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Intro

I am so glad you are here, last week we talked about why the Bible was trust worthy and still something that we should use for our guide. Well this week we get to dive into the fun and awkward and uncomfortable. Today we are going to talk about Gender identity

Object lesson have students cut out a picture one person using scissors, a butter knife, a pen, a paper clip

What made it so difficult for you to cut out the picture so well?

This really shows us how certain things are designed for a reason and not only are they designed for a reason but they work the best when they are used for the purpose that they are designed.

The paper clip, pen, butter knife do not cut paper very well, but scissors dont hold papers together well, or write very well. Unless your using it to write in blood.

These were simple items that we were trying to use them for and we see how they work best when used for their intended purpose. The same is true with more complicated items, like a car, or a dishwasher. If you dont use them for the intended puropose they wont function well and will eventually brake.

The same thing is true for you and me. We were created for a purpose, and we were given guidelines to live by. Not to limit our fun but to give us freedom to be able to live with Joy and fun.

So today we are going to look at what the Bible says about our identity.

What does God say about human identity?

You may be thinking but Todd the Bible was written over two thousand years ago. How can it be relevant to what we are dealing with today. The issues we are dealing with now didnt exist back then. Well to a point I agree. Jesus didnt walk around with an iphone in His pocket. Paul didnt use an ipad to write most of the new testament. However there are principles that were written that we can clearly apply to our lives today.

So lets take a look at what Genesis says about our human identity

Genesis 1:26–27 NIV

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

This passage tells us that God created all of us in His image. Which tells us and gives us the principle that no matter what you may think of a certain person, or if you like that person or not, they still deserve dignity and respect.

The next thing this passage points out is that we are given power and responsibility for taking care of the animals and ruling over them. So we should do our best to help take care of animals. Now that being said God also made animals delicious, so Im not saying that we shouldnt eat meat, but that we should strive to do so in responsible ways.

So now that we have seen that God created us to be like Him and were made in His image, lets go a little bit deeper about our identity.

What does God say about Gender identity?

So what does the Bible say about Gender?

Well first I think we have to make sure that we are asking the correct question. I think the question we have to truly answer is Who am I. What makes these conversations so difficult is because we have now equated what we do or how we feel, to who we are. However thats just not true. Our desires are not who we are they are merely what you do and want. Who you are was created by your creator.

Lets take a look at what the Bible says about who we are.

Genesis 1:27 NIV

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Psalm 139:13–14 NIV

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.

These two passages tell us that first we were created male and female, and secondly that God puts us together in our mothers womb. With these 2 passages we can see that whether we are male or female is not our choice, but was a design by God.

Before you were born God put in your dna chromosomes that determine if you will be male or female, and because of the fact that these chromosomes go throughout our entire body in every single cell, there is no amount of hormones a person can take to change whether they are male or female. In fact scientists have determined that these chromosomes cause at least 6500 differences between male and female bodies.

So even though we hear people discussing transitioning on tv and in the news, and maybe even some of your friends, they are not actually changing who they are, they are merely changing external characteristics of their physical appearance.

So that brings us to what do people mean when they say that they are nonbinary or gender fluid or transgender? Well these terms all relate to how someone feels. They may not feel like they are masculine as the culture around them says they should be, or feminine enough to what the world says, but it doesnt change that they are in fact male or female.

Many of these feelings are generally rooted in feelings of rejection and they feel like they would be better accepted if they were a different gender. There are many different things that can lead to these feelings, and that doesnt mean that we should be mean or rude to someone who feels this way, but we can be confident that God didnt put anyone in the wrong Body.

One reason people have difficulty accepting their gender identity is due to not fitting into the cultural stereotypes that we have. If a boy enjoys playing with dolls all of the sudden we are quick to label them as transgender. Or if a girl decides she would rather go race dirtbikes the culture tries to get her to label herself as transgender. Where the reality of life is, that we all have different likes and dislikes. Some men may have more feminine traits to them, some women may have more masculine traits, however that still doesnt make them the opposite gender.

Deuteronomy 32:4 NIV

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

This passage reminds us that God is perfect and just. So if God created us and knit us together, and He is a perfect God it doesnt make sense that He would accidentally put a boy in a girls body, or vice versa.

I understand this topic is very controversial today. And its difficult to have conversations about this because you so quickly get labeled as transphobic if you disagree with what others believe.

The biggest difficulty with having these conversations is that we tend to put our identity in things instead of in Christ. This is why it is so important to make sure especially if you are a believer that you know who made you. Because jobs, titles, clubs, activities will all change, and so often we put our identity on things that change. However as a Christian we have to make sure to put our identity it the one who will never change, and that is Jesus.

But I do want to end with this. I do believe that God created us to be Male and Female, I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman, and you may be thinking but Todd thats not very accepting. Let me tell you some other things that I believe and we will talk more about them next week. I believe sex should be saved for marriage. I believe porn is a sin, I believe in what the Bible calls sin. Today we were discussing LGBTQ however next week we will be discussing sex. Im not just focusing on this but I believe that it is a sin just like so many other sins that we all get caught up in, and need salvation from by the grace of God.