HoHum:
Steve Bailey was with my family a couple of months ago. All 6 males had to go to the bathroom and we were standing in a line waiting for the men’s bathroom. No one was in the women’s bathroom. A worker at the convenience store came through and encouraged us to use the women’s bathroom, so we did. This place had one toilet in the men’s bathroom and one toilet in the women’s bathroom. Go in and lock the door and this is no big deal. Many are wanting to go to gender neutral bathrooms because of the transgender movement, companies like Target have already made the change. Men can go in women’s bathrooms and women can go in men’s bathrooms. Disgusting but no big deal because we have a closed stall around the toilet. However, let’s throw in a locker room like the YMCA where the men shower in the men’s locker room and the women shower in the women’s locker room. I have a problem if we go to gender neutral locker rooms but this is where many want to go. All of this goes back to the topic of gender and it goes much deeper than just which bathroom we use. How insanity is beginning to reign!
WBTU:
Does the Bible speak to issues of gender? Yes
Thesis: Two things- Gender confusion and Gender clarity
For instances:
I. Gender confusion
A. Our culture is very confused about the issue of gender. Examples of gender confusion
1. Former decathlete Bruce Jenner is honored for undergoing gender reassignment surgery. He/she is now known as Caitlyn Jenner.
2. “In California, Maine, Washington, and other states, children whose ‘gender identity’ does not match their sex may enter restrooms and changing facilities of the opposite sex in various public places.” (Strachan)
3. Al Mohler writes, “In some European countries, preschools now prohibit the use of gendered pronouns. Similar prohibitions are being attempted in North America” (Mohler, 69). University of Tennessee encouraged use of “ze” and not “he.” University of Kansas Student Senate bans use of gender pronouns when writing legislation. University of California has six gender options: male, female, trans female, trans male, gender queer and different identity.
4. The state of Minnesota wants to eliminate all gender distinctions for high school sports. One reporter writes, “In this scheme, there would be no accounting for sex differences in high school sports on the field or in locker rooms, bathrooms, and hotel rooms.” (The Federalist.com) This spells the end of high school athletics, college is next, then the Olympics??
5. Right now a war is raging in North Carolina. The issue is simple... can a male who identifies as a female use female public restrooms. Several cities and large corporations (IBM, Paypal, Biogen, NCAA, and many others) are refusing to do business with North Carolina if they don’t give into the transgendered agenda.
6. The transgendered movement will not stop until everyone bows to their agenda of eliminating all gender distinctions in every sphere of life. And make not mistake, the transgendered agenda and religious liberty are on a collision course.
B. Reasons for gender confusion
Why are we so confused as a culture? It was not always this way. Postmodernism
1. Postmodernism is a philosophy that claims that there is not such thing as truth. What is true for you may not be true for me and what is true for me may not be true or right for you.
2. This is because truth is nothing more than a social construct- something created and developed by society. In fact, reality itself is a social construct meaning that you determine your own reality.
3. If you can determine your own reality, why not your own gender? If you are a male who wants to be a female, you can adopt a female gender even though your biologically a male. We should not let our biological sex determine our gender. In fact, a key concept in the transgendered movement is this very idea
4. Here is a great summary of the transgendered understanding of gender, “Nowadays we understand that anatomy isn’t destiny; its your choice to be called lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning, intersex, asexual-or something else. That’s not a misstatement. It is your choice.... We have reached the point that regardless of anatomy, you can choose your identity. And you can choose to change your gender identity as often as you change your clothes.” (Metcalf quoted in Mohler, 78)
Application
1. According to Romans 1 our culture’s gender confusion is the result of
God’s judgment. “Furthermore, since they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.” Romans 1:28 2. With that said... We must have great compassion on people who are confused
about their gender.... This could be any one of us... many transgendered people are in great anguish of soul.
2. Furthermore, none of us have always acted completely in line with our God given gender. Men are supposed to protect and cherish women. Men, we often fail in this area meaning we are not acting according to our gender. Women, sometimes act like men, meaning that they are not acting according to their gender.
In other words, we all experience some gender confusion on some level.
This should cause us to look on others with great compassion.
II. Gender Clarity
The bible brings much needed clarity on the issue of gender. We will look at four things...
1. The Bible teaches that our biological sex determines our gender.
A. Genesis 1:26–27- “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26, 27, NIV.
B. Matthew 19:4- ““Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’,” Matthew 19:4, NIV.
1) What I’m about to say is so obvious that I feel like an idiot saying it... “God only created two genders, male and female, and our gender is determined by our body parts.” This is called the binary view of gender...
2) In other words, if you have male plumbing your gender is male. If you have female plumbing your gender is female.
3) This is good news. Think of all the confused and hurting people out there... some are not sure what gender they are and the world tells them they have 50 options (according to Amazon)... and they have to figure which one they are. The bible clears away the fog. If you have male plumbing you are a male if you have female plumbing you are female.
4) But it goes so much deeper. Every cell in your body is either male (xy) or female (xx). No matter how many sex change operations one has and no matter how many hormones one takes males will always have xy chromosomes and females will always have xx chromosomes. Argument that a baby is born with both private parts, which sex is the baby? Just check the chromosomes. Nothing can change this... This is God’s good design at the genetic level.
