Blurred Gender Lines Part 3

When God created two genders through Adam and Eve, there is no exact description of what the physical appearance of these first two individuals looked like.   No one can say whether they were fair skinned or dark, blue eyed or brown, or even what was the color of their hair.  Its is only known that God created them as two distinct genders with all the distinct physical attributes that still define those two genders today.  That being said, there are a few things which can be assumed about these two people that have little to do with their gender identities.  For instance they would have been physically fit as they were created perfect.  They would have had no physical deformities or scars because sin had not influenced their bodies in anyway at Creation.  They would have been mentally and morally ignorant of all the current gender confusion, because, in their world, there was only one man and one woman and they were literally the definition of the two distinctive genders and satisfied with those limitations.  Thus when it comes to their gender identities we simply know that they were given the physical attributes that define male and female gender identities.

However, when it comes to the farther reaching qualities of masculinity and femininity, no one can really say much about Adam and Eve regarding these terms.  It is known that Adam was obviously created the definition of masculine as Eve was of the feminine, but, it is not clear what those roles actually looked like.  This is partially because our current culture usually define masculine and feminine based upon personal and cultural perceptions and not solely upon the biblical definitions and examples.  In the Roman world, athletics were solely male participant events and thus in the Roman mind true masculinity was defined by male prowess in those events.  While it is safe to assume that Adam was “athletic,” because he was created physically perfect, it is also safe to assume that Eve, based upon her created perfection, was also “athletic” as well.  Thus defining the masculinity and femininity of the genders cannot be based solely upon those type of physical capabilities.

Conversely, emotions are seen as being feminine or masculine.  Crying, for instance, is often classified as a feminine emotion and because of this there are some who seek to train their sons to withhold their tears because, “real men don’t cry.”  Yet one need only look as far as the pages of Scripture to find the Lord Jesus Christ sharing His broken heart in John 11:35 as he literally wept over the circumstances of Lazarus’ death.  Peter, God’s preacher on the day of Pentecost, wept bitterly in conviction upon seeing his failure of denying Jesus in Matthew 26:75.  In Revelation 5:4 John’s heart is emotionally broken when he thinks no one is worthy to open the book before him and thus he “wept much.”   These examples show that one cannot define masculine or feminine based solely upon culturally defined emotional definitions as all emotions were created by God for both genders.  One must realize that God is the Author of all emotions and can find Him showing every emotion humankind can display, especially since humanity is created in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).

Blurred Gender Lines Part 2

Genders are not simply the basis for identity but also the basis for dating, marriage, the home, and thus to understand how God views the genders and their roles in His Creation, helps one understand dating, marriage, and the home.  With this as the backdrop, it is this author’s desire to present seven truths given to us by God about genders.

1. No one gender is practically more important than the other.  There are some in the world who perceive that God, and Christianity by default, see the masculine gender as more important than the feminine.  But this view is often based on three faulty perceptions;  first, God using men in the majority of Bible events makes them more important.  Second, since men have been commanded by God to lead their homes (Ephesians 5) and the local churches (1 Timothy 3), they are greater in God’s sight.  Third, because it is erroneously presented by some that women are the only ones commanded to be submission, thus allowing some men to become near dictators and wives to be little more than slaves.  First, God placed women in positions of biblical greatness just as He did men.  Examples of this include;  Zipporah, Deborah, Hannah, Esther, Ruth, Mary, and my favorite - Abigail.  Further, without women to give birth, there would have been no men for God to use.  Second, though the secular world often perceives it differently, church and family leadership does not make one great in God’s mind.  God’s method of leadership is servant hood not power or position (Mark 10:42-45), thus leading the home or church is not a sign of importance but of service.  Third, submission is a command to all Christians not just women (Ephesians 5:21).  In general God shows through 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 that each gender requires the other and that no gender is more important than the other.

2. No gender is spiritually more important than the other. Galatians 3:26-28 shows that in God’s kingdom genders are unimportant.  Here on earth there can be godly women and ungodly men and vice versa.  In the Bible, gender does not define a person’s spirituality as their faith, walk with with God, and spiritual condition marks the level of spiritual development.  In must be understood that God’s grace saves sinners regardless of gender and faithfully walking in God’s path is available to anyone.  In 1 Peter 3:1-4 God clearly states that an ungodly man can have a godly wife, thus making her spirituality based on something besides her husband and therefore her spiritual identity is tied to God not her husband.  Every person can walk with God to the same level as any person, regardless of their gender. 

