Then Jesus Was…Tempted By The Devil

Then Jesus Was…Tempted By The Devil

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 4:1

Believe it or not, this passage comforts me greatly.  Here we have Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God himself, being tempted by Satan!  And he overcame those temptations!  He did not give in and sin!  Man, I can’t tell you how much that encourages me!

Lost in a wilderness? Jesus has been there and knows the way out.

Lost in a wilderness? Jesus has been there and knows the way out.

Why?  Because I now know that Jesus understands what I am going through.  The Bible says:

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery…Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:14-15, 17-18).

And again,

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  (Heb. 4:15-16)

Jesus was tempted just like you and me.  He knows how it feels.  He understands the struggle.  He’s been there and done that.  He overcame those temptations by knowing and obeying God’s Word (Matt. 4:1-11), and so can we.  Not only that, but when we fail and penitently cry out to God for forgiveness (1 John 1:7-10; Acts 8:22), Jesus – our High Priest, our Mediator – is at the right hand of the throne of God saying, “Father, I know what Jon is going through.  I’ve been there.  I was tempted in the same way.  He is pleading for mercy and is trying to do better.  Be merciful.  Be gracious.”

What comfort!  What love!  What hope this gives us in the struggle we face!

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Don’t Ever Run “Red Lights”

Don’t Ever Run “Red Lights”

One learns at a very young age that there are rules which control the flow of traffic in our land. Think about how early a young child learns that red means stop and green means go. It may be a while before they realize there is a national law that you can turn right on red at any intersection unless there is a sign which forbids it. However, everyone knows the meaning of red lights and green lights.

Can you trust in the Lights of the Bible?

Can you trust in the Lights of the Bible?

Now take this principle and apply it to the rules God has given us for our lives. That sermon entitled “Can the Bible Be Trusted?” lays the foundation for all the “red lights” and “green lights” God has given us in His Word. If the Bible cannot be trusted, these “lights” are archaic and meaningless, but once it is established that the Bible is from heaven and God has promised that He will ensure that it will never pass away, the “lights” of the Bible take on new meaning.

Did Jesus understand that His work involved giving laws and commandments which must be followed, just like we follow the laws regarding red lights in our land? Hear His words, “All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and one earth…Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:18-20). It surely looks like He intended for all men in all nations to be taught to observe His commandments. Jesus’ words demand that He saw boundaries which were established from Him for all men for all times. He was not simply giving instructions about “red lights” which only had application to the apostles.

Hear Him again. “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). The word which He gave was seen as being eternal and binding upon men from the time He spoke them until the last day mankind is on the earth. He viewed His words as being “red lights” and “green lights” in the lives of each of us.

Look at that verse again and recognize that on the last day we will have our “day in court.” Not before some judge in a local traffic court, but before that Judge who has all authority. God says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).  You and I both will be there, for everyone must give an account of his life before the Judge of all mankind.

There are consequences to not observing the laws about red and green lights. There are far greater consequences for not obey His “lights” in the eternal word He has given us!

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Prayer of a Drowning Saint

Prayer of a Drowning Saint

In the Bible, the second chapter of Jonah is worthy of more study and consideration than it is often given. The chapter is entirely given to a recording of Jonah’s heartfelt prayer, delivered from a rather unusual locale.

Many are familiar with the account of Jonah and his experience in being swallowed by a fish, but the retelling is often done for the benefit of children, and many adult Christians forget the many powerful lessons of this great prophet who was humbled by God because of his lack of compassion upon his enemies. Often in the retelling of Jonah, the second chapter is almost completely glossed over, which is a shame, considering it forms a rather important part of the book, especially for Christians.

In the last moments, who will you turn to?

In the last moments, who will you turn to?

