What do we believe about God’s intentions for our sexuality and gender?
By made. known.
In full view of our freedom in Christ, and only ever in view of that freedom, let’s talk a bit about God’s intentions for our sexuality and gender.
But first please note, it’s not the mission of this website to exhaustively and extensively explain what we believe God has to say about these matters. There are entire papers and books that do far better jobs than we can with just a short Perspective. We only wade into the subject here in order to be open and honest about the convictions we bring to the table, as we desire to better walk with each other through these complex matters.
With that said…
In the beginning, God created the earth. God’s words had the power to make light, form the mountains and the oceans, fill the earth with plants and animals, and place every single star in the sky.
Then, on the sixth day, God created man. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
Genesis 2:7 says, “God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” Humanity was created differently from all the rest of creation. God didn’t form the trees or fish or mammals with his hands. He didn’t breathe his own breath into those things. He didn’t create those things in his own image. God’s creation of man was special and unique.
Then, God saw that Adam needed a helper. “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
“The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man.’
“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:21-24)
God, in his perfect wisdom and amazing power, created a perfect universe, with male and female humans divinely designed to be united with each other and to complement each other. “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31).
However, since Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, human nature has been thoroughly corrupted; humans are weighed down by corruptions in their bodies and minds. Every single human since that fateful day when Eve ate and shared the fruit is born a sinful human into a sinful world.
Still, despite humanity’s sins, God’s creation in all its aspects remains “very good” (Gen 1:31). That is to say, the essence of our humanity—our creation as beings fashioned in God’s image, with body and soul, and as male and female —remains God’s handiwork even after the fall into sin. This is not to say that our gender and sexuality are somehow free of sin’s pervasive corrupting effects. Rather, it is to say that God would have us embrace his very good intentions and live our lives accordingly.
The Bible teaches us that God originally designed us in our distinct identities as men and women. This means that human sexuality, marriage, and gender are not simply ideas developed over time within various cultures. While there will continue to be attempts to challenge God’s design, it cannot be changed by human will, desire, or feeling. “From the beginning,” the creation of male and female and God’s institution of marriage with its blessing of children have been gracious gifts of God. “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:6) For that reason, we believe that sexual union is meant to be enjoyed only within a heterosexual marriage, and that the male-female binary is both God’s original design for our bodies and his desire for us even now, despite sin’s corruption.
We freely acknowledge that applying these truths with grace and integrity may not always be so easy or clear in every circumstance God’s people may face in this life. Instead, the intention of made. known. is to walk with you as we seek together to express the fullness of Christ’s love and mercy in our own individual situations.