A Huge Divide in the American Electorate Over Gender Identity
A. Introduction
On June 6, 2024, the Pew Research Center (PRC) issued a report entitled “Cultural Issues and the 2024 Election.” The PRC report presents survey results about where Biden voters and Trump voters stand on various cultural issues. The link to the report is: Religious values, Biden and Trump voters and the 2024 election | Pew Research Center .
This article considers where Biden and Trump voters stand on the issue of gender identity. It is no surprise that there is a significant difference between these two groups of voters. One disappointing takeaway is how few people appear to adhere to a biblical view on the issue of gender identity.
Let’s look at the results for the cultural issue of gender identity and briefly discuss what the Bible teaches about each issue.
B. The Cultural Issue of Gender Identity
1. All God Says Corresponds to Reality
Dr. Wayne Grudem defines God’s truthfulness:
God’s truthfulness means that he is the true God, and that all his knowledge and words are both true and the final standard of truth.
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In addition to the fact that God is faithful to his promises, we must also affirm that all of God’s words about himself and about his creation completely correspond to reality. That is, God always speaks truth when he speaks. He is “the unlying God” (Titus 1:2, author’s translation), the God for whom it is impossible to lie (Heb. 6:18), the God whose every word is perfectly “pure” (Ps. 12:6), the one of whom it can be said, “Every word of God proves true” (Prov. 30:5). God’s words are not simply true in the sense that they conform to some standard of truthfulness outside of God. Rather, they are truth itself; they are the final standard and definition of truth. So Jesus can say to the Father, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). What was said about the truthfulness of God’s knowledge can also be said about God’s words, for they are based on his perfect knowledge and accurately reflect that perfect knowledge: God’s words are “truth” in the sense that they are the final standard by which truthfulness is to be judged: whatever conforms to God’s own words is also true, and what fails to conform to his words is not true.
Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (pp. 195-196). Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.
The truth that all of God’s words correspond to reality leads to the principle that God cannot lie. Titus 1:2 (NASB 2020) teaches this truth:
2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
Hebrews 6:18 (NASB 2020) teaches the same truth:
18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us.
2. God Cannot Make a Mistake in One’s Gender
God cannot make a mistake about a person’s gender at birth. Genesis 1:27 (NASB2020) makes it clear a person is born either male or female:
27 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 teaches that there are only two genders at birth.
Matthew 19:4-6 (NASB2020) , Jesus confirmed that there are only two genders as assigned at birth:
4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.”
God saw what He created as being “very good” according to Genesis 1:31 (NASB 2020):
31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
3. The Transgender Lifestyle is Blasphemy of God
To say that God made a mistake in one’s gender at birth and enter into the transgender lifestyle is to say that God lied. This is a willful, deliberate, and conscious slap in the face of God and is blasphemy. See Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, (2006), at p. 267, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. One dictionary definition of blasphemy reads:
BLASPHEMY—In the sense of speaking evil of God this word is found in Ps. 74:18; Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24; Rev. 13:1, 6; 16:9, 11, 21. It denotes also any kind of calumny, or evil-speaking, or abuse (1 Kings 21:10; Acts 13:45; 18:6, etc.).
Easton, M. G. (1893). In Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (pp. 101–102). Harper & Brothers
Another definition reads:
BLASPHEMY
A word used to denote all forms of evil speaking against God or His perfections, such as slander, defamation, detraction, reproach, or cursing. While in the Greek NT such evil speaking when aimed at man is also termed blasphemy (Rom. 3:8; 14:16; 1 Pet. 4:4), it is usual to limit blasphemy to a crime against God.
Cairns, A. (2002). In Dictionary of Theological Terms (p. 67). Ambassador Emerald International.
Blasphemy is a sin that falls within the scope of the offender list of 2 Timothy 3:1–4 (NET):
1 But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God.
4. The Transgender Lifestyle is Sexually Immoral
To engage in the transgender lifestyle is to engage in a practice of sexual immorality that Deuteronomy 22:5 characterizes as an “abomination”. Deuteronomy 22:5 (NASB 2020) reads:
5 “A woman shall not wear a man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.
A lifestyle that is an abomination is sexually immoral. God designed sex to between a male (at birth) and a female (at birth) within the marriage relationship. Clearly, the transgender lifestyle is “sexually immoral” in the sense of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NASB2020) that leads to an eternity in hell:
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Of course, God can save a person out of the transgender lifestyle through Jesus Christ. See 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NASB 2020), which reads:
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
5. The Survey Results are Disappointing
What is disappointing is that 59% of Biden voters and 9% Trump voters say that a person’s gender can be different from their sex at birth. This voter group apparently has little or no concern for what the Bible teaches about the transgender lifestyle.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, 9% of Biden voters and 90% of Trump voters say that a person’s gender is determined by their sex assigned at birth. There is a presumption this voter group adopts a biblical view of what the Bible teaches about the transgender lifestyle.
