It’s safe to say that worldly attitudes toward Christians and Christianity run the gamut. Some admire Christians for their willingness to sacrifice for the good of others, for their general goodness (the absence of sins like greed and profane language), and for their overt joy amid difficult circumstances.
Others ridicule Christians (and rightfully so) when they see attitudes of hypocrisy and judgmentalism. They hear Christians claim to be different, set apart, and peculiar only to see that Christians are no different from anyone else in the world.
Then there are others who look at the tenets of Christianity and find them to be so out of step with modern culture that they’re just crazy.
Crazy Attitudes About Sex and Marriage
One aspect of Christianity that seems crazy to the culture is our attitude regarding sex and marriage. Christians say, “I will marry one person of the opposite sex and faithfully devote myself to that person ONLY for the rest of my life. Part of that faithful devotion is sex. We declare that sexual thoughts, feelings, and actions are reserved only for our spouse.
The world says, “That’s nuts. Nobody can do that! People should have the freedom to enjoy sex with anybody who’s willing. And who I have sex with is nobody else’s business. Pre-marital sex? Sure, why not? Extra-marital affairs? Hey, they happen. Homosexual sex? You better accept it! If you don’t, you will be canceled!”
For the Christian to say, “Any sex outside of traditional male-female marriage is sin”... well, that’s just crazy.
Mark 3 tells us that Jesus’ own family thought He was crazy. They come to “seize” Jesus because they believe He is “out of His mind” (Mark 3.21). If the world thinks that we Christians are crazy… well, we’re in good company. Our attitudes about sex and marriage have always offended the culture.
These attitudes were established by God "from the beginning." Genesis 1:27 says,
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
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.
One male and one female joined together by the Spirit of God for life (Mal. 2.15). That’s God’s plan. That’s how human life flourishes. God’s way is always the best way.
What Does It Mean to Be Created Male and Female?
This Sunday, we will address the question, “What does it mean to be male and female … and to be created male and female by God?”
The world asks, “What if we’re not happy with what God has done? Can we change ourselves from male to female or female to male? Can we just declare ourselves to be someone other than what God created?”
Some believe this is an idea to be debated. Others believe that there’s nothing to be debated. “How dare you question my freedom to identify or express my sexuality however I choose? This is personal. This is my life. It’s NOT something to be debated. This is something I deal with every single day.”
Church, it’s possible that we will have someone in attendance this Sunday who has that same attitude—who can say, “Yeah, that’s my story, too. That’s exactly how I feel about myself." We must approach this topic carefully and with a great deal of love and compassion. We will not gather on Sunday to beat anyone up. We must not pick on, belittle, or make fun of anyone for the simple reason that everybody in the room Sunday is a sinner.
We are not a church that uses the Bible as a cudgel to beat people into submission. No, we’re a church that presents biblical truth in love because that’s what Jesus calls us to be.
We invite everyone to experience the salvation of Jesus. He alone can heal any sin—any deviation from the way of God—including gender dysphoria. Jesus loves people “just as they are.” But He loves them way too much to allow them to stay “just as they are.” Every person is created in the image of God and is designed to reflect His glory. We best reflect God’s glory to the world when we look like Jesus.
So that’s the goal—the goal of the sexually dysphoric, the goal of the adulterer, the goal of the thief, the goal of the sinner. Look like Jesus. Become the One we follow. It’s a lofty goal… one that will take a lifetime to realize. With God’s help, we can become like Jesus. And on that Last Day, the goal will be made complete.
“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3.2).