What About The Transgender Movement?
8 Questions To Consider
The transgender movement is a whole different animal than the homosexual movement although they are related in certain ways. The homosexual propaganda would have you believe that sexual orientation is innate from birth. But now, the transgender movement has come up with a term called, “gender fluidity” which basically says that depending on your feelings at any given moment, you can decide if you’re male or female. You could identify as a male today and a female tomorrow. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), there is a disorder called Gender Identity Disorder, formerly called Gender Dysphoria. To meet the diagnostic criteria for this disorder, one must have a severe discomfort with his/her biological sex and it must begin in the early years of childhood between the ages of 2-4. This is a very rare disorder and has historically overwhelmingly afflicted boys. What we are seeing today are adolescents who decide to switch genders and it is more heavily weighted with girls. These adolescents do not meet the criteria for this disorder because the onset is generally in adolescence instead of early childhood. This gender issue is becoming an epidemic! It is dangerous! Physicians who vowed in their hippocratic oath to do no harm are now cutting off the breasts of young women and the penisis of young men who want to take the plunge into being the opposite sex. They are being given hormone-blocking drugs in their adolescent years to stop them from producing the sex hormone that is germane to the body they were born in.
Before we go any further, let’s define some terms:
Transgender - a person who feels that his or her biological gender does not match their gender identity.
Gender-fluid - a person who feels that his or her gender identity changes.
Nonbinary/genderqueer - a person who feels that his or her gender identity does not align with the male/female standard.
Gender dysphoria - a state of anxiety and depression caused by the feeling that one’s gender identity does not match one’s birth gender.
This is an epidemic now in the United States and across certain parts of the world. Here in the U.S. we have days designated on our national calendar called, Coming Out Day, International Pronouns Day, LGBTQ History Month, Transgender Visibility Month, and of course, Pride Month. This is an abomination to a holy God and we should shutter in our shoes at the progression these groups have made.
Here are the talking points if you are having a conversation with someone regarding the issue of transgenderism:
1. Do you believe that the Bible is the God-breathed Word of God and that it is absolute truth?
This is always the starting point. If they answer yes, then you can have a healthy conversation. If they answer no, then you are arguing apples and oranges. It would be like sitting down at the table trying to rationalize with a member of Hamas. You would have nothing in common with the exception that you’re both breathing. If a so-called believer says they do not believe in the Bible or even that they do not believe all the Bible, then there is a question as to whether that person knows God at all. If I were in a conversation with someone and they answered “no” at this early point, then I would say, “I am happy to tell you why I believe what I believe if you want to hear my reasons.” If they say that they’re not interested, then you’re done. Dust off your shoes and move on.
If they say that they are a Christian and that they believe in the Word of God as absolute truth, then proceed with the following:
2. If you believe in the truth of Scripture, do you believe that God is a God of order?
From the very beginning of time, we learn that there is an order to creation. The first chapter in Scripture, Genesis 1, outlines the order of creation:
You really can’t get more ordered than this! The Apostle Paul in speaking to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 14 says, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.” He was saying this in regard to people speaking in tongues without an interpreter. This act created chaos within the Corinthian church. God had established that this church and every church would have order and not chaos. Order gives us a sense of peace. If you are ever wondering if something is God’s will or not, know this, God’s will always promotes a sense of peace. There is no peace in the lgbtq community. The rate of suicide is 3x higher in the lgbtq community than it is in the heterosexual community. Suicide is a huge mental health challenge! Therefore, there is a lack of peace with those who consider themselves to be homosexual or who have same-sex attraction. This alone is proof that homosexuality is not of God.
3. Does God expect us to live as the gender we are born with?
God absolutely expects us to live in the body and as the gender we are born with. If He knew us and knit us together in our mother’s womb before we were born (Ps. 139) and if He said that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, then why would we want to change that? God is a God of order. Changing that order goes against God’s created purpose for our lives.
4. But what if the transgender person says they were born with an inclination to be gay or to be in a body representing the opposite sex?
