“And He answered and said, ‘Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female …'”. (Matthew 19:4)

These words of Jesus are often overlooked. But we neglect them today to our detriment, as they shine Divine clarity and direction on some controversial contemporary issues which need to be addressed by scripture.  Jesus had just been asked by the Pharisees if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all.  He then went on to share what has become a famous prescription: “What God has joined together, let no man separate.”

But Jesus began His answer to the Pharisees by saying, “He who created them from the beginning made them male and female.” Here He teaches us couple  of foundational truths:

— First, God created us. Jesus described God as “He who created them from the beginning.” We are not here by accident or evolution; but by God’s purposeful, sovereign creative act. God made us.

— Second, He said “He who created them … MADE THEM MALE & FEMALE.” In other words, God in His sovereignty not only created us, but He also selected our gender for us. This is not a “random” thing. Psalm 139:13 says “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.” Scripture is very clear that God chose our gender for us. He determined whether we would be male or female. It is not a matter of what we wish we were; what we “feel” like we are; or what we “consider” ourselves to be.  According to the scripture, one’s gender is of Divine origin.

Thus a rejection of one’s gender constitutes a basic rejection of the creation and sovereignty of God.  While some might desire to claim to somehow be “Christian” and yet question or change their God-given gender, they cannot have it both ways. A Christian is by definition a person who trusts the God of the Bible with their eternal soul, and who has submitted to His Lordship as their King. But to reject the gender this God has sovereignly assigned is to reject the design, lordship, and purpose of that God, in one of the most fundamental areas of life.

Jesus began His answer to the Pharisees with the phrase: “Have you not read … ?” In other words, He was saying that the answer they were seeking to the question about marriage and divorce was clearly found in the scripture. Some may claim today that these ancient scriptures cannot adequately address “contemporary” issues like homosexuality and gender preference. But in fact, the Christian answer to the gender question is not ambiguous; it clearly taught in the Bible as well.  The only question is whether a person will accept, or reject this most foundational facet of God’s plan for their life. And if they are not willing to trust Him with this most basic issue, what role can they really claim that faith in the God of the Bible plays in their life?