Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Gender is not a choice.

 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

 
 
 

2 comments:

  1. You're right on only one level: gender is not a choice. Sex is the physical thing, what parts we are born with. Gender is what's between the ears, determined by neurochemistry in the womb based on the science I've read on this and experts I've talked to. Sometimes someone, from birth, has a gender that does not match their sex. It isn't a choice nor is it a desire. It just is and is a part of G-d's creation. Even Rev. Pat Robertson has acknowledged this. It certainly isn't sin. It does not contradict the passages from the Hebrew Bible you quote in translation.

    Your comparisons to bestiality and pedophilia are both ignorant and hateful. Since you post this as a Christian I wonder how you reconcile this with New Testament scripture:

    "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."-Matthew 7:1-2

    "So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." - John 8:7

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    Replies
    1. Hi Caitlyn,
      I’ll (try to) just respond briefly here, but if you’d like to talk more feel free to send me an email – sweatmanj2@gmail.com
      I trust the English translation I have of scripture, being translated from the original Hebrew & Greek. I consider it God’s word and when experts disagree, I believe the Bible maintains authority. In the post I referenced Genesis 1 – God’s design of men & women is intentional, purposeful and very good. My study of scripture (as a whole, not just in Genesis) leads me to believe that there are not mismatches between gender and sex.
      My intent was not to be offensive, and I do not think I am being hateful. My desire is not to attack any individual, but to support biblical truth in a world that continually stomps on it. I in no way would claim that a transgender person is out of God’s reach and unable to receive his saving grace and mercy. I do not feel hate, but great concern. As a follower of Christ, I think this concern is more than warranted – all of us sin, and it separates us from God. No person can meet his righteous standards; we all fall short of God’s glory and deserve eternal punishment for our rebellion against an eternal God. However, although just, God loves the world so much that he sent Christ to take the punishment for our sin. God desires that we be reconciled to him, and then seek to live a life of obedience.
      Jesus is very open in calling people out on their sin, and teaching that it requires repentance – as well as calling his followers to keep one another accountable. As he says in John 7:24 “Do not judge by appearance only, but judge with right judgement.” It’s a deeper matter than simply a blanket statement to ignore sin in others.
      I like to read Matthew 7:1-2 in the context of the rest of the chapter & the rest of scripture. In the verses directly following those 2, Jesus approves pulling the speck out of our brother’s eye (confronting sin in another person) – BUT it should NOT be done arrogantly, ignoring one’s own sin. If we are in unrepentant sin, believing ourselves innocent and better than others (not recognizing the log in our own eye) – we have no right to extend judgment. This is what the scribes and Pharisees are doing in John 8 – they brought in the adulterous woman “ to test him (Jesus), that they might have some charge to bring against him.” Their desire was not that she be reconciled to God; they were not concerned with her relationship with God, but self-righteously trying to trap her (and more so, trap Jesus).
      If my delivery in the blog came off as arrogant manipulation rather than faithful conviction, I genuinely apologize. I hope this response helps you understand where I’m coming from.

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