
"gender" interchangeably. Males were men,
and females were women. A large portion of
American society now rejects this idea.
The modern views on sex and gender
originate in feminist ideologies, starting
with Simone de Beauvoir in 1949. She
believed that the traditional role of women
in society was not natural nor beneficial. She
concluded that a woman's role as a loving
mother and supportive wife was artificial-
it was the product of forced cultural norms.
Her views represent the beginning of the
idea that your "gender" and your biological
"sex" are not the same. You may be born
with female reproductive organs, but you
can choose your identity and your role in
society. She famously said, "One is not born,
but rather becomes, a woman."
UNDERSTANDING TERMINOLOGY
It's helpful to understand the definition of
terms as used in our current culture
"Sex" is defined as the state of being male
or female according to a person's biology,
specifically his or her DNA, hormones, and
most importantly, his or her reproductive
organs. The current worldview says that
the definition of sex ends here. It is strictly
biological and not necessarily the same as
one's expressed gender.
"Gender" is defined based on feelings and
behavior. The emerging secular view is that
a person is born as male or female, but they
decide how they will express themselves.
Gender describes how a person fits the mold
or defined role in society.
"Gender dysphoria" occurs when a person's
expressed gender is different from their
biological sex. The world uses related terms
such as "non-binary," "gender non-conform-ing," "gender fluid," "androgynous," "bigender,"
and "agender" to describe people with transgender feelings or behaviors.
These are confusing times. How does the
Christian respond to all this? It's helpful to
observe five points in the Bible.
FIVE FACTS FROM THE BIBLE
FACT 1: GOD CREATED TWO SEXES
Genesis 1:27: "So God created man in His
own image; in the image of God He created
him; male and female He created them."
Every person is either male or female.
Even people born with ambiguous genitals
are genetically male or female. If there are
exceptions to this, the exceptions should not
become the rule.
FACT 2: GOD DESIGNED THE SEXES TO BE DIFFERENT
is not good that man should be alone; I will
make him a helper comparable to him.'"
When we see differences between men and
women, don't be ashamed of that. Embrace
God's design. Men and women are substantially the same, but there are some essential
God-given differences.
FACT 3: GOD DESIGNED SOME GENDER-SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
In other words, it's not appropriate to separate
gender from sex. From the very beginning,
God separated the roles of men and women.
These distinct roles are especially apparent in
marriage. God designed the husband to be the
provider and leader. God created the wife to
be the homemaker.
We see elements of this in Genesis 3:16-19
after Adam and Eve sinned: "To the woman,
He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow
and your conception; in pain, you shall
bring forth children [her role is especially in
child-rearing]; your desire shall be for your
husband, and he shall rule over you [she will
have a submissive role].' Then to Adam He
said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of
your wife, and have eaten from the tree of
which I commanded you, saying, "You shall
not eat of it": Cursed is the ground for your
sake [referring to his role in providing for the
family]; in toil, you shall eat of it all the days
of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall
bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb
of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall
eat bread till you return to the ground, for out
of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to
dust you shall return.'"
Our God-given gender roles are substantially
identical, with only a few differences that
are especially important in marriage and the
church. Other than these roles, the Bible says
very little about how men and women should express themselves. Remember that culturally-defined gender roles and behaviors do not
necessarily align with God's will for us.
FACT 4: GOD FORBIDS TRANSGENDER BEHAVIORS
God expects men to behave like men and
women to behave like women. This is
addressed in the Mosaic Law in Deuteronomy 22:5: "A woman shall not wear anything
that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put
on a woman's garment, for all who do so are
an abomination to the LORD your God."
Interestingly, the specific attire is not defined.
On what grounds could we demonstrate that
God still cares about transgender behavior
in the Christian era? Consider 1 Corinthians 11:14-15: "Does not even nature itself
teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a
dishonor to him? But if a woman has long
hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given
to her for a covering." Our physical appearance does matter to God. He's even planted
in our nature an understanding that men
and women should look different. What's
more important in the New Testament is the
responsibilities given to men and women in
the church and in the family. Claiming the
duties assigned to the opposite gender is to
reject God's design for humanity.
FACT 5: GOD ALLOWS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF VARIATION WITHIN THE SEXES
Cultural expectations for the genders are
often more limiting than God designed. It's
okay to be a man and be interested in things
stereotyped as female, but you're still a man.
Consider Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:24-28).
They were both men, but they had different
interests and different personalities. This is
normal and completely acceptable.
CONCLUSION
What do we conclude from all this? Evolving
terminology in the last seventy years cannot
undo God's perfect design for humanity. How
we feel does not change who we are. We are
men and women created in the image of God.