3. Each gender has been given by God their own unique duties within marriage and the home.  However, some perceive these biblical marriage roles as gender inequality, whereas, God meant them as gender identity.  While it is true Genesis 3:16-19 shows the various parts of these gender duties within marriage, it is also true that those roles are to help mankind and womankind fulfill God’s overall purposes for their existence and not to create an inequality within the spiritual world.  For example, while men are to lead and provide for their marriages, there would be no marriage without a woman fulfilling her gender specific role within that marriage.  God’s gender roles in marriage help define not destroy.

4. Each gender has unique duties within the local church.  But once again this is not inequality but identity.  Even in the triune God, we are shown God the Father, as the lead authority of this unity, is not diminished in the equality of the other two parts of the Trinity.   As an example, Jesus at the time of His death (Luke 22:42) submitted to the will of the Father however this did not make Him less God, but, it showed that God is about order and design.  As a matter of fact through Jesus’ submission to the Father’s will, Jesus is exalted for that submission (Philippians 2:5-11).  While it is true that 1 Timothy 3 shows men are to be the leaders of the churches, it must further be clarified that Titus 2:1-5 and 1 Peter 3:1-5 show that women can be living examples for others to follow both in the church and home.  Men may be responsible for the preaching of the Word (1 Corinthians 14:34-35) but women are privileged to help fulfill the emotional and physical needs within the church body (Acts 9:36-43).  These roles are gender different but not gender unequal.

5. No gender is given greater abilities, but gender different duties are given based upon God’s purpose for that gender within the culture.  Having a baby is not for everyone, especially men, either physically and emotionally.  Any man who has seen his wife go through the birth of children would agree that they are anything but weak and, in most cases, are far more strong at that moment of time than any man.  That is not a shame as it is what defines her as better than the man at giving birth.  But as far as being a father, however, God gave men the physical and emotional tools to lead the home as the father.  Again, that does not make them better, just capable of doing what they have been called to do.  That does not mean woman cannot ever lead, but that God has given men the duty, and, through His Spirit, the abilities to be the head of the home, if men will take it.  In Genesis 3:16-17, God shares His plan for the genders when it comes to marriage, husbands are to lead their homes and wives are to allow their husbands to lead.  We must further accept that just because one assumes a particular task it is often seen as gender based and that may not be biblically based as gender specific.  For instance, some men can cook just as well as women, thus that is not a gender role, and, since God has not given Bible limitations for “women only cooking” then men should be able to help with this task and not feel less manly.  In simple terms cooking is not a Bible gender ability, even if some want to make it such.  It should be added that much of the gender roles of the Bible are within marriage and not within other relationships.  For instance, young ladies have no Bible obligation to be submissive to their boyfriends, and, young men have no right to demand the sole leadership in a dating relationship.  Marriage, however, does define their roles based upon God’s gender identity.

6. Many gender roles are generated by culture and situations not necessarily by God’s Word.  In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul is speaking about prayer and submission and using the length of men’s hair and women’s head coverings to teach about these two subjects.  But as he concludes the discussion in verse 16, he makes this statement, “But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.”  In other words, this is not about what God demands for all churches but about what the culture defines for some.  This does not give liberty for men to have whatever length of hair they want, but that godly men should be desirous to outwardly show the manhood distinctive that God created in him and conversely the woman should desire God’s plan for submission as a sign of her femininity.  There are many countries where a gender role is defined by the culture apart from God’s biblical definition, therefore one must grasp the God created genders, and accept that He did not create all the gender roles seen today in our world.  For example, a wife walking several steps behind her husband may show respect in some cultures, but in America it is a sign of something far less positive.  One must understand what is biblical and what is cultural regarding gender identity.

