Today’s culture is fraught with sin. Many people in this day and age live in constant rebellion to God and His law. One of the more prominent ways that society rebels against God is by distorting and perverting His design for gender and marriage. In America today, this perversion is rampant. One needn’t look far to find one particular outworking of the blatant disregard for God’s law: transgenderism. Transgender individuals are those that have decided to “change” their gender in order to live their lives as a member of the opposite sex. This sin has been widely adopted by the American culture and, in some disheartening instances, by the so-called “Christian” church. Transgenderism, though quite prevalent in American culture, should under no circumstances be supported be supported by Christians.

Transgenderism Is a Direct Affront to God Himself

The Bible was written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit‒ God Himself. As such, it is clear that everything written in the Bible is a direct reflection of God’s stance on any given position. Transgenderism is not mentioned by name in the Bible, and too often, if specific words aren’t included in the Bible, the omission is taken as license to sin. However, if a responsible hermeneutic is employed, one cannot help but understand the wickedness (and therefore God’s hatred) of transgenderism.

Before this paper progresses, it would be worthwhile to define a few terms. The word “sex” is most commonly used in reference to the distinctive physiological traits that are different between males and females (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The word “gender” in contemporary secular usage typically refers to the psychological aspects of the two genders.

God created people with two sexes and respective traits, both physiological and psychological. God created man “male and female” (ESV, 2001). While some people may be outliers when it comes to distinctive psychological traits, those anomalies are by no means evidence of a gender spectrum. There are two distinct genders and each have their discrete differences.

God Never Makes Mistakes

God, in His perfection, is incapable of acting in error. To make a mistake, one must have either limited knowledge or limited ability. “Great is our Lord,” declares Psalm 147:5, “and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (ESV, 2001). If God possesses abundant power, are His abilities in any way limited? Clearly God’s actions will not fail. In addition, the Hebrew words used for the phrase “beyond measure” literally translate to “no quantity” or “without measure.” If God’s knowledge is so vast it has no quantity, He is in no way is prone to making a mistake due to limited knowledge. Indeed, it is blasphemous to suggest that God has made a mistake.

The Arguments Made for Transgenderism Rely on the Fear of the Listener and the Assumption that God Has failed.

Often one will hear a premise in support of transgenderism that goes something like this: “I was a man born in a woman’s body.” Seemingly innocuous, this statement actually questions God and His perfection. As seen previously, God is without error or flaw. As such, the decisions He makes are perfect. The body He created someone to have is the body that is right for them. If one truly believes that he was born in the wrong body, he, by extension, believes that God created him incorrectly. As God says in Job “ Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?” (ESV, 2001). Although God is speaking directly to Job, it is clear that no one has the prerogative to condemn God.

Another argument made for transgenderism is that it is abusive for a parent to prevent their child from changing genders. This scare tactic might seem foolproof, but it ignores the reality of transgenderism: it is a sinful desire. Parents are to their children up in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord” according to Ephesians 6:4, not to allow them to participate in a sinful and peer-pressured activity (ESV, 2001).

In this day and age, transgenderism is a trend (Fontanilla, 2022). Humans tend to “follow the herd,” as it were and do the things that others are doing regardless of the consequences. This effect is amplified in children. Because of their lack of maturity, they will follow others with even less rational thought than an adult. This creates a certain lure for transgenderism: all of the cool kids are doing it. The critical thought process of most children is too shallow for them to fully grasp the dangers of their desire to change genders. As such, it is the responsibility of the parent to teach them the sinfulness of the transgender craze, not allow them to chase after every fleeting desire for popularity.

Cross Dressing Is Prohibited By God

When one decides to live their life as the opposite gender, they begin to dress in accordance with their delusion. When one dresses with the intent to appear as the opposite sex, it completely disregards the differences God designed in men and women. It demonstrates rebellion against God and His order.

Because of the wickedness of this deed, God, in Deuteronomy 22:5, says that a man who dresses as a woman or vice versa is “an abomination to the LORD” (ESV, 2001). While the civil and ceremonial laws of Israel do not apply to New Testament Christians, the moral laws do. Due to the nature of the Hebrew word for abomination, it is clear that this law was far more than a civil or ceremonial requirement. This law that God gave is applicable in the current day because it is intrinsically moral. As such, it is relevant to this era.

Everyone Has the Responsibility to Treat Their Bodies Well

God created man in His image, after His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). To be designed after the immortal God is incredibly valuable. To be given that design to live within is priceless. As such, every human has the responsibility to treat their earthly bodies well. To disrespect a gift is to disrespect the giver. And, short of salvation, our bodies are the greatest gift we can receive. Therefore, humans should protect their body and steward it well.

