Scripture, Sex, and Gender: Part 2

Introduction

According to the Bible, God made humans “male and female” both equally in His image (Gen. 1:27) and called them to “Be fruitful and multiply” and to rule over His creation under Him (Gen. 1:28). In Genesis 2, while the man is created first, the woman is created from his side, signaling parity (Gen. 2:21-22), and described as the man’s “helper”—a word most often used to describe God himself (Gen. 2:18).¹

The woman is like the man (Gen. 2:23). But she is also different from him. This first man and woman are brought together in a one-flesh union, which is to be the prototype for future marriages (Gen. 2:24). This narrative presents men and women as equal and complementary; alike, but also different; separate from one another, but able to be joined together in a way that enables them to be fruitful and multiply.

In Genesis 3, however, sin ruins this first man and woman’s relationship with God, with each other, and even with their own bodies. Where previously they were naked and unashamed, they now feel shame at their nakedness (Gen. 2:25, 3:7). Where previously, their work of filling and ruling over creation was simply blessed, they will now experience “painful labor” and “painful toil” (Gen. 3:16, 17). What’s more, in fulfillment of God’s warning, they will ultimately die (Gen. 3:19).

To understand disorders of sexual development, the experience of gender dysphoria, and the rise of transgender identities, we need to understand both the goodness of God’s creation when it comes to our sexed bodies and how sin has marred our bodies and relationships. We also need to understand the role that Jesus’s death and resurrection play in restoring us to a right relationship with God, to one another, and to our bodies—both now, and when Jesus returns and gives us resurrection bodies, freed from the ravages of sin and death.

Understanding Disorders of Sexual Development

The Bible’s claim that humans are created in God’s image, but that every part of us has been impacted by the Fall, helps us understand the physical disorders with which humans can be born. As Jesus explained when asked about a man born blind, physical disorders are not a consequence of individual sin (John 9:1-2). Just as some humans are born blind or partially sighted, some humans are born with disorders or differences of sexual development (or “intersex conditions”), which mean their bodies do not fully conform to male or female norms. For example, some people are born with male chromosomes, but bodies that look more typically female.

A disorder of sexual development may be evident from birth, or it may become evident in puberty or when someone tries to have children. Some disorders are minor and do not prevent reproduction. Others are more significant and make reproduction impossible. Jesus likely had such disorders in mind when he referred to “eunuchs who have been so from birth” (Matt. 19:12).

The reality that a small proportion of people have disorders of sexual development does not mean that sex is not binary. There are only two sexes, and it is only because of the male-female binary that any human being is conceived. But it does mean that some Christians’ bodies do not straightforwardly conform to male or female norms. We must be aware of this reality and sensitive to these brothers and sisters in Christ as we engage with questions of sex and gender.

Understanding Gender Dysphoria

It is important to distinguish between physical disorders of sexual development and the feeling some people have that they do not fit well with their biological sex, or with how men or women in their culture are expected to behave. The term “gender dysphoria” describes a feeling of discomfort or distress in relation to your sex. This distress can be mild or profound. Historically, gender dysphoria has impacted a small proportion of people and has been far more common among males. Typically, it has started in early childhood and, in most cases, it has resolved by adulthood.² For some, however, gender dysphoria is a life-long experience.

In recent years across the West, there has been a massive increase in the proportion of young people reporting gender dysphoria. In the United Kingdom, for example, reported gender dysphoria in people aged 18 and under increased more than 100-fold between 2009 and 2021.³ Rather than the majority being male, most are female, and rather than the experience starting in early childhood, a significant proportion of adolescents reporting gender dysphoria have shown no previous signs of discomfort with their sex.⁴

In April 2024, the largest review to date of treatments offered to young people who experience gender dysphoria suggested that much of the rise in reported gender dysphoria may be due to social contagion, as young people who would not otherwise have struggled in this way have been encouraged by friends or online influencers to feel discomfort with their sex.⁵ The review also found that people reporting gender dysphoria are disproportionately likely to have other challenges, including autism.⁶

Understanding Transgender Identities

In line with the surge in reported gender dysphoria, the West has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who identify as something other than their biological sex. Some identify as the opposite sex. Others use terms like “nonbinary,”  “gender fluid,” or “gender queer” to indicate that they do not feel like they fit with their sexed bodies, or with the norms expected for males or females in their culture. Despite the fact that many people who identify in these ways change their identification over time, many in the West today believe that “being trans” is an immutable characteristic, like racial heritage or sex. People who believe this often refer to biological sex as “sex assigned at birth” and differentiate it from someone’s “gender identity,” which they believe takes precedence over biological sex.

The logic of transgender identities ultimately depends on the idea that certain psychological traits and preferences are innate to maleness or femaleness, so that someone could have a ‘female’ psychology and a male body, or vice versa. But while average psychological differences between the sexes can be observed, these differences are not essential to being a man or being a woman.

For example, while men are on average more competitive than women, some women are naturally more competitive than most men—just as some women are taller than most men, despite the fact that men are on average taller than women. As with height differences, we can recognize that there are average psychological differences between men and women without making certain psychological traits essential to the definition of a woman or a man. When people claim that, for example, “Transgender women are women” they are removing biological sex from the definition of the word “woman” and losing any stable definition of the word.

People who believe that transgender women are women argue that ‘“transwomen” should be recognized as women in all contexts. For example, they claim that men who identify as women should be allowed to compete in women’s sports, use women’s bathrooms, enter women’s shelters, and be housed in women’s prisons. This poses real risks to women and girls, since men on average are far stronger than women, and far more likely to be violent or sexually predatory—regardless of whether they identify as men or women.

