What About Transgender? Series

WHAT ABOUT TRANSGENDER?

I want to talk today about a subject that we all know is a difficult issue in our nation today. We are continuing in our series Choose Life and I want to look at the issue of the transgender movement. Back in 2012 the words gender identity and gender expression were added to Ontario’s Human Rights Code. Ontario was the first province or state in North America to do this.

Then in 2012 there was Bill 13 which compelled public schools to have gay-straight alliances and demanded that schools combat ‘homophobia’ and ‘transphobia.’

In 2015 there was Bill 77 which prohibited particular forms of therapy for minors who were struggling with gender dysphoria (gender confusion) and other aspects of their sexuality. This was against the advice of many physicians and counsellors.

In 2016 there was Bill 28 which removed the term ‘mother’ and ‘father’ from Ontario law, and permits ‘pre-conception agreements’ allowing for unrelated and unmarried people to become parents.

In 2017 there was Bill 89 which can remove kids from parents who reject transgender ideology. Basically it says that the child’s own ‘gender identity and expression’ trumps any other belief or religious system.

This is what society is saying, but what does the bible say on this issue? Once again, the bible is clear;

Deuteronomy 22:5 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.

In the King James version it says that doing this is an abomination. The word in Hebrew is a very strong word, it literally means something that is disgusting. It is the same word used to describe how God views idolatry. So why does God see this as being such an issue? Why does the bible speak against this? Because it goes against the very core of our identity. Because it goes against who God created you to be. I want to talk about 3 things today in terms of identity;

1. Acknowledge the Fact that God has Created You

The bible says that we did not just come about by chance. We are not the result of random selection or billions of years of evolution. We were created by God. When God created the universe and everything in it, he chose to create us last. That is because we are special. We were created in the image of God, meaning that we have an eternal spirit, something that will live on for eternity. God created us male and female. The Bible's foundational statement on sexual orientation and gender identity is found in Genesis;

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Note that this passage introduces God's design for humanity as ‘male’ and ‘female.’ These two categories are not merely descriptive of all humans; they are prescriptive. They are not the two outer ranges, with a gradation between them. They are two categories: male and female. That means that you were created genetically as either a woman having two X chromosomes or as a man having an X and Y chromosome.

God created us this way for a reason. He created the sexes so that both a man and woman are necessary for the process of procreation. He created men and women to be different, to need one another. Jesus reinforces this to us the New Testament;

Matthew 19:4 Haven't you read, he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’”

Because God created gender, it is sacred. It is who we were created to be. It is God’s design for us. What does it mean that our gender is sacred?

I saw a video on YouTube of Ravi Zacharias answering the question of “why are Christians hateful of people who support alternate lifestyles?” He tells the story of a time he was speaking at a University and a reporter asked him a question after the message. She asked “I have a problem with Christianity. They are against racism, but when it come to homosexuality they discriminate against them. How do you explain that?” Ravi said to her that the reason that we believe that discrimination based on ethnically is wrong is because the race and ethnicity of a person is sacred. It is God given so you do not violate it. It is a sacred gift. Likewise, the reason we believe in an absolute in sexuality is because we believe that sexuality is sacred. It is God given. It is a gift, so you do not violate it. He asked her why she believed that race was sacred but sexuality was not.

Sexuality is sacred. Gender is God decided, God given. To say “God created me a woman, but I am really a man” is to say that the sovereign almighty God of eternity made a mistake. If you ever come to a place in your life where your will comes into opposition to God’s will I want to recommend that you tread very lightly. If you ever say “I am right and God is wrong” guess what, you are wrong. God does not make mistakes. He does not, and He cannot. You can fight against His will or accept it.