God wanted Jonah to preach to the city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. The Assyrians were cruel and wicked, and they had persecuted and tormented Israel. God had a message of judgment upon this awful people, and God chose Jonah as His messenger. (cf. Jonah 1:2)

But Jonah was afraid. Not afraid of the Assyrians. There is no indication that Jonah, bold prophet that he was, had a fear of his enemies. Rather he was afraid of success. Knowing the character of God, Jonah was afraid that if he preached, the people might repent and be saved, and Jonah did not want that. (cf. Jonah 4:2)

And so Jonah tried to flee from God, found out that he could not, and was subsequently swallowed by some enormous sea creature. Jonah was in the belly of that beast for three days and three nights (cf. Jonah 1:17)

And while in the fish, in the depths of the sea, Jonah did the most sensible thing that he could. He prayed.

Surprisingly, the prayer of Jonah is a prayer of hope. “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and He answered me,” says the prophet (Jonah 2:2a; ESV). Jonah said, “I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple..” (Jonah 2:4; ESV) Though he was buried in a fish, deep in the sea, Jonah had not given up on God. Jonah absolutely understood that God was a merciful and loving God, and though Jonah had messed up, he could still anticipate being given another chance. His prayer concludes, “But I with a voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” Jonah 2:9; ESV)

The prayer of Jonah is noteworthy, not only for its upbeat, hopeful tone, but also for its messianic elements. Jesus once, being asked for a sign, told His listeners He would give them no sign, but the sign of Jonah. (cf. Matthew 12:39-40) Just as Jonah was in the fish three days and three nights, so too would Jesus be buried, and rise again on the third day. Jesus, in the tomb, could pray with Jonah, “I went down to the land, whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.” (Jonah 2:6; ESV)

Though Jonah was in the fish, he still had hope. Though Jesus was in the tomb, he still had hope. Because both knew and understood the loving and merciful nature of God, who would rescue them, and give them deliverance from their condition.

Sometimes in life, the saint of the Lord might feel like they are drowning in woe and trouble. At times like these, it is good to remember the drowning prophet, Jonah, and the hope he maintained, even in the midst of a seemingly hopeless situation.

If we will trust in God, in full faith, God is faithful. It can never get so bad as to be without hope. The apostle Paul, who experienced shipwrecks, stonings, beatings, poverty, and hunger, and even, eventually, death wrote, while in prison, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13; ESV)

Elsewhere He encouraged saying, “For [God’s] sake we are being killed all the day long;… In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:36a, 37; ESV)

Christ had hope in the tomb, and He gives us reason to have hope in both life and death. He gives us reason to declare with Jonah, “Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

 

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Acts 5:32 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

Acts 5:32 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

[For the complete thought, please refer to my article entitled “Acts 5:12 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit”]  http://churchofchristarticles.com/blog/administrator/acts-512-and-the-gift-of-the-holy-spirit/

The second passage after Acts 2:38 to which an appeal is made to prove the gift of the Holy Spirit must be non-prophetic is Acts 5:32. It reads:

“And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The argument made from this verse rests upon this argument:

Is there a prophetic component to the Gift of the Holy Spirit?

Is there a prophetic component to the Gift of the Holy Spirit?

  1. The Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit were not given to all saints.
  2. The “Giving” of the Holy Spirit of Acts 5:32 is applied to all “those who obey Him.”
  3. Therefore, the gift received by all “those who obey Him” must be non-prophetic.

If one accepts point #1 as true, a reading of Acts 5:32 seems to support the idea proffered and so would eliminate any prophetic or spiritual gift from consideration in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

However, argumentation from this verse is flawed in several ways:

It Requires a Limited Distribution of Spiritual Gifts.

It is axiomatic among proponents of a non-prophetic gift of the Holy Spirit that the spiritual gifts were only sporadically given among the early saints.  That position is often asserted and assumed – never proven.

