Why does God care about my gender?

The following post acts as a taster of our upcoming conference ‘Male and Female He Created Them’ which will take place this coming Saturday (2nd March 2024) and will examine this topic in more detail. We would love to have you join us from 9:30am - 3pm at the Greek Evangelical Church, Larnaca. Tickets are €5 for a single seat €9 for two seats or €4 for a teen ticket which includes refreshments, lunch and childcare. You can find out more or reserve a space here.

Recent years have seen an eruption of discussion, debate, and controversy over the topic of gender. Modern views on gender depict it as a fluid concept; it is invented and therefore able to be reinvented. This idea stands in stark contradistinction from more traditional stances, which characterize gender as inherent to the created order, and therefore not something malleable or changeable. What is the Christian view on such questions? This post will examine what the Bible teaches about gender.

The Bible’s discussion of gender begins in the opening chapter. God speaks and creates the world from nothing, bringing order out of chaos (Genesis 1:1-2). The order that God brings into the world is depicted in a series of matching pairs. First, we see the general statement that God creates the heavens and the earth as two dimensions of one created reality (Genesis 1:1). As we continue to read, we notice other matching pairs of God’s created reality: day and night (Genesis 1:3-5), the waters above and the waters below (Genesis 1:6-8), the sea and the dry land (Genesis 1:9-10). God then fills these dimensions of created reality with creatures that are appropriate to them: vegetation and animals for the dry land (Genesis 1:11-13, 24-25), the sun, moon, and stars for the heavens (Genesis 1:14-19), sea creatures for the sea and birds for the sky (Genesis 1:20-23).  Throughout the account, we see distinct entities made to have orderly, harmonious, and symbiotic relationships with other aspects of created reality.

On the sixth day, God creates humans in His image (Genesis 1:26-28). Like the other dimensions of created reality, humans are made as a matching pair: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Like the other matching pairs, male and female are distinct entities made to have an orderly, harmonious, and symbiotic relationship.

We obtain further information about the symbiotic relationship between male and female in Genesis two. God puts Adam to sleep and takes from his rib (or side) to create woman (Genesis 2:21-22). Adam sees the woman and says: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23). Here we see both the similarities and differences between the male and female. The male says that the female is ‘bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,’ which implies a deep similarity. But the differences are also emphasized: woman is taken from man, not the opposite.

The way God created humanity teaches us three relevant truths about gender. First, there are significant similarities between the two genders. As God created the heavens and earth as two dimensions of one created reality, so God creates male and female as two genders of one humanity. As such, the similarities between men and women far outweigh the differences. Both males and females are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Therefore, male and female have equal value in the eyes of God. Second, both male and female have the same obligation before God. There are very few commands in the Bible that are gender specific. Most commands apply to both genders, including the ten commandments and the two greatest commands. Third, both male and female participate in the drama of redemption. Salvation comes through a man (Christ); but the Savior came through a woman (Mary) (1 Corinthians 11:11-12). Fourth, both male and female receive salvation by grace through faith in Christ. As such, both have a place at God’s great banquet table (Galatians 3:28). Given these crucial similarities, Christians must eschew any ideology that declares that men and women are hopelessly and irreparably at odds with one another.

Second, despite the significant similarities, there are real differences between male and female. These differences reflect the way God creates and are thus not simply part of a fallen world. The most basic differences between men and women pertain to reproduction. God’s command to be fruitful and multiply implies sexual differentiation (Genesis 1:28). But the differences are not simply biological. God gives to the man the role of representative. It is Adam, not Eve, that is held responsible for the entrance of sin into the world (Romans 5:12-13). Likewise, salvation enters the world through a man, our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15-19). Thus, the burden, privilege, and responsibility of visible representation falls on the shoulders of the male.[1] The woman, on the other hand, is given the burden and privilege of nourishing and cultivating life. Adam names his wife Eve because she is the mother of the living (Genesis 3:20). Therefore, we are not surprised that the Savior becomes incarnate in the womb of a woman: the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-23). Mary conceives without the aid of a man, thus confirming and giving new meaning to the phrase: “mother of the living.”

Third, when the differences between men and women are blurred or confused, chaos ensues. God created a harmonious order with different but mutually enhancing dimensions. When human or demonic forces attempt to confuse or blur such dimensions, judgment and chaos follow. Two biblical stories illustrate this principle. First, in Genesis 6:1-8, the sons of God (fallen angelic forces) attempt to confuse and blur the distinction between heaven and earth by uniting illicitly with the daughters of men. The result is a monstrosity; the Nephilim, or Giants, cause havoc on the earth which results in God’s swift judgment. Second, in the narrative of the Tower of Babel, humans try to reach heaven with their own ingenuity and efforts (Genesis 11:1-9). This action should be seen as a sinful human attempt to blur the distinction between heaven and earth (Genesis 11:4). The inevitable result is chaos; language is confused, and humans are scattered over the whole earth.

These stories serve as cautionary tales for those who wish to blur the distinction between the different aspects of God’s creation, including between male and female. When humans arrogantly believe that they can reject as irrelevant a part of God’s created order, the result can only be chaos, confusion, and ultimately judgment. God created them (and us!) male and female. We must respect and live in harmony with the way God created us if we wish to flourish under his blessing.

[1]This is likely the meaning of the Apostle Paul’s enigmatic words that the man is: “the image and glory of God” (1 Corinthains 11:7). It is clear from Genesis 1:26-28 that both men and women bear God’s image. But Paul here is speaking about visible representation in the context of the propriety of head coverings.