The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately
sick;
who can
understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9
Regardless of who we are or where we live, the categories of right and wrong always exist. God sets the standard for goodness because he is entirely
good, eternal and unchanging, and Creator of the universe. While God is concerned with truth,
Satan is the father of lies (a once good creation, turned against God). If we believe lies and negate such a basic truth as gender, nothing else can hold up to reason. [Genesis 1:26-31; John 8:42-45; 1 Corinthians 3:18-20]
If gender is a flexible choice and sexual preference is
an inflexible passion, where do we draw the lines, and who gets to draw
them? Most do not condone adultery, polygamy, pedophilia or bestiality, but why? If you have a
kind, generous life-long friend who happens to find immense pleasure from child
pornography, what right do you have to stand in the way of her happiness? If we
can self-identify with a different gender, shouldn’t we also be able to choose
our race or species? If not, on what grounds is this wrong?
If we base truth on individual preferences, there are no
grounds for true discernment and discipline. Personal desires should not
dictate our morality; our inner feelings are not inherently trustworthy!
On a day to day basis, I personally desire many things that are not good. I try
to resist temptations, but many times I fail. I do not hope to embrace these
times, but repent (meaning, turn – away from sin and towards God).
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean
on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will
make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Just as you cannot buy love, you cannot buy gender. You
can pay for a prostitute, or pay for hair extensions and implants – but it’s
not the same. It is incredibly insulting to claim that a mindset and makeover
make a person who they are. Being a woman or man is not about hair length,
wardrobe or an inner feeling. Gender is at the very root of personhood, a God
ordained trait that is immovable. Just as water is wet and salt is salty, men
and women are designed in a timeless fashion with purpose, order and unique
beauty.
We live in a world broken by sin, so what comes naturally
is not always right. What is right is often difficult, requiring great
endurance. But there is hope! God does not wait to love us and forgive us when
we have accomplished some sort of perfection; he loved sinful humanity enough to send Christ to absorb our punishment. By
faith we are saved, and by faith we continue forward in obedience! God is
all-knowing and pure, entirely trustworthy and just. To submit to his design is not foolish, no matter what the world may say. [James 1:12-18; Romans 5:6-11; John 3:16-21]
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me
together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows
it very well.
Psalm 139:13-14