The text shows otherwise:

  • The promise of the coming of the spiritual gifts (Joel 2:28-32) states that “all flesh” inclusive of rich and poor, young and old, sons and daughters, and rich and servants would be able to see visions, dream dreams, and prophesy.
  • In Acts 8, all that were scattered from Jerusalem preached the word everywhere they went. I wonder how they did that without being gifted and possessing no Bibles?
  • Also, in Acts 8, as soon as the word bore fruit outside of Jerusalem, Peter and John were dispatched to Samaria to ensure that those who believed were given gifts.
  • In Acts 10-11, all the house of Cornelius (not just Cornelius himself) is given the gift of the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.
  • In Acts 19, Paul finds 12 disciples who needed to be baptized and he meets that need. He then immediately lays hands on all 12 disciples and they all speak in tongues.
  • In Acts 21, Phillip, who was a prophet himself, is said to have 4 virgin daughters. How many of them prophesied?  All four.
  • In 1 Corinthians 12-14, Paul uses the words “each, every, and all” over a dozen times to describe the possession of gifts in Corinth.

Where again does the text indicate that only a few people were empowered by the gifts?

Surely, as the church grew, and the apostles aged and died, the numbers would have worked against the apostles.  However, by that time, the gifts would have been nearing their end anyway.  It remains true that in the earliest days of the church (certainly in Acts 5 as the whole church resided in Jerusalem at that point) the apostles could have (and by the indication of the text “would have”) distributed the gifts freely.

It Misapplies the Word “Given.”

However, even the universal distribution of the gifts is not needed to meet the demands of the language of Acts 5:32.  This verse is not the first time that God is said to have “given” His Spirit to His people.  Nehemiah 9:20 states, “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna . . .”

So, God “gave” His Spirit to Israel in the wilderness.  Did all 600,000+ men of “war” age plus all the members of their families possess the Spirit?  No, far from it.  The count is:

  • Moses (Numbers 11:17)
  • Joshua (Deuteronomy 34:9)
  • Oholiab and Bezalel (Exodus 35:30-35)
  • The 70 elders upon whom Moses laid hands (Numbers 11:24-25).

Less than 100 people are recorded as being “given” the Spirit in wilderness.  Yet, Nehemiah states that God had, indeed, given the Spirit to His people.  Nothing in the language of Acts 5:32 demands that each individual has personally received the Spirit any more than the language of Nehemiah 9:20 does so.

It Fails to Account for the Purpose of the Spirit’s Bearing Witness in Acts 5:32.

Perhaps even more importantly is that the function fulfilled by the given Spirit is that He “bears witness.”  This view does not have a tangible allowance for how the Spirit “bears witness.”  To bear witness one must provide testimony.  By its nature, testimony must be evidentiary. Current views inside churches of Christ will not allow for the Spirit’s witness to be evidentiary or objective in its manifestation.  His witness must hide in the convenient shadows of ambiguity and mysticism.

That distinction is arbitrary and will not suffice for long in mainstream churches of Christ.  Simply because the idea of uncertain, clouded testimony is no bearing witness at all. We are already moving to a place where preachers feel free to express what, in my opinion, they have long believed: The Holy Spirit is providing them with a personal, evidentiary witness to their faith. Their voices will continue to grow both in numbers and volume.

Further, the biblical text already affirms how the Spirit bears witness.  There are at least eight clear references in Acts (outside of Acts 5:32) to the testimony confirming the exalted Christ borne through or by the Holy Spirit:

  • Acts 1:8 – “ . . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses . . .”
  • Acts 2:40 – “And with many other words he bore witness . . .”
  • Acts 3:15-16 – “And you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name . . . has given this man perfect health in the presence of you all.”
  • Acts 4:33 – “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”
  • Acts 10:39 – “And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and Jerusalem. . . ”
  • Acts 10:43 – “To him all the prophets bear witness . . .”
  • Acts 14:3 – “. . . speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
  • Acts 15:7-8 – “. . . that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word . . .And God . . .bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,”

There should be no difficulty understanding the nature of the Holy Spirit’s witness in the book of Acts. His witness is not some personal testimony to convince others to have faith based on the outcome of one’s life. His witness is not even some internal validation one has within the depths of his heart. The witness of the Spirit is borne by prophets and apostles. It is expressed in inspired words which are confirmed in the demonstration of the Spirit’s power in the signs and wonders He granted to the early church. Acts knows no other witness from the Holy Spirit.

