One of the foundational messages of Scripture is given in Genesis 1:27, which says, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." This message is essential to our identity. First, it distinguishes us from the rest of creation, for only man was created in the image of God. Second, it distinguishes us into two specific biological and social roles, which are male and female. These two facts are the underpinning of all that God intended for man in His creation. Without a proper grasp of these concepts, men and women cannot fulfill God's purpose for them.
The opponents of God have worked to destroy the concepts of Genesis 1:27 with alarming success. For many years, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution has been used to counter and contradict the Bible's account of creation. As a result, many people believe that macroevolution (large scale molecules-to-man evolution) is an established fact of science and that the Bible's creation account is symbolism or mythology. This means that the most crucial part of our identity has been erased from the minds of those who accept evolution as a fact. They do not believe that man was created in the image of God or that man was created at all or that there is even a God. They think that we are the products of random, chance events of nature with no design or purpose.
As Darwin's theory has progressively convinced men and women to stop identifying with God's image, the distinctions between men and women have also been eroded. Over several decades, the roles of men and women, husbands and wives, and fathers and mother have been blurred and confused. This has combined with a steady disintegration of marriage and the home. The sexual functions of men and women have also been perverted so that homosexuality is regarded as a normal, natural, and healthy behavior. Now, even gender identity is considered not to be a biological fact but a personal preference and choice. Yes, the most obvious and undeniable fact of nature, which is that "male and female He created them," is now denied. Moreover, those who choose to defy this fact by surgically and medicinally altering their bodies are celebrated as courageous heroes and role models (see Bruce Jenner).
As these dark clouds of confusion and chaos are stirred by the opponents of God, we who are Christians must keep our vision clear by the light of God's truth. According to His word, we know that the original creation of man by God still governs our existence in this world. Man is still the "image and glory of God" (1Cor. 11:7), and God still makes us as male and female. The answer for those who create confusion about these identity issues is found in the question of our Lord Jesus in Matthew 19:4: "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female...?" Obviously, they have not read, or else if they have, they do not believe Jesus and wish to deny the plain teachings of Scripture. Not only that, but they also close their eyes to the clear truth of nature. This is not a matter of faith, but rather it is an issue of plain sight. Let us not be influenced by those who deny the undeniable, but instead we must shine the light of truth on their deceit and expose "the unfruitful deeds of darkness" (Eph. 5:11-13).
While some of the methods have changed in modern times, the process of spiritual descent is the same one that existed for centuries. Scripture describes this process in Roman 1:18-32 as a progression from the denial of God to the utter corruption of man. In this process, man exchanges "the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man" (v. 23). In other words, man ceases to identify himself as a creation in the image of God and instead turns to himself. As man makes this choice, God gives him over to impurity for the dishonoring of his body (v. 24), to the "degrading passions" of homosexuality (vv. 26-27), and to a depraved mind for the doing of improper things (vv. 28-32). The Scripture even addresses so-called "transgender" persons in 1Corinthians 6:9-11. These are described as "effeminate" in verse 9, which is a term that specifically designates men who play the role of a woman in a homosexual relationship. The only difference between the effeminate of New Testament times and men who identify themselves as "transgender" today is that technology now exists to alter their bodies into conformity with their perverted desires. One fact that has not changed is that such persons shall not inherit the kingdom of God unless they are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, let us recognize that in these matters and all others "there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccl. 1:9). We are still made in the image of God and exist from conception as either male or female according to Genesis 1:27. We still have God-given roles according to our genders, and these cannot be changed by the will of man. The opponents of God will continue to deny Him in exchange for their own preferences for corruption. They will also oppose those of us who remain in identification with God and compliance with His will for males and females. Regardless of man's will or efforts, the principle of Galatians 6:3 still governs: "For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself." While there are many badly self-deceived persons in the world, we must not be drawn into their deceit, but rather we must continue to abide in God's unchangeable truth.
Stacey E. Durham