What Does The Bible Say About Being Transgender

What Does The Bible Say About Transgender

This article features in the Engage NIV Youth Bible, which seeks to connect young people with God’s wordhelping them to unpack the Scriptures for themselves. The aim is not to tell young people what to think about the Bible, but to show them how to think about the Bible.

Lets start by defining what the various terms mean:

Gender dysphoria: the experience of feeling a mismatch between gender and sex .

Transgender: taking on an identity of a different gender to the sex you were born with.

Transitioning: to undergo treatment in order to try to make the way your body is built express that identity.

NIV Bible with articles, explanations and creative spaces to help teens read Gods word.

Remember That Your Body Was Purposefully Designed

The human body is the home of our behaviors, appearance, mannerisms, and habits. Consider some things the Bible says about the human body:

We reflect the image of our Creator. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him male and female he created them. Being made in His image separates us and the purpose of human sexuality from all other creatures, elevating our status and imprinting us with His likeness.

Our bodies are not our own. Imagine receiving an original, priceless painting. Would you even consider getting your paints out and changing it? Not only did God create you, but He also sacrificed His Son to purchase you back from sin and death. To alter healthy sexual organs denies that you are Gods masterpiece and embraces the lie that your value and identity come from your appearance, preferences, and sexuality.

Sexual sin is spiritually devastating. Changing appearance, genitalia, or hormones doesnt actually change a persons sex. It also doesnt change Gods standards or His original design for your life. The biological sex God granted is coded into our DNA and every cell of our God-ordained bodies. Its a harmful denial of Him and this reality to reject our body in this fundamental way.

Mothers And Sons: Being A Godly Influence

Rhonda Stoppe describes her early motherhood challenges of raising a son, which was intimidating to her. She found help through group of older women mentors. She urges moms to see their role as ministry in shaping sons to be good and godly men. Rhonda outlines several practical suggestions to moms about spiritual training, how to communicate with boys, and supporting the father-son relationship as a wife.

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Effective Habits To Embrace In Parenting

To be an effective parent, you must be a leader in your childs life, guiding with a gentle hand and setting a solid example. Dr. Randy Schroeder provides the insight you need to be a leader-parent. As he explores the foundational Rsrelationship, routines, responsibilities, and rulesyoull better understand the role you play in your childs life. Youll learn great phrases to employ such as Either/Or/You Decide and When You/Then You. While there is no perfect parent, this nuts-and-bolts material will equip you to lead your child in a loving, confident manner.

Modern Arguments About Etymology

There is an argument that Scripture does not contain the word homosexuality and that God is not opposed to men or women having sex with consenting members of the same sex. The word zakar in Hebrew can refer to any male, including human and animal, but also to boys.

But Strongs concordance indicates that zakar, as used in Leviticus 18:22 above, refers to sodomy, a term not reserved for acts of child sexual abuse or rape but also consensual acts between adults.

Arsenokoitai is Greek for men having sex with other men. And there is no real other interpretation that makes the best sense of the evidence both in the early Christian literature and especially in the Old Testament.

Kevin DeYoung explains that Paul, a scholar and former Pharisee, coined the term. If Paul had been referring to men forcing boys to have sex, then he could have used the word biazó for violent force to denote a difference between consensual and non-consensual sex. He did not.

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Bible Verses About Homosexuality

Christians must always start with the Bible in order to hear Gods Word on any subject. His commands are not optional, and he states clearly, You shall not lie with a male as with a woman it is an abomination .

Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God .

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error .

Some Christians suggest that a progressive God would overturn his own commands in a certain social climate, but God does not progress in his thinking his thoughts and commandments are always right.

We know that God does not change his mind, that he is always the same, and this is foundational to our hope and our faith in his Kingdom purposes.

God was, is, and always will be against sexual sin in all of its forms, which include lust for a person who is not ones spouse, sexual affairs, and even emotional affairs.

One must not single out someone who identifies as gay or transgender as a sinner but instead look inward. Ignoring ones own sin by way of deflection does not fool God.

What Does The Bible Say

Biblically, its also complicated and cannot be reduced to simply turning to a couple of proof texts. We are created, relational beings searching for connection, meaning, significance and our place in a broken and complex world. Genesis 1-2 teaches we are created male and female, made in Gods image. God created human beings as sexed beings to reflect his image.

Marc Cortez, who writes on theological anthropology, comments: Although recognising that God is not a sexually differentiated being as humans are, we can affirm that human sexuality mirrors something important about the divine nature. Genesis 2 tells us that Eve is human like Adam, but female. As Preston Sprinkle notes in his paper, A biblical conversation about transgender identities, the Hebrew word kenegdo highlights Eves equality and sex difference.

