Key Scripture: 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.” — Genesis 1:27 (ESV)
🌍 When Identity Feels Fragile
We live in a generation where the most basic realities—like gender—are being redefined. The idea that a person can choose or change their gender identity, regardless of biological sex, has moved from the margins to the mainstream. What was once confusion is now promoted as courage. What Scripture calls creation is now called constraint.
But beneath the slogans and pride flags are real people—many of them hurting. Confusion about gender identity is not only a cultural issue—it is a deeply spiritual and personal one. The church must respond with both conviction and compassion.
📜 What Does the Bible Say About Gender?
The Bible’s teaching on gender is simple, foundational, and consistent from Genesis to Revelation. There are two sexes—male and female—given by God, not chosen by people.
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.”
God did not create a gender spectrum—He created a beautiful binary. Our maleness or femaleness is not incidental or accidental—it is intentional and foundational to who we are as image-bearers of God.
🧠 What Is Transgenderism?
Transgenderism is the belief that a person’s internal sense of gender can differ from their biological sex. This belief often leads to attempts to socially or medically transition—through name changes, pronouns, clothing, hormone therapy, or surgery.
While we must approach individuals with empathy, we cannot embrace an ideology that contradicts God’s Word. Gender is not assigned at birth. It is designed by God before birth.
📖 Psalm 139:13–14
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
To deny one’s biological sex is to question God’s craftsmanship. It’s not self-expression—it’s self-rejection.
⚠️ The Spiritual Roots of Gender Confusion
Scripture tells us that sin distorts every part of creation—including our sense of self. Just as we are born with sinful desires, we can also be born into confusion, trauma, or brokenness about our identity. But brokenness is not permission to rewrite creation—it’s an invitation to seek healing in the Creator.
Romans 1:22–25:
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images…
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity… because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie.”
Transgender ideology is part of a larger rebellion—replacing God’s truth with cultural lies. It is not liberating; it is enslaving.
💔 What If Someone Feels They Were Born in the Wrong Body?
That feeling is real to them—but feelings are not facts. The fall of man in Genesis 3 introduced confusion, disorder, and death into the world. But the gospel brings clarity, order, and life.
1 Corinthians 14:33:
“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”
When a person struggles with gender identity, what they need most is not surgery or affirmation—they need truth, discipleship, and love rooted in the Word of God.
🩺 Is There Hope for Someone Who Has Transitioned?
Yes. Many have found healing and restoration after living as a different gender. Some have de-transitioned and turned to Christ. Others have come to salvation while still wrestling with their feelings but now surrendering those feelings to God.
“Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…”
— 1 Corinthians 6:11
No sin, no mistake, no surgery puts someone beyond God’s grace. Healing is possible, but it begins with surrender.
🛠 How Should Christians Respond?
We are called to be both courageous and compassionate:
- Speak truth in love — Don’t affirm lies, but speak with kindness (Ephesians 4:15)
- Refuse worldly language — Use names and pronouns that align with biological truth
- Support families navigating this — Many parents are being bullied into silence or affirmation. Stand with them.
- Pray for clarity and courage — Especially for teens facing enormous pressure to question their gender
- Offer redemptive discipleship — Don’t just condemn—help them follow Christ into wholeness
📚 Examples from Scripture
Jesus and the Eunuchs (Matthew 19:12)
Jesus acknowledged that some experience physical or sexual ambiguity. But even then, He pointed back to the Genesis design of male and female, reaffirming God’s plan—not offering alternative identities.
The Demoniac (Mark 5)
Though not a direct parallel, the story of the demon-possessed man shows how confusion, self-harm, and identity loss can be signs of spiritual warfare. Jesus restored him fully—to peace, dignity, and community. That’s the goal for anyone trapped in confusion.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions About Gender Identity
Is it hateful to tell someone they aren’t really the gender they claim?
No. It’s loving to tell the truth. You can disagree with someone’s identity claims and still treat them with dignity and respect.
Can someone be transgender and Christian?
One may struggle with gender identity and be on a journey of sanctification. But to embrace a transgender identity as righteous or unchanging is to reject God’s created order. Following Jesus means laying down all self-defined identities.
Should I use someone’s preferred pronouns?
Scripture calls us to speak truth. Using false pronouns affirms a lie. While this may cost social favor, God calls us to honor Him over man (Galatians 1:10).
What should the church be doing?
Preaching truth, loving the broken, supporting families, and discipling with grace and clarity. We can’t be silent, and we can’t be cruel.
💬 Closing Thought
The transgender movement isn’t just a social trend—it’s a spiritual battle. At its core, it challenges the authority and beauty of God’s created design. But Jesus still redeems confused hearts. His grace reaches to the deepest identity struggles.
You are not your feelings. You are not your past. You are not what others have spoken over you. You are who God created you to be—fearfully and wonderfully made, male or female, in His image.
In the next article, we’ll address another sexual sin often overlooked but repeatedly condemned in Scripture—prostitution and sexual exploitation, and what it teaches us about dignity, danger, and deliverance.