Transgenderism is harmful to its participants

Because everyone has a responsibility to treat their bodies well, it is of the utmost importance to avoid engaging in activities that harm a person’s body. Transgenderism, incidentally, is one of those harmful activities. When an child embarks on their transitioning journey, they will be prescribed with puberty blockers and then injected with testosterone or estrogen (depending on desired outcome) before being surgically altered. Obviously, if an adult is attempting to change genders, he will have already passed the puberty stage, rendering puberty blockers worthless.

The risks of puberty blockers are higher than the benefits, according to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (2022). There is a severe lack of scientific evidence to prove that puberty blockers are safe and effective. Concerning safety, puberty blockers decrease bone density (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Concerning efficiency, puberty blockers and artificial sex hormones are not enough to prevent detransitioning (Van Brugen, 2019). Many individuals who have been on puberty blockers or sex hormones decide that they would rather not live as the opposite gender.

According to a study that was completed in 2003, individuals who undergo transsexual surgeries have a greatly increased mortality than those who have not been surgically altered (Dhejne et al., 2011). Undergoing a surgery that increases mortality just so the recipient can live out their delusion is a clear example of poor stewardship. Ignoring God’s order is already bad, but harming your body to act in defiance of that order is worse.

Clearly, the processes that are employed to aid in gender and sex transitioning are harmful to those who undergo them. These actions are disrespectful of God because they disrespect the gift He has given.

The Bible Identifies Intentional Gender Confusion as a Sin

Similar to cross dressing, intentionally acting as the opposite gender is sinful. The Bible today identifies homosexuality as a sin. In 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes that “men who practice homosexuality” will not enter the kingdom of God (ESV, 2001). Without derailing into an exegetical discussion, the Greek word that is translated to “homosexuality” gives the sense of an effeminate male. If this action prevents entrance to the kingdom of God, it is safe to say that the action is a sin. Therefore, it is sinful for a man to act like a woman, and by extension, for a woman to act like a man.

Disagreement Is Not Uncommon nor Unexpected

There will be many who disagree with the position presented in this paper. That is to be expected because of the sinful nature of man. Since this position was taken directly from the Bible that was written by the infallible God, it is by no means incorrect. However, spiritual things are not discerned by the reprobate. According to 1 Corinthians 1:18, the gospel is foolishness to those who are dead in their sin. It would not be an illogical extension to say that the laws and statues of God are folly to them as well. Christians can not expect the secular culture to obey God before regeneration, but they can preach the gospel to procure more regenerated souls.

Many will say that this position enforces a certain set of beliefs on another person. Yet this disagreement merely delays the inevitable. Everyone will stand before God, regardless of their belief in Him, and be judged for their deeds and thoughts on earth. The only opinion that matters in this issue is God’s. No others are worth relying upon.

Conclusion

God created male and female with distinctions between the two. Attempting to blur the line or change between the two is both defiant to God and harmful to the individual. The only reason that people attempt to change their gender with such abandon is their sinful desire to live life as they please. Transgenderism dishonors God by harming one’s body, intentionally disregarding God’s design, and seeking to please oneself and not God. As such, this blatant opposition to God should never be supported by those who profess faith in Christ. Yet Christians have a duty to show love to those influenced by the transgender illusion. It is God’s desire that all turn to Him in repentance and faith, and it should be the desire of every Christian as well.

References

Dhejne, C., Lichtenstein, P., Boman, M., Johansson, A. L. V., Långström, N., & Landén, M. (2011). Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden. PloS One, 6(2). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3043071/

Fontanilla, K. (2022, September 6). Children are being influenced by ‘trans trends.’ The Epoch Times. https://www.theepochtimes.com/children-are-being-influenced-by-trans-trends_4714017.html

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Sex. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sex

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Gender. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender

Sweedish National Board of Health and Welfare. (2022). Care of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. Retrieved from https://www.socialstyrelsen.se/globalassets/sharepoint-dokument/artikelkatalog/kunskapsstod/2022-3-7799.pdf

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2001). Crossway.

Van Brugen, I. (2019, October 7). Hundreds of Young Transgender People Asking for Help to Return to Original Sex: Report. The Epoch Times. https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/hundreds-of-young-transgender-people-asking-for-help-to-return-to-original-sex-report_3108293.html

What Are Puberty Blockers?. (2022, January 10). In Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-are-puberty-blockers/