There are certain issues that press themselves upon the church because they are so prominent in the culture around us. Biblical sexuality is one of those issues. Over the next few weeks, I will be looking at some of these pertinent cultural issues addressing sexuality.
Over the last decade especially, we have witnessed a massive and rapid cultural shift in the way our society thinks about sex, gender, marriage, and identity. What previous generations assumed to be fixed and obvious is now treated as flexible and self-defined. The categories of male and female, once understood as basic realities of human existence, are now openly questioned, redefined, and even rejected.
It is hard to overstate how significant this shift has been. In 2015, America saw the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, which made so-called same-sex marriage the law of the land. That same year, Bruce Jenner, a famous male athlete, publicly announced that he no longer wanted to be identified as Bruce, the man, but as Caitlyn, the woman. That moment became one of the most visible cultural symbols of a new message that has only grown louder since then: gender is no longer to be viewed as a fixed, biological reality, but as something fluid, flexible, and ultimately determined by personal desire.
And now that message is everywhere. It is promoted in media, education, entertainment, public policy, and social expectations. But most shockingly, it is not only outside the church, but has also begun to creep inside her walls in the name of inclusion, tolerance, and acceptance. We expect the world to think like the world. But what is especially alarming is how quickly views have changed even among professing evangelicals on homosexuality, sexual activity outside of marriage, and gender identity.
So what do we do? We go back to the beginning. We go back to the Word of God. The most important question we can ask is not, “What does the culture say?” but, “What does the Bible say?” If we are going to think rightly about sexuality and gender, then we must begin where Scripture begins: with God as Creator.
Before we do that, though, two things must be made clear right away.
First, there is no room in this discussion for self-righteousness. We are not interested in mocking people, tearing anyone down, or making jokes about real human brokenness. Tears are the only appropriate response. We live in a sexually broken world, and all of us feel the effects of the fall in one way or another. Sexual sin is everywhere: fornication, adultery, pornography, abuse, divorce, confusion, and deep relational pain. Some of that brokenness is found even inside churches. So there is no room for pride here. Only humility, truth, and compassion.
Second, we need to define some terms. Gender dysphoria refers to the distress or inner anguish someone feels because of a perceived conflict between their biological sex and their internal sense of gender. Transgenderism refers to identifying or expressing oneself as a gender different from one’s biological sex. That can include cross-dressing, medical interventions, surgical attempts to alter the body, or identifying as gender fluid or non-binary.
Now, rather than beginning with what we are against, the better place to start is with what God is for. We need to begin with the beauty of God’s design.
The opening chapters of Genesis make clear that there is a Creator, and that He has made all things according to His wise and purposeful design. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The Bible does not begin by arguing for God’s existence. It simply declares Him. God is, and God creates.
And when God finishes His work of creation, He steps back and declares it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). That means creation was not only free from sin, but also exactly as He intended it to be. It was ordered, purposeful, and complete. That includes human sexuality.
In Genesis 2:7, God forms the man from the dust of the ground. In Genesis 2:22, He forms the woman from the man’s rib. Then in Genesis 1:27 we read, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Human beings are made in the image of God, and that image is expressed in our being created as male and female.
This means at least two things.
First, God is the One who establishes manhood and womanhood. Male and female are not social inventions. They are not man-made categories. They are not rooted in cultural stereotypes. They are God’s design. You are not male or female by accident. You are created that way by God.
Second, our gender has purpose. If God creates everything with intention, then our maleness or femaleness is not arbitrary or unimportant. It is not fluid. It is fixed and meaningful. Our desires do not determine reality. God does. His design must have authority over our feelings.
Why did God make us male and female?
Human beings are uniquely made in the image of God. We are created to reflect Him, to display His glory in the world. That is true of all people, but Genesis shows that part of that image-bearing reality is our being male and female. Men and women are equal in dignity and worth, because both are made in God’s image. But they are also different, and in those differences they together reflect something of God’s wisdom and glory.
This means your calling as a man or as a woman is not incidental. It is part of your God-given identity. To embrace and live faithfully as the sex God has given you is to glorify Him.
Genesis 2 also shows that men and women, while equal in dignity, are distinct in role. Adam is placed in the garden to work, to name, to lead. Eve is made as a helper fit for him, not because she is inferior, but because she brings what is needed and good. Her role is glorious, purposeful, and essential.
These distinctions are not the result of the fall. They are part of God’s good creation. And that means we should honor them, not erase them. We are right to teach our boys to be boys and our girls to be girls. Parents should not be embarrassed by biblical manhood and womanhood. We should celebrate them.
And this truth is not limited to marriage. Single men can glorify God fully as men, and single women can glorify God fully as women. Jesus Himself was the perfect man, and He was single.
Genesis 2 also makes clear that God designed male and female for marriage. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Marriage is God’s idea. Sex is God’s idea. And both are good gifts when received according to His design.
Marriage is the covenant union of one man and one woman for life. Sexual intimacy is to be enjoyed only within that covenant. This is not restrictive or outdated. It is God’s wise and good design for our flourishing and His glory.
We should celebrate what it means to be men and women. We should honor biblical manhood and womanhood, teach it to our children, and thank God for His wisdom in designing us as He has.
Because God created us male and female, any attempt to reject, alter, or blur that design is sinful. That is true not only in outward action, but also in inward desire. Our desires are not morally neutral simply because they feel strong or natural. Like every fallen desire, they must be brought under the authority of Christ and repented of.
Yet we must remember the difference between experiencing confusion and openly embracing rebellion. Temptation itself is not identical to a settled identity. But both confusion and sinful desire must be addressed honestly before God.
Here is the good news. Jesus Christ came to save sexually broken sinners. He was crushed for our sin, including our sexual sin. And through His death and resurrection, He offers forgiveness, cleansing, restoration, and power to change.
1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” That is our hope. Not self-reinvention. Not self-expression. Christ. The life-changing, transforming power of Christ.
The church must speak clearly, but also compassionately. We must hold fast to the truth, and we must hold out the gospel. No matter your past, your struggles, or your failures, there is cleansing and mercy in Jesus Christ. He alone can restore what sin has broken.