C. Denny Burk quoting on Genesis 1 writes, 1. “We dare not miss that God created sexual differentiation. The terms male and female are not social constructs. They are not social roles put upon us by culture and tradition. Male and Female designate the fundamental distinction that God has embedded in the very biology of the race.” (quoted by Mohler, 79)
2. The Bible teaches that our gender differences are good.
After God made them male and female Genesis 1:31 says this: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.”
Gender differences are a wonderful thing.
These differences are a reflection of the trinity. In the trinity we see unity and diversity.
Therefore, an attack on gender is a satanic attack on the image of God in man.
If you are a man it is good that God created you to be a man. If you are a woman,
it is good that God created you to be a woman. We must not rebel against the way God made us. We should celebrate the differences between male and female.
Application-
Male and female are equal in worth, value, and dignity but they are different and they both have significant roles to play in the home, society, and the church. We see this in Eph. 5 and 1 Timothy 2 and 3. God made the man and woman different in order to complement each other. Each completes what the other lacks.
Do we believe that our differences are good or do we rail against them? Our culture rails against these differences every where we look. Guys are tempted to rail against these differences by being too passive or too domineering. Ladies are tempted to rail against the differences by acting too much like men, maybe this shows up when they usurp authority from men.
3. The bible teaches that it is wrong to change our gender. “A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this.” Deuteronomy 22:5, NIV. Not repeated in NT and I’m sure the Lord is not that concerned about fashion so this goes deeper.
Basic point... if you were created a man you are called to dress like a man in other words you are called to act like a man, because you are a man. If you are a woman you are called to dress like and act like a woman. “Your body is not lying to you. Your anatomy is telling you who you are, and who God made you to be.” (Strachan)
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalms 139:13, 14, NIV.
4. The Bible teaches us how to act according to our gender.
Biblical manhood can be summed up in three words- a. Leadership b. Provision c. Protection. Notice, this has nothing to do with lifting weights, watching football, driving a truck, or killing animals. You can be very masculine and love poetry and watch Downtown Abbey. We must take our cues from the word of God not culture...
So what does it mean to be a woman? (For Mother’s Day)
1) Women are called to be helpers. Society considers “helper” a demeaning term; God does not. A woman helps by making children a priority, by making the home a desirable dwelling place, by playing an encouraging role in work, and by pointing her family towards God.
2) Women are called to be submissive to their husbands. The Greek word for submission means “to place or arrange under.” Submission is not blind obedience (first to the Lord), neither is it a silent suffering. This is a voluntary subordination to a respected or divinely appointed authority.
3) Women are called to make mothering a priority. Children need a woman’s time, attention and painstaking devotion. They are good at this.
Application
We should help our children understand and celebrate their genders. If a little boy wants to wear a pink dress and play with Barbie dolls we should tell him... If a little girl wants to wrestle with boys... we should tell her... We should encourage our boys when they give up their seat for girls. We should encourage our boys to pay for things when they go on dates. We should encourage our boys to protect women. We should encourage our boys to talk appropriately about women. We should encourage our daughters to dress feminine. We should encourage our boys to take initiative and to lead whenever they have opportunities. We should encourage our boys to treat females differently than they treat males. We should constantly educate our children around the dinner table about the differences between men and women. Dad’s you need to treat your wife in a way that honors your wife so that your sons will know what it means to honor their wives someday. All these things matter. 2 NT Scriptures that apply here:
“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” 1 Timothy 5:1, 2, NIV. Notice that we are treat different groups based on what? On their gender
“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” 1 Peter 3:7, NIV. Women are weaker physically, this is not a slam, it is just the truth. Men need to treat women with dignity and respect. Physically a man can dominate a woman and we see this often in domestic violence.
So What?
FIVE GENDER LIES TO REFUTE
1. Your sex may be assigned at birth, but your gender is up for grabs.
Wrong. God assigns our gender at conception. There should be no conflict between one’s sex and one’s gender. Any attempt to live out a gender identity different from our biological sex is rebellion against God. It denies his right and prerogative to create us as he wishes.
2. Our sexual orientation, or gender, is only part of our identity.
Our identity is what gives us meaning. In the last decade it has become fashionable to make sexual orientation our identity— i.e. what gives me meaning and status is my sexual orientation. I am homosexual, Heterosexual, Bi sexual, or transsexual.
The Bible rejects all of these. When you become a Christian you become a member of God’s family. You have a new identity. You are a son or daughter of the living God. God is your Father. You are his child. This is your identity. Everything else is secondary.
3. There are no biological differences between the genders.
Kate Millett (a founder of feminism) initiated the fiction that all male-female differences, except anatomy, (i.e. social, psychological, and mental), are cultural in origin.
4. There are no separate social roles for male and female.
Biology is the engine that drives our different social roles in marriage, in society, in church.
5. We should not treat the sexes differently.
In other words, men should treat women like men, and women should treat men like women. No holding doors for women, protecting women, honoring of women. All social distinctions are to be eliminated. Chivalry is dead based on this view.