The rise in transgender identities across the West has been accompanied by an increasing number of people seeking gender-related medical interventions. For example, thousands of adolescents have been prescribed puberty blockers and the vast majority have gone on to take cross-sex hormones.⁷ Likewise, an increasing number of people have undergone so-called “gender-affirming” surgeries: for example, having their breasts removed or having plastic surgery to make their genitals look more like those belonging to members of the opposite sex.

Some later regret these interventions, which can render them infertile, undermine their sexual functioning, and result in long-term medical problems. In light of a growing body of research questioning the benefits of medical interventions for young people, several European countries have recently changed their policies and recommendations. For example, the UK has recently stopped prescribing puberty blockers to adolescents outside of controlled scientific studies.⁸

Pursuing a Biblical Understanding and Response

From a biblical perspective, our understanding of ourselves as male or female should be firmly rooted in our bodies. We are male or female because we have a male or female body, regardless of how well our personality conforms to average psychological differences between men and women or to expectations of men or women in our culture. While the Bible calls men and women to different roles in certain contexts, it does not base this on gendered psychology. For example, when Paul calls men and women to different roles in marriage, he does not base this on male and female psychology. He bases it on Jesus’s relationship with the church.

We must be careful, therefore, not to ground our teaching on the roles of men and women on gendered psychology, or to teach that certain virtues are innately masculine or feminine, when this is not supported by scripture. For example, Paul calls both men and women to “be strong in the Lord” (Eph. 6:13), and he calls both men and women to exhibit “gentleness” (Eph. 4:2; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:25). Instead of trying to conform to gendered stereotypes, all Christians must pursue Christlikeness.

At the same time, in obedience to scripture, we must preserve the distinction between men and women. In line with the Old Testament law against cross-dressing (Deut. 22:5), Paul calls believers to dress in a way appropriate to their sex (1 Cor. 11:1-16). How this applies depends on cultural context, as norms for male and female dress vary. But the principle of dressing in a way that is culturally appropriate to our sex remains.

Paul teaches that in Christ “there is no male and female” (Gal. 3:28). But this speaks to the equality and unity of men and women in the church and not to their interchangeability, since Paul distinguishes between men and women both in marriage and when it comes to their roles in the gathered church (1 Cor. 14:34-35; 1 Tim. 2:8-15). Christians cannot therefore embrace or affirm transgender identities. Instead, we must seek to live in line with scripture and with our bodies, recognizing the goodness of our embodied nature and that God created humans “male and female…very good” (Gen. 1:27, 31).

While we cannot affirm transgender identities, we must recognize that the experience of gender dysphoria can be very real and distressing. We can sit with people who are struggling in this way in their distress and seek to understand how they are feeling as far as possible by listening well. Just as we might sit with a friend who is struggling with depression and feeling worthless without affirming that they are worthless, we can sit with someone who is feeling discomfort with their sex without affirming that they truly belong with the opposite sex, or to neither.

It is often claimed that not affirming someone’s transgender identity risks pushing them to suicide. But this claim is not supported by the evidence.⁹ We can encourage brothers and sisters struggling with gender dysphoria that there is good evidence to suggest their feelings may resolve over time. More importantly, we can point them to the hope we have of resurrection bodies.

Some Christians will experience suffering related to their bodies all their lives—whether physical pain or psychological distress, like gender dysphoria. But when Jesus returns, he will free us from all suffering and sin and give us resurrection bodies made for everlasting life and joy with Him. We can hold out this hope to all who struggle to feel at home in their sexed bodies, or feel like they do not fit with people’s expectations of what men and women are like.

Conclusion

In this area as in all others, we must “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2) as we live together in love. We can encourage those who are struggling to fix their eyes on Jesus, who made their bodies and who loves them. Rather than doubling down on gender stereotypes, we can remind them that instead of being divided by our biological sex, we are one body together: “there is no male and female,” for we are “all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).

Endnotes

1.  E.g. Exodus 18:4; Deuteronomy 33:7; Hosea 13:9; Psalm 20:3; 115:9-11; 121:1-2; 124:8.
2. See, The Cass Review, commissioned by the UK government and published April 10, 2024, reported on the largest review of gender-related interventions to date. According to the report, a review of studies “found persistence rates of 10–33% in cohorts who had met formal diagnostic criteria at initial assessment.” “Independent Review of Gender Identity Service for Children and Young People: Final Report,” The Cass Review, April 10, 2024, 67, https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report.
3.  The Cass Review, “Independent Review of Gender Identity Service for Children and Young People: Final Report,” 87.
4. The Cass Review, “Independent Review of Gender Identity Service for Children and Young People: Final Report,” 85.
5. The Cass Review, “Independent Review of Gender Identity Service for Children and Young People: Final Report,” 110, 122.
6. See, for example, The Cass Review, “Independent Review of Gender Identity Service for Children and Young People: Final Report,” 91, 93, 97.
7. One study found that 98% of kids who were prescribed puberty blockers went on to take cross-sex hormones. The Cass Review, “Independent Review of Gender Identity Service for Children and Young People: Final Report,” 71.
8. See, The Cass Review, “Independent Review of Gender Identity Service for Children and Young People: Final Report,” 32.
9. The Cass Review, “Independent Review of Gender Identity Service for Children and Young People: Final Report,” 33