Gender & Sexuality

Position Paper

As we think about any topic, we must begin with what God has said on the issue. As we look to the pages of Scripture, the opening chapters of Genesis reveal that God created the world “very good” in six days and rested on the seventh. This is affirmed in our church’s doctrinal statements, along with our agreement with Scripture that mankind was supernaturally created on day six of creation. This original creation is where we must base our thinking as we approach this topic. The world that God created and his intentions for it must be our starting point as we begin addressing the issues we face today.

However, the perfection of God’s original creation was quickly corrupted by man’s sin, as Eve was deceived by the serpent and Adam willingly rebelled against his Creator. That rebellion brought sin, death, and all sorts of disorder into the world beginning in Genesis 3. As a result, every person is now inherently sinful, stained with sin and struggling against the disorder that is within our hearts, that surrounds us in the physical world, and fights against us from the unseen spiritual realms. As we consider the questions of human sexuality in the face of today’s culture, it is in light of the sin that has corrupted everything around us and within us that we answer the questions. But we don’t do so without hope—Jesus Christ has conquered sin and given the Holy Spirit to all of those who trust him, empowering them to live a life of holiness and purity before God the Father.

The hard truth is that most people have rejected God’s plan, preferring to create their own version of reality. And at what seems like a lightning pace, our Western society has moved from a general biblical framework of human sexuality as normal to embracing any and every form of sexual and gender expression as a broad spectrum of identities that should be celebrated. The terms sex and gender used to be interchangeable but have now become distinct. As the culture uses them, sex has come to mean the biological form a person is born with, and gender is how a person feels or views their sexuality. And these ideas are not only present among adults but filtering down into young children.

One of the factors that has caused such division within our culture and within the church is that sexuality has become a major source of identity for a significant percentage of this population and their allies (those who actively support LGBTQ). Approaching this topic has generated friction within families, communities, workplaces, and our nation. Responding to these individuals in various situations calls for wisdom as we communicate with grace and truth without compromising the truth of God’s Word and the reality of His creation.

Because we look to God’s Word and His world to determine reality, sex and gender are determined from the moment of fertilization chromosomes from mother and father—XX individuals are females, XY are males, and they will remain that way despite any changes they attempt to make to their bodies through hormones or surgeries. While it is true that in our fallen world there are some individuals born with genetic disorders that make it physically difficult to determine sex, the underlying chromosomes will always be a reliable guide.[i]

The culture has attempted to disconnect the biological reality of sex from what they believe is a separate reality of gender. They want to construct their own reality and separate the psychological from the physical realities. In essence, anyone who adopts one of the LGBTQIA+ monikers has rejected God’s truth and accepted Satan’s view of the world—“Has God really said …?” Examining Genesis 1:26–28 gives us three clear indications that refute these secular ideas. God’s design for all of humankind throughout time is that they are created male and female in the image of God, both equally valuable and worthy, but with distinct roles.

This was affirmed by Jesus in Mark 10:5–9, showing that the intent was a man and a woman united in marriage not just at the beginning, but from the beginning and through all time. Second, there is a blending of the social, sexual and gender roles that does not allow us to separate them. The call to be fruitful and multiply can only be filled by a man and a woman in marriage, not by defying God’s order in lesbian or gay relationships. Those relationships are, by their nature, unfruitful and disordered. Third, it is the anatomical sexual distinction in this passage that is referred to, not a social role. It is the genetically determined anatomy that determines a person’s calling as male or female, not their personal decision or inclination.[ii] In Jeremiah 13:23 we are confronted with the question: Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? The obvious answer is “no” as these are both God-determined genetic realities. An Ethiopian might use a skin conditioner that temporarily lightens his skin and we might dye a leopard’s coat, but the reality will shine through if they are allowed to follow their natural course.

Within the church, individuals who have been united with Christ should see their relationship with Christ as their primary identity. To place their identity in their sexuality is to betray the one who died for their sins by embracing one of those sins rather than Him. As such, the Scriptures leave no option for identifying as a gay Christian. This is true whether they choose to remain celibate or not. Sex outside of the marriage between a man and a woman is clearly sinful in the eyes of God. Since we know what God’s clear intent was from the beginning of creation, desires and attractions for the same sex are a product of our sinful nature since they are disordered. Anyone entertaining such desires should be called to repentance and the hope of Christlikeness.

Attempts to change one’s gender or live in a sexual or social role other than what you were born are not pleasing to God. Despite people’s claims that they were “born that way” or that they “can’t help what they feel inside,” our feelings must be taken captive to obey Christ (2 Cor 10:5). And it may be true that we are born with those feelings or inclinations, but we are born in sin (Psalm 51:5) and have no excuse for our disobedience to God’s righteous standards. Being inclined to gossip, adultery, pedophilia, or murder is no excuse for those actions as we stand before the righteous Judge. But we have no hope of changing those inclinations, thoughts, or actions in our own strength—we need God’s help.

Eventually, many Christians will be faced with the challenge of using the name or pronouns of a person claiming to be transgender. What is a person to do in the workplace, amongst the family, or face-to-face with an individual? While there is no direct biblical directive on this matter, this becomes an issue of conscience using the principles outlined above. Many will conclude that it would be a lie against creation order to use a name or pronouns that align with the opposite sex and their conscience will not allow them to do so (Romans 14:5, 23). Others will see a name as appropriate but not pronouns. Others may find certain situations where they would choose to use the name and pronouns someone close to them requests as they seek to maintain the clear witness in that relationship. In each of these cases, this should be done with godly counsel, prayer, and following the example of our Savior who was filled with grace and truth in every interaction he had.

This is where Christians must be ready to share the hope of the gospel with compassion and boldness. And as we do so, we can’t forget that each of us was in desperate need of God’s grace, Christ’s blood, and the Spirit’s empowering work in our hearts or we would still be lost in our own sins. The Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian church of this truth:

9 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11)

For each Christian, this is a reminder of the grace we have received. For those who don’t yet know the grace of Christ, it can be a place to show them the hope for those like us who were once enemies of God and have now been washed clean of the stain of sin and been made holy by the blood of Christ in the Spirit of God. And such WERE some of you. You have the opportunity to offer this hope to those whose minds are blinded by the god of this age, to pray for them, and to love them in the hope that God will grant them repentance and faith.

[i] For more on this topic, see The Biology of Gender, Georgia Purdom, Answers, https://answersingenesis.org/family/gender/biology-gender/


[ii] We are indebted to the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America and their synod study report on gender and sexuality issues published by Covenant and Crown Publications as Gender as Calling: The Gospel and Gender Identity and The Gospel and Sexual Orientation[i] For more on this topic, see The Biology of Gender, Georgia Purdom, Answers, https://answersingenesis.org/family/gender/biology-gender/

[ii] We are indebted to the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America and their synod study report on gender and sexuality issues published by Covenant and Crown Publications as Gender as Calling: The Gospel and Gender Identity and The Gospel and Sexual Orientation

Summer Camp Scholarship Fund

By giving to this fund, you’ll help students who may need financial aid as well as keep the overall cost of camp down for all students.

Questions?

Join a Serve Team!

Select your campus and let us know what Serve Team you are interested in!