Be What You Are – Part 2

Embracing Your Identity (part 1 of 2)

 

“And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

—Genesis 1:26-27

 

A 2012 Gallup survey of 121, 190 people reported that 3.4% of the American adult population identifies themselves as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgender (LGBT). The study also found that 8.3% of women and 4.6% of men between the ages of 18-29 identified as LGBT. This age group represented the highest percentage of any age group in the survey.[1] Though news media and television programs would have us believe the homosexual population is much higher, this statistic is still staggering because it brings to light the epidemic of confusion surrounding gender identity. Gender identity to them is subjective (figuring it out based on feeling), not objective (knowing it based on fact).

 

What You Are

Your identity is, essentially, who and what you are. Recognizing your identity as male or female is entry-level identification. Unlike the world which searches for an understanding of its identity through exploration and experimentation, a Christian has Divine Revelation to give him understanding. So, for a Christian whose Authority is the Bible, there is a very short answer to the question of gender identity: You are what God made you.

 

 “…male and female created he them.”—Genesis 1:27

 

“…male and female created he them.”—Genesis 5:2

 

“…he which made them from the beginning made them male and female…”—Matthew 19:4

 

“…from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.”—Mark 10:6

 

A person’s identity as male or female is the Creator’s decision. You are either male or female, and what you were created is what you are. To question what you are by creation, or to reject what you are by creation, is to question and reject the God Who made you.

 

I can hear someone objecting now: So what you’re saying is that I’m just the sum of all my physical parts? No, there is much more to you than just your anatomy. But, I am drawing two conclusions. First, if you are going to gain any understanding at all about your identity, you do have to start there. God only created male and female, and we are born as one or the other. Though we grow to discover what it means to be male and female, we cannot dispute that we are male or female. Second, if our identity is defined by creation, we need to embrace that identity. It is what we are, and running from that fact can only lead to confusion and immorality.

 

So what does embracing your identity mean?

 

God’s Perspective: Equality

First, it does not mean accepting either an inferior or superior position. Often Christians have swallowed the line that “girls can play sports as good as boys,” thereby making boys the standard for girls. Since when should girls aspire to compete with boys? That kind of aspiration is contrary to the Scriptures. What we learn about God’s initial creation of mankind is that male and female are equal in three ways:

 

1. Male and female equally bear God’s image. Being made in the image of God was not the special privilege of Adam. The Bible says that “man” (read mankind) was made in the image of God, bearing His likeness. Both male and female exhibit intellect and creativity, the capacity to reason and communicate, and the ability to relate to someone other than themselves.

 

2. Male and female are equal in relation to God. God does not view male and female differently with regard to personal responsibility, or relationship to Him. Both have been given responsibilities that God expects each to fulfill. Both have the privilege to know God personally, and to obey Him.

 

3. Male and female are equal in relation to one another. Woman was “taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23) in order to be a suitable helper for Adam. But she was not made to be a slave to Adam. Together, they were each in their respective roles to contribute to fulfilling God’s command “be fruitful,” and “subdue” the earth, and “have dominion over… every living thing” (Genesis 1:28). The male’s role as leader (we will discuss roles later) doesn’t make him better. The female’s role as submissive does not make her worse. Embracing your identity as male or female, then, does not make you less, or more, than someone else.

 

Since the fall of man, male and female also share in the equal privilege of salvation. That is, both men and women have equal opportunity to be saved and to experience all that salvation means.

 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”—Galatians 3:28

 

Therefore, embracing your identity does not mean accepting a position that is inferior, or superior, to anyone else. God’s perspective is that male and female are equal in their worth and standing before Him, and in relation to one another as human beings created in God’s image.