Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2017

(v. 4). Jesus cites creation to affirm that humanity can be divided into two categories, but only two. Jesus not only affirms there are no other biological options beyondmale and female, but there are also no historical or biblical grounds to suggest that Jesus decoupled sex from gender. From here, Jesus connects marriage to God’s created intentions for men and women. The “for this reason” of verse 5 assumes that God created them for each other. God’s creation of Eve is meant to end Adam’s loneliness as there was nothing in creation that “fit” him (Gen. 2:18). God brings the woman out of the man as someone both intimately like him but different, a helper corresponding to him (Gen. 2:20–22). As intimated earlier in Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2 makes it clear that both male and female constitute humanity and both contribute uniquely, but complementarily, to one another in constituting God’s image in humanity. DIVINE DESIGN Now that we have looked at Matthew’s purpose generally and Jesus’ words in Matthew 19 specifically, what are some of the implications for Christ- followers today? First, Matthew wants us to know that Jesus’ teaching should be believed and taught by His disciples until “the end of the age.” As an aside, the fact that elsewhere Matthew makes it clear that the expression of sex or gender changes in the era beyond the present age, “the resurrection” (22:29–30), only makes it more clear that what Jesus teaches in Matthew 19 is binding on His disciples until He returns. Second, He teaches that God’s creation design must shape our understanding of ourselves and our relationships. Third, Jesus teaches us that gender, as sex, is not constructed; it’s created. Fourth, Jesus teaches that God made men and women unique from each other but for each other at the same time. Fifth, Jesus leaves no room for any other gender options, and He makes no distinction between biological sex and gender. The idea that you could be born biologically male or female but separate your biology from your own ideas of your gender is a concept foreign to Scripture and to the world of Jesus’ time, not to mention all cultures throughout history until the late 20th century. Sixth, this suggests loving your neighbor includes encouraging them to embrace their sex and gender as one in the same and to treat that aspect of their identity as something to celebrate, nurture, express, and protect. Moreover, Jesus’ teaching suggests that disconnecting biological sex from gender distorts humanity, harms people, and strikes out against God as Creator and His created design. Finally, Jesus suggests that love cannot endorse and celebrate the disintegration of God’s good gifts and the disintegration of the person that results from it. LIFE-SATISFYING TRUTH Though there is much more that needs to be said, Jesus’ teaching in Matthew assures me that my “naïve 90s’” take on sex and gender was not so naïve. At the same time, Matthew affirms that the whole of Jesus’ life was an expression of God’s desire to deliver sinners from sin’s bondage (1:21; 20:28). Jesus eagerly and willingly stepped into our mess at God’s behest to deliver us. All that He taught and did was intended to point sinners toward a right understanding of God, themselves, their neighbors, and the world. As His followers, we should love our neighbors struggling with gender confusion (dysphoria) by acknowledging their struggle and grieving over their suffering. We should also come alongside those struggling with gender identity, and the family members affected by their struggle, as people who truly know the struggle with sin. Yet, to love like Christ, our compassion must be driven by Christ’s teaching about God’s intentions for sex and gender. We cannot abandon someone to their creation-nullifying desires, even if they abandon the struggle against their desires and embrace them. We must stay in their lives and lovingly contend for God’s perspective on sex and gender because it’s both good and right. As fixed points of compassion, let’s call those we love back to what God created them to be and longs for them to enjoy. Christ’s love also calls us to protect the vulnerable when transsexuals and their allies aggressively promote their creation-nullifying identity as normative or attempt to force approval of it on others. May Christ enable us all to hold “justice and mercy and faithfulness” together (Matt. 23:23) as we bring the life-satisfying truth of Christ to bear on a culture increasingly at odds with God’s created purposes for sex and gender. Greg Couser serves as Senior Professor of Bible and Greek at Cedarville. He has been at Cedarville since 1994. He earned his Ph.D. in New Testament biblical studies from University of Aberdeen (Scotland). Visit cedarville.edu/couser to watch Dr. Couser’s chapel message on this topic. Cedarville Magazine | 21