In Matthew 19, Jesus cites Genesis 1 in a discussion on marriage, affirming the ongoing relevance of Gods creation of humans as male and female. Elsewhere, when the Bible mentions any cross-gender behaviour it does so negatively.

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How Does Our Culture Now Think Of The Body

Over the last 50 years, American Christians have watchedas our society has fashioned a brave new order for itself.Feminism and the sexual revolution have transformed theAmerican home. Many men have lost any sense of responsibilityfor their family. Theyre tuned out, passive, andself-focused. Many women feel great tension between theircareer and home. They are told by secular lifestyle magazinesto pursue perfect work-life balance, but its hard to find.Increasingly, the sexes are in competition. These troublingdevelopments represent phase one of the transformation ofmen and women.

Phase two is the spread of the homosexual movement.Led by celebrities in the 1980s, the homosexualmovement built off of the momentum of the feministpush and the sexual revolution. It sought to mainstreamhomosexual behavior. Men and women, itassumed, were not different in any meaningful way.The moral constraints of the biblical worldview hadalready been cast off. Romantic love was not subjectto any shape or design. It was just a feeling. As such, it hadno duties, no covenantal dimensions, and no enduring commitment.If it persisted, great. If the feeling of love died out,then the relationship died with it.

Giving Up Sugar Tasting God’s Goodness

As a latchkey kid, Wendy Speake turned to sugar for comfort. Every Friday, she would pedal to the candy show and use her allowance to fill her bag with candy. And one day, when she was older and a mom of three young boys, she came to realize that she was still pedaling away from her stress and using sugar as comfort, instead of turning to Jesus. She was joyless, worn out, tired, and in need of a change. In this interview, Wendy will challenge Christians to take 40 days to focus on fasting from something they turn to instead of Jesus for comfort. She invited people to break free from a dependence on sugar and taste the goodness of God.

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The Third Argument Gender Confusion Is Wrong

The third building block of the argument against is that gender confusion is wrong. Ill skip in this video arguments about whether thats always the case, and also whether gender confusion is the most helpful term.

Why? Because, actually, for this argument it doesnt matter. People who are trans havent chosen to have a mismatch between their gender identity and their biological sex. They havent gone seeking any confusion, if you want to use that term. Instead, they are people who are actually trying to bring things more into line.

They are trying to bring their biological sex and their gender expression in line with their gender identity if anything, they are seeking to reduce confusion.

First Argument God Made Two Distinct Genders

Lets look at the first building block more closely, that God made two distinct genders, male and female.

Now of course the passages in the Bible which are usually talked about at this point are the creation accounts in Genesis 1 and 2, and also other passages that refer back to these, for example when Jesus does it in Matthew and Mark .

But it seems strange to use Genesis 1 and 2 to say that God only made a male and a female and that therefore this must apply to everyone since. Sure, it applies to the vast majority. But according to studies, only about 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 50,000 of the population are transgender .

The creation accounts in Genesis arent focused on unusual situations they dont even apply straightforwardly to those who dont have children or remain single. The creation accounts say that God blesses both male and female, that both are made in his image, that God blesses, if you like, marriage and children.

But Genesis doesnt try to address transgenderism, or whether you must get married, or whether you must have children. Genesis doesnt address transgenderism at all.

But lets also consider the problem in claiming that there are two distinct biological sexes. Thats true for most people, but its not true for everyone.

But not always. Occasionally, women are born with XY chromosomes. How come? Because from being in the womb their bodies dont react to a male hormone. These females have what are usually considered male chromosomes.

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A Biblical Perspective On Transgender Identity: A Primer For Parents And Strugglers

One of the biggest misperceptions about Christianity is that its simply about acting right. When Christian parents overemphasize their childs behavior rather than their heart, the real message they send often has more shame than love. As secular opinions continue to reject biblical standards, many Christians struggle to discern what their response should be to such hot-button topics as transgenderism.

The chasm between the biblical view of sexuality and the secular view grows wider every day. Social media and the entertainment industry now celebrate gender fluidity as a more enlightened way of thinking than the biblical view. The trend has grown quickly, with transgender-identified celebrities making headlines and drag queens leading story times at schools and libraries. Society faces unexpected legal and ethical challenges as transgender-identified people compete on sports teams and use public restrooms of their non-biological sex. Parents increasingly allow their underage children to chemically and surgically alter their bodies, and several states now permit minors to do so without their parents consent.

Teach Your Children A Biblical Worldview

• They need to know that the way they view God is the most important thing in their life.
• They need to learn why God created men and women and how those roles reflect important aspects of His nature.

• They need to understand why we uphold standards of purity and integrity.