The given Spirit in Acts 5:32 is providing witness to the risen Lord and is doing so with signs, wonders, and words.  Is that what you believe the indwelling of the Spirit is providing for you?

It Fails to Account for “How” God Gives the Holy Spirit.

Also lacking in this view is that it does not address the issue of “how” God gives the Spirit. There is only one verse in the Bible that explicitly states how the Holy Spirit is given to Christians: “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money” (Acts 8:18).

[As a side note, the most nearly similar passage to this is found in Deut. 34:9. In which Joshua is said to be “full of the spirit of wisdom for Moses had laid his hands on him.” Two different covenants, but one identical manner of giving and receiving the Holy Spirit]

The consequence of the Spirit’s being given is that men received Him. There are a few texts that reference how men received the Holy Spirit:

  • In Acts 8, prayer and the laying on of hands is credited with allowing men to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15, 17, 19).
  • Acts 19:2-6 connects prayer and the laying on of hands from Paul for the reception of the Holy Spirit in Ephesus.
  • More broadly, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit would come on the apostles in Acts 2 from “on high” and provide them “power” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
  • Paul states that the “gift of God,” which is equated to “receiving the Spirit” in Acts 8, was in Timothy through the laying on of Paul’s hands (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

The pattern here is easily seen. In passages which specify the manner the Holy Spirit is given, He is either given directly from Heaven, or He is provided in a specific distribution from the apostles’ hands. In all cases, the effect of the giving and the reception of the Holy Spirit is prophetic.

If there were no “how” about the Spirit’s being given, one could just assert that He is given in baptism and be done with it.  But Peter does not say that one receives the Spirit in baptism.  He states that if one would be baptized, he “shall” receive the gift of the Spirit.  Other than baptism’s preceding the gift, no direct connection of time is made in the verse.

Given that scripture then states a clear method of giving not just the spiritual gifts of the Spirit, but the Spirit himself (Acts 8:18 says that Simon saw that the Holy Spirit – not His gifts but His person – was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands), is not the most consistent application of Acts 5:32 to connect Acts 2:38 and Acts 8:18?  Other than the doctrinal dilemma into which that connection places most current views of the indwelling of the Spirit, what reason exists to reject it?

Conclusion:

Acts 5:32 does not have the necessary force to reject the idea that spiritual gifts existed in the saints outside the apostles before Acts 6:3-6.  In order to use Acts 5:32 to establish that position, it is the case that not even one of the above points can have any possibility of being true.  If any of the above items rises at all above being impossible, then one cannot know for sure that Acts 5:32 excludes the prophetic before Acts 6:3-6. As the claimed certainty from Acts 5:32 evaporates, so does much of the argumentation against a prophetic gift of the Holy Spirit.

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7 ways Christians must handle Transgenderism

7 ways Christians must handle Transgenderism

I have a confession to make. Years ago the thought of transgendered individuals caused me to inwardly shudder. In my thinking, that lifestyle was so abnormal that my brain had a hard time processing anything other than shock and revulsion.

Having studied the subject and spent some time with individuals who suffer from gender dysphoria, I have grown a lot. Not into a position of complete tolerance and acceptance, but into a view of compassion and love. These individuals—like all of us—need Jesus. They desperately feel trapped inside a biological body that does not feel right, and so they seek freedom and change. What they often don’t realize is that Jesus Christ is the only one who can bring true freedom and change.

Everyone needs Jesus.

Everyone needs Jesus.

Transgenderism is on the rise—which speaks volumes about our culture and our desire to please self rather than God. What was once considered strange or an abomination is now becoming normalized. We are living in a culture in which everything is permissible, and it is considered hateful (or sinful) to tell someone “no” or to point out that a particular behavior is wrong in the eyes of God. And thus, men rely on their own hearts to discern what is right and what is wrong. If we are going to win this battle we must stop looking upon transgender people in revulsion and start looking at them as lost souls.

