“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!” Isaiah 5:20
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murders and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Revelation 22:14-16
This past week Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions, the first step toward the Roman Catholic Church fully endorsing homosexuality, and the news continues to be filled with affirmation of transgender ideology, even for those in elementary school. There is far more that could be said, and should be said, than I can possibly fit here, but I want to open the door to conversation and make a few major points.
First, it is not new for the world to call evil good and reverse the moral order. From the fall of Adam and Eve, humanity has listened to our adversary and believed his tempting words, “Did God actually say…You will not surely die!” (Genesis 3:1-4) It is ingrained into our inherited fallen nature to rebel against God and reject His perfect will. Only by salvation in Jesus Christ, can any one of us be forgiven our sins and be given a new heart, new affections, a new perspective, and instead believe God and live according to His will. That said, we must be aware that we are neck-deep in a day where false religious leaders, political leaders, and media outlets on every side are declaring evil to be good as loudly and militantly as possible. However, we must take heart that countless false prophets and past leaders have raged against the ways of the Lord, against His prophets, and against Jesus Himself – yet the moral order has not been overturned. The second verse quoted above is from the final chapter of the Bible, and makes clear, by the words of the risen glorified Jesus himself, that the wicked (specifically including the sexually immoral) will not enter the kingdom of God.
Second, sexuality is, and will always continue to be, a moral category. What do I mean by this? Our American culture has almost completely pressed sexuality into the area of taste and out of the category of morality. Taste is a category of non-moral preference. For example, what type of food you like to eat, what style of clothes you wear, and what genre of music you enjoy listening to are all non-moral choices of preference that the Lord Jesus has left to personal freedom. However, who you have sex with is most definitely spoken to clearly, from Genesis to Revelation, as a moral matter. One man and one woman for a lifetime is the plan for sexuality that the Lord God laid down at creation. This is His design from before sin entered the world. After the rebellion of men and women, human sexuality began to be twisted and perverted in every possible way. Yet, one man/ one woman for a lifetime remains God’s will and an ideal that we know is right in our conscience. I urge you to not rationalize away the countless verses of scripture that speak to living with sexual purity (perhaps the most clear in the New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 4:2-8 / Romans 1:18-32), but instead see God’s goodness in disclosing His will. The positive side of these commands is seeking and building life-long relationships and family within Christian marriage. Christian marriage is worth defining and defending!
Third, transgender thinking is the greatest possible rejection of God’s will for the life of a person. God determines our gender. The biological make-up of our person as men or women serve the end toward which God would have us to live. Men are biologically given greater physical strength to primarily provide for, protect, and lead a family. Women are biologically given the ability to bear children and feed them, and a biological desire to make a home in which to foster the raising of children and the goodness of family. We are each born, by the will of God, into one gender or the other. Each person is not a blank slate. When a person chooses to reject the gender God has given them, they are rejecting the entire plan that God has for their lives. They are seeking not to live according to the will of God (Ephesians 2:10), but to re-make themselves completely according to their own path of rebellion. It will not lead to the happiness they think it will. It is a path of deception, and the greater the rebellion against God, the greater the consequence in the end. Lastly, let me state what should be obvious, but isn’t anymore, that we as Christian parents must be about instructing our children in the gospel and God’s will. It is not our role to affirm them in their young rebellion, but to teach them how in Christ they might come to salvation and live fully for Jesus.
I realize that some will have questions about these things, some will affirm them, and others will passionately disagree. I encourage you in two ways. First, remember that above all we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ! People change through coming to salvation by grace alone through Christ alone. Second, ask your questions – any and all questions. My email address is victor@redeemerva.org, or meet me down front after a Sunday service. I look forward to engaging you on these very important issues.
May we keep our eyes on Jesus,
Pastor Vic