We are all born sinners. Rom. 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We all have certain inclinations. Embracing all of one’s inclinations is neither wise nor is it godly. Some might be more inclined to addictive-type behavior. That doesn’t mean that it’s okay to embrace that behavior. Some might be born hypersexual. That doesn’t mean that it’s okay to go out and have as much sex with as many people as possible. For those who say that they are born with an inclination to a certain type of sin, just know that this never gives them a biblical license to participate in that sin. The world tells us these days to embrace “our truth”. The world tells us to be who we are and who we want to be. The Bible tells us to “deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him.” (Matt. 16:24) If you believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, then you have to agree that giving in to your own feelings is not ordained by God. “The heart (our feelings) is deceitful above all and desperately wicked, who can trust it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
5. But what if they say that they will be suicidal if they don’t get into the gender they are choosing?
Transgender individuals commit suicide 3x more frequently than the rest of the population. Anyone who commits suicide is temporarily insane. Our natural instinct that is innate in all human beings is to preserve self. For example, if someone throws a ball at your head and you see it coming, you’re going to duck or get out of the way. If you stick your head out so as to be struck even harder, then you would be denying a basic instinct. When a person commits suicide, they deny that basic instinct of self-preservation. Therefore, anyone who is suicidal is already mentally ill even if it be temporarily. Mental illness is not changed by a circumstantial change in anything including gender identity. If a person is mentally ill prior to a gender transition, then that person will be mentally ill after the gender transition. And now, there is a trend towards committing suicide after gender transition because many of these adolescents are realizing that they made a colossal mistake and cannot have a do-over. If someone ever says that they will commit suicide if they do not get their way about a given issue, that person needs help right away. These days, finding Spirit-filled counselors who will share the truth in love is difficult. Many times, even those who refer to themselves as Christian counselors do not offer the truth of Scripture. Be very careful who you allow to get into your head or the head of someone you know.
6. Is transgenderism a result of sin or mental illness?
Anything disordered in society is a result of corporate sin. Transgenderism is undoubtedly a sin because it goes against the created order of God. Romans 5:12 tells us, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”
Is there always underlying mental illness though? Most likely, since people who are delusional are people who are considered mentally ill. One thing is for sure, these people are under a great delusion. They believe a lie. 2 Thess. 2:9-11 “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” In the last days in which we are living, those who refuse to accept the truth of God will have a blanket of delusion placed over them. That doesn’t just include the delusion of gender identity, that includes all the delusions we see in our society today where masses of people are rejecting truth. Ultimately, this whole transgender issue results from sin. There is a remedy for sin and it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Don’t you love the hope in this verse?!! And such were some of you…..
7. Should I use a person’s preferred pronouns or call a person by a new name that is reflective of a new gender?
What we are seeing today is a development in a new language. Calling a male by the personal pronouns of she and her is only the beginning of what is expected from the transgender community. We are also seeing corporations training employees to call those transgender employees by their preferred pronouns and even including some made-up pronouns like xi, xim, or xer, along with pronouns that do not fit a singular modifier like they or them. This is confusing. While the Bible does not address this issue specifically, it does address this issue and many others in a general way. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” If I agree to call a girl a boy and use the pronouns of their preference, then I am denying the truth of God’s Word, that He created us male and female and that we know those facts from birth. There are gendered pronouns that are in reference to God. He created them male (he, him) and female (she, her). While I want to show love and respect for the transgender individual, I do not want to show disrespect for God and His order of creation, and I certainly don’t want to endorse an issue that is born out of sin and/or mental illness. However we choose to handle the pronoun situation, we should do so in a gentle and humble way because above all, we want to share the gospel with these individuals. Always remember that these people are hurting and while we don’t want to add to their pain, we should be mindful of sharing the truth in love. Matthew 10:16 tells us “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.” When Jesus walked upon the earth, He didn’t send any mixed signals to those He encountered who were in the midst of sin. In Jn. 8, Jesus told the woman to “Go and sin no more”. He called sin sin. We should do likewise.
8. Does the Bible even mention transgenderism?
The Bible does not explicitly use that term, but it does have plenty to say about human sexuality. Deut. 22:5 says, “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.” Therefore, dressing up and presenting oneself as the opposite sex is a sin unto God. Rom. 1:18-32 gives us a clear picture of what happens when individuals choose to ignore God and His plans. They are eventually given over to a “debased” mind to do “what ought not to be done”. The Bible does not even suggest that there is a possibility that a person’s mind could or would function as the opposite gender.
Friends, while the transgender issue appears to be a trend, much like cutting became a trend in the 1990s, I do not believe this issue is going away. Always stand for your biblical convictions. Convictions reveal a lot about a person. Part of our responsibility as believers in the last days is to have the conviction to recognize and withstand the false teachings of the day. The Apostle Paul writes in Eph. 4:14 “We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and the by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” What God calls sin, we should also call sin. What God calls good, we should also call good. “And after you have done everything, stand.” (Eph. 6:13)