• They need to see you joyfully and purposefully center your familys life around grateful obedience to Gods standards.

For more resources on reinforcing your childs healthy sexual identity, .

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Positive Commands About Sex

Sex is a gift. Before the fall before sin sex was part of the created order. It was good VERY GOOD, wrote Paul Carter. In fact, contrary to cultural ideas about sex propounded during the first century AD, Christianity taught that sex within a marriage should be free, generous and reciprocal.

But God never depicted coital relationships between two men or two women in a positive way. When God made Eve, Adam said this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh she shall be called Woman .

Navigating A Toxic Culture With Your Daughter

As a pediatrician, Dr. Meg Meeker has seen thousands of girls come through her office through the years. They struggle with eating issues, sexual identity, social mediaand many other challenges in this toxic culture. Dr. Meeker will encourage parents to invest love and time in their daughters and develop their character to give them the best opportunity for a bright future, all rooted in a spiritual foundation. The discussion also includes healthy feminism vs. toxic feminism

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Hermeneutics And Helen Savage

Helen Savages 2006 doctoral dissertation from Durham University, Changing Sex?: Transsexuality and Christian Theology is the most immediately helpful in our subject matter here. Savage is a former clergy member, a student of theology and a transgender woman who studied, in part, transgender peoples interpretations of the Bible. In her dissertation, Savage conducts interviews with seven British transgender people and surveys available literature on hermeneutics written by transgender people. Although I would have liked to include interviews and conduct both quantitative and qualitative surveys in this study, time constraints and lack of institutional clearance precluded me from doing so. One significant drawback to this limitation is that my study does not engage with transgender people who are fully in the closet, as well as individuals who do not have access to academic publishing, or do not have internet access. Additionally, my subjects tend to be white Americans if I had more time, academic clearance, and sufficient resources, my first goal would have been to establish a more representative sample of transgender Christians, particularly along racial lines.

For my study, I adopt Savages three categories of hermeneutics and expand on them by adding two further categories that I observe in transgender hermeneutics:

Identifying Triggers In Your Marriage Part 1

They were both convinced they had married the wrong person. From almost the very beginning of their marriage, Amber and Guy Lia experienced various tensions and personality clashes related to house cleaning, backseat driving, workaholism, and intimacy. In this two-day Focus on the Family broadcast, Amber and Guy discuss how they bravely faced the triggers head-on, and committed to working on their own relationships with Jesus. As you listen to the Lias story, youll feel hope that you, too, can see real marriage transformation!

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Consider The Future Effects Of Your Parenting Decisions

Wise parents consider the long game in their parenting. Girls and boys have many needs that overlap, but they also have some that are unique to their sex. Fortunately there are some great resources available to help todays Christian parents anticipate what their children need to thrive and develop a healthy, secure sexual identity.

Perhaps your childs behaviors have already gone beyond the circumstantial issues of dolls versus trucks. Parents are under tremendous pressure to support their childrens and teenagers feelings and preferences without question. However, once you say yes to the lesser trans behaviors like cross-dressing, youre soon going to be asked to sponsor greater ones. By opening the door to things you may later have to disallow in your home, youre actually setting your child up for longer-term concerns.

Parents need to explain clearly, I love you unconditionally and I always will, but I cant relate unconditionally to everything you ask for. Just as you wouldnt allow them to drive the car illegally and unsafely, there are likewise serious, scriptural, psychological, and medical reasons not to sponsor their trans behaviors. Of course, they may do whatever they choose while theyre at school or when they move out, but you do not have to endorse wayward and sinful behavior by condoning it in your home.

The Biblical Truth About Gender

Sexual sins, including transgenderism, were among the most heinous practices of the peoples living in Canaan. The lessons of their judgment because of deviant sexual practices remain as ominous warning signs to us today. When we prefer unbelief to faith in God, in order to advance the lusts of our flesh, we inevitably, and often irretrievably, destine ourselves for judgment. In the cases before us, the people groups living in Canaan digressed from what is clearly shown in creation and in Gods Wordthat we are born as either male or female, and that our God-given human sexuality is divinely sanctioned, and most beautifully expressed as complimentary , and within the covenanted bonds of matrimony led to a veritable infestation of the land, which vomited the people from the land, and led to judicial hardening of their hearts, and their ultimate destruction.

1. Male and Female He Created Them

God has not left us without His Word and, thus, His will concerning sexuality. Firstly, humankind is binary. There is no third or fourth category of a human being. Nature attests to what Scripture reveals. Human beings are made in Gods image and created either male or female.

Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created .

Our Savior, Christ Jesus, by whom the world was created and through whom it is sustained, appealed to His own Word in Genesis to affirm the divinely created order, and the sanctity of marriage .

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