The first step in our battle plan should be to reach out in love and welcome them to our worship services. Many of these individuals are hurt. They feel isolated and rejected. They are desperately seeking relationships. As Christians, we need to offer them the one relationship that can cure all their struggles.

Yes, this may take some “training” in our home congregations. We may even need to be reminded in sermons about what it means to truly love our neighbors. And it certainly will kick most people outside their normal comfort zones. But again, remember these people are hurting and lost. These are some of the very individuals Jesus would have ministered to during His time here on Earth. If we truly love them we will reach out and help them—not shake a finger and condemn.

The second frontline battle we must wage is in our own homes. Our children need to be taught clearly and plainly that God created males and females. (Yes, there are extremely rare cases in which individuals are born with both male and female anatomy, but those are mutations and not lifestyle choices.) Our children need to be warned that there are books out there teaching error. They need to know that the media often promotes immorality. Christian parents must teach their children God’s original plan and encourage them in that direction from a very young age.

The third battle we must consider is that those who are transgender are not rejecting us, but rather they are rejecting Jesus. When we disagree with a person’s lifestyle or what they are involved in we often take it personally when they argue or refuse to give it up. We get angry or offended. We shield our children’s eyes and talk negatively about them behind their backs. Friends, we must stop and realize that they are not rejecting or offending us—they are rejecting and offending Jesus Christ. The truth is all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and we are all in need of a savior! So stop taking it personally and think about their soul.

God created man in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). He created us male and female (Genesis 1:27) and declared that it was very good (v. 31). God, in His infinite wisdom did not make these biological sexes interchangeable. Additionally, God created males and females to compliment each other so that we can become one flesh and have children (Genesis 1:28; 2:23-24). This was all by God’s design and is good. When someone rejects the biological sex God gave them, and His incredible blueprint for men and women, they are not rejecting us—they are rejecting God and His design. Remember when Jesus was asked about marriage He took the Pharisees all the way back to the Garden of Eden and pointed out God’s original plan (Matthew 19:4-6):

“And He answered and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.’”

Andrew Walker, in his book God and the Transgender Debate, observed: “Don’t miss what Jesus is saying here:

1. We are created people.

2. We are created male or female.

3. A man is someone who is able to become one flesh—have full sexual intercourse—with a woman, and a woman is someone who is able to become one flesh with a man.

4. What God does people should not seek to undo. (pg 59).

By rejecting their biological sex that God gave them they are trying to assert their own authority over God—just like Adam and Eve in the garden. Ultimately, transgender individuals are rejecting Jesus.

Fourth we must establish that there are absolute truths—we need to reveal the overall foolishness of allowing anyone to “identify” as anything they so desire. There was a popular YouTube video that went viral several months ago that showed a relatively short white man telling college students that he was a 6’5” Chinese female. He clearly was not. But these students had been so indoctrinated with the idea that you can be anything you claim to be that many were okay with it.

Friends, there are things that are absolutely true. We get this in things like engineering and technology. Just because someone identifies a piece of cardboard as a bridge does not mean it will function as one and support the weight of an automobile. Likewise, just because someone declares an airplane tire an engine does not mean it will function in such a way to get you off the ground safely. Just because someone “identified” it as such does not make it so. (And I seriously doubt all those college students would want to fly in an airplane in which 3 out of 4 engines were actually tires that someone “identified” as engines.)

Our culture needs to be reminded that there are things that are absolutely true even if it goes against their opinions or hurts their feelings. John 8:31-33 says, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” A few chapters later Jesus was praying and said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The fifth battle we must wage is revealing that ALL of our hearts are impure—the question is will you give in to every impulse? The feelings of gender dysphoria are very real for some people. (Granted, there are many now who are simply following the crowd and seeking attention. However there are some who are truly distressed.) Their heart’s desire is for them to be different from their biological sex. They stay up at night in tears stressing over it. However, a quick scan across our culture reveals that many people are up at night struggling with things in their heart. For example, some struggle with alcohol or illegal drugs Others struggle with adultery or greed. For many the struggle is worldliness or gambling. The question is should we feed or act on those feelings just because the heart believes it will bring joy or happiness? Jeremiah recorded, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

We cannot rely on our own hearts to relieve pain and suffering or to bring about true joy and peace. Those can only be done through Him. We must admit that not every indulgence should be embraced. We should constantly be asking ourselves which desires are okay to fed and which desires should be starved. There are those who believe no desire should ever be starved, however ask them how they would feel if someone else’s desire was to rape them or molest their children. Certain behaviors and desires are wrong and should be starved.