7. No gender will ever be complete without the One True Completer - Jesus Christ.  The gender identity crisis today is, in this author’s opinion, not about actual gender or even about cultural acceptance, but about the emptiness within the souls of people.   People are looking for someone or something to complete them.  Some would say that we, because of mankind’s created purpose and sin’s impact, have a God shaped void in their being.  Even those who are living properly within the bounds of their God given gender identity can still feel empty and totally incomplete.  Yet the Bible makes it clear that God’s desire is to make all complete in Christ (Colossians 2:8-10).  He is the Completer.  Marriage does not complete anyone - only Jesus can do that.  Christ does what no other relationship can do - make people complete!

Blurred Gender Lines Part 1

     

(This is Part 1 of 4 in a Series Regarding Gender Blurring in Today's World)

Though there is currently much debate regarding a variety of genders and gender identity, God’s Word is clear that He created two genders (Genesis 2:22, 5:2, Matthew 19:4, Mark 10:6), and those genders are physically formed in the womb, and mankind comes into the world as either male or female (Leviticus 12:7, Jeremiah 1:5, Luke 2:23).  Genders are not based upon personal perception or emotional state of mind as modern psychology seems to present.  God’s Word has presented with clarity that there are two genders, and there is nothing which effectively refutes this, especially since it requires two distinct genders to procreate which was one of God’s main purposes for two genders (Genesis 1:28). 

To understand God’s view of genders, one must accept that the two genders are equal in God’s sight, but unique based upon physical attributes as well as gender defined positional fulfillment, such as husbands and wives within the home and various leadership positions within the local church. (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1-2).  There are other human compartmentalizations divided by physical attributes, such as skin color and other genetic based similarities, but genders is one divide that transcends all these people groups.  These other divisions are often referred to as the various “races” of mankind, such as is found the children’s song “Jesus Loves The Little Children," where children are seen as red, yellow, black, and white.  However, the Bible makes no such distinction based solely upon these physical attributes (races) because God did not create various races but made all mankind through a single woman, Eve (Genesis 3:20), and only divided mankind by nations, languages, kindreds, and peoples (Revelation 5:9, 14:6) after their desire to reject His plan and purposes at the tower of Babel (Genesis 10 -11).  The establishment of races appear to have developed from genetics due to the separation after the Tower of Babel.  It must be noted that the greatest demarcation of divisions within mankind is not found in either gender or race but in being saved or lost (1 Corinthians 15:45).

In his original condition, mankind, as all creation, was not influenced by sin as mankind was sinless and physically complete (Genesis 1:31).  Mankind willingly rejected God’s perfect creation and simple command of obedience, which led to God’s judgment on all creation and sin’s impact upon man’s spiritual and physical conditions as well as creation’s continual dissolution and ultimate destruction (Genesis 6:5, 8:31, Psalm 14, Romans 3:10-12, 5:12-19, I Timothy 2:14).

Presently there is great confusion and division over the issue of how are genders defined and how many genders are there within humanity.  In 2017, National Geographic Magazine published an article entitled “Gender Revolution” where a nine-year proudly stated, “The best thing about being a girl is, now I don’t have to pretend to be a boy.”  The article further alludes that the cultural acceptance of far more than two genders, and even the acceptance of people who choose to reject all gender identity.  Yet, God is the Creator of genders.  One cannot read the first chapter of the Bible without seeing this truth and understanding that God created two genders physically - male and female.  But today many have chosen to reject how they were physically made in exchange for how they emotionally feel.  They are rejecting that which is visually clear for that which is emotionally arbitrary.  This gender identity confusion has become the basis for the current gender identity crisis in our world.  Public organizations have begun to allow multiple gender identities, as examples, the city of New York, as of early 2018, to accept over 30 gender options in their paperwork for city employee positions and even internet social media site Facebook to list over 70 gender choices when one registers for their site. 

Though it may be true that many of those rejecting the two gender choices are doing such simply to reject God, there are those who are genuinely confused by their feelings and their bodies and so it is still an issue that the current generation needs to have biblical truth to stand upon and a biblical truth to share.  One must realize that the gender identity crisis in the world today goes far beyond, as some attest, just the food we eat or the secular culture which propagates itself upon us.  It is because the world needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Gospel changes people within, even those who are rebelling against their God given gender.  But let it be clear, though there is a very small percentage of people born with genetic abnormalities known as intersex physical traits (both male and female body parts), God in His perfect Creation made just two genders by His love and for His ordained purposes.