People suffering from gender dysphoria believe having sexual reassignment surgery will “fix” their feelings of distress and sadness. But we should ask: How do you know what your heart is telling you will ultimately bring you joy and peace? Remind them that their own decisions in the past have led to heartache and problems. Ironically, research has shown that trying to change biological sex does not bring more happiness. Paul McHugh reported research in the Wall Street Journal that revealed people who undergo sex reassignment surgery do not, statistically, report higher levels of happiness (see Paul McHugh, 2016, “Transgender Surgery Isn’t the Solution,” WSJ online). We cannot rely on our own hearts to bring us joy and peace.

The sixth battle we must wage is who is the source for our authority? In this cultural debate Christians must realize that the two sides start at a different place when thinking about sex/gender. We need to first back up and realize the other side is coming at things from a totally different worldview. Their worldview has nothing to do with God. Therefore, they base all of their decisions on themselves. It’s the “Me, Myself, and I” mentality.

So we should engage them in a loving manner and ask: “Where do you get your standard for right and wrong if the only people you consult is yourself?” What happens when every person on the planet is their own source for authority or for right and wrong?! We must demonstrate the foolishness of this approach. We must help them realize what happens to communities and nations where people decide for themselves what is right and wrong. Lastly, we must show them there is a source that is trustworthy, demonstrates more compassion, and is all-knowing. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Seventh, we must remind our culture (and the news media) that hormones and surgery cannot change sex. Realistically the term transgender is inaccurate. You can’t change someone’s gender with a scalpel or pills. Men are born with XY chromosomes in our cells. Women are born with XX chromosomes in their cells. Men have reproductive systems and hormones that can be altered, but it does not change the fact that every cell still declares that person a male. In addition, there are secondary sex characteristics that reveal physical differences such as broader shoulders, increased height, deeper voice, larger Adam’s apple, and larger hands. Women are usually shorter in stature, have higher voices, smaller Adam’s apples, and have wider hips that God designed for childbirth. Anatomically speaking you can certainly make physical changes, but you can’t separate true gender from their biological sex.

Many of these individuals are miserable in their bodies. Christians need to remind them that the relief they so desperately are seeking will come with they are given a beautiful incorruptible body (1 Corinthians 15). Help them to see that this world is temporary—like a vapor—but there is a time coming when every knee will bow and we will be judged.

While there are many other battles we must engage in, the eighth is over pronouns. Yes, proper names can be “gender-neutral,” but pronouns cannot be. If God created a little boy, that boy and his parents may choose to dress him like a female, but God made him a male. And for me to call that boy a “she” is actually going against God’s creation. Many companies are now making it mandatory for employees to refer to their coworkers by whatever they identify as. While this may seem like a small thing that Christians should just give up on, please understand that what they are doing is taking an area that was once black and white and making it a fuzzy shade of gray. God’s creation has a purpose. He is all wise and all knowing. For us to come along behind Him and try to verbally change part of His creation is pitting us against God. God’s Word does not sever sex from gender.

At last count Facebook had 51 different gender identities that people could select from to describe themselves. Words like “Cis,” “Non-binary,” “Intersex,” and “Genderqueer” are making their way into our vocabulary. I firmly believe this debate will only get bigger in the coming years.

The question is, will Christians sit back quietly as our culture redefines male and female the way they redefined marriage? Will we allow the opposition to paint us as unloving hate-mongers? Or will we reach out with a loving hand and offer these people what they really need—Jesus Christ

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