C. Conclusion
There is societal pressure on a Christ-follower, as well as an assembly of Christ-followers, to accept or remain silent about the “hot button” societal issue of gender identity. While the path of least resistance is to keep quiet outside the walls of the church building, a Christ-follower must obey God and not man (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29). The saving gospel of Jesus Christ must continue even in the face of severe societal push back.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the ONLY solution to sin so that the immorality of sin must be preached (Proverbs 24:25; Ephesians 5:5-13; Isaiah 6:8-9) along with Christ, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23).
While we who are American Christ-followers are citizens of heaven, we also reside in America. Christ-followers have an obligation to stand for biblical truth, speak and vote (local, state, and federal elections) accordingly. Acts 4:29-31 (NASB2020) is an appropriate prayer for Christ-followers to pray:
29 And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant it to Your bond-servants to speak Your word with all confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
The Pew Research results cause Eric Metaxas’ books Letter to the American Church and Religionless Christianity to look more pertinent.
IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN, PLEASE READ GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION AND RESPOND ACCORDINGLY BY EXERCISING BIBLICAL SAVING FAITH
God’s Plan of Salvation
God Created the Universe including Male and Female and For A While, Everything was Right Between God and Humankind
In the beginning, God, who is holy (Ex. 15:11; Ps. 99:9; Is. 6:3; Hab 1:13) and perfect (De. 32:4; Ps. 18:30; Mt. 5:48), created the entire universe (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:15-16). As a part of His creative actions, God made humans of two different biological genders ( male and female) in His image to know Him (Gen. 1:26-27, 31; Mat. 19:4-6). For a while, everything in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8) was right between God and our ancestors, Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:7-25).
Adam and Eve Sinned through Disobedience Resulting in a Separation between God and Humankind that Still Exists Today
But Satan deceived Eve (Gen. 3:1-5; 1 Tim. 2:13-14) causing Adam and Eve to sin by disobeying God (Gen. 3:6-7) resulting in the creation of a separation between God and humanity (Is. 59:2; 64:7; Hos. 5:6). Adam’s sin has been passed down to all of humanity (Rom. 5:17-19) so we are sinners at birth (Ps. 51:5). There is nothing we can do (e.g., go to church, read the Bible, give money, do good works, etc.) to bridge that gulf of separation (Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5-7) caused by sin. Without God’s intervention, hell is our eternal destination (Rom. 6:23a; Heb. 2:1-4).
Through God’s Love He Provided the One and Only Way of Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah
Fortunately for us, in His great love and mercy (Rom. 5:6-8), God provided us with the one and only means of salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) by sending the Jewish Messiah in Abraham’s lineage (Mat. 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-28). The Jewish Messiah is Jesus Christ (Luke 19:10; 1 Tim. 1:15), God’s only unique Son (John 3:16-18). While retaining His deity (John 1:1-4, 14; Colossians 1:15; 2:9), God the Son became a man in Jesus (Heb. 2:17), lived a perfect life (Heb. 2:10; 5:9-10; 7:28), thereby fulfilling the Law (Mat. 5:17-18). Jesus died a substitutionary atoning death on the cross, taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all people (Mat. 8:17; Is. 53:5; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18). Jesus rose from the dead (1 Thess. 4:14; 1 Pet. 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:3-4), showing that God the Father accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, thereby exhausting God’s wrath against humanity (Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10).
God’s Universal Call to Sinners to Repent and Trust in Christ Alone and Thereby Be Saved to Eternal Life
God now calls on every unbeliever to repent of their sins and completely trust in Christ alone (Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30; 26:20; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Peter 3:8-9) that Jesus died for their sins (Romans 4:25) and rose to life from the dead (Rom. 10:9). Every unbeliever who repents and trusts in Jesus Christ alone (John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:1, 13) will be forgiven of all their past, present, and future sins (Ps. 103:12) and born again (John 3:5-8) as a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17 being indwelled by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16)), possessing guaranteed eternal life with God (John 6:37-40).
Your Exercise of Biblical Saving Faith – The “Sinner’s Prayer”
The time has come for you to exercise biblical saving faith or not. You are at the point where you need to call out like the Philippians jailer What must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30. Please pray from the bottom of your heart the “Sinner’s Prayer” meaning every word. If you do, you will be reconciled to God – saved - through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Lord, Jesus Christ, the only unique Son of God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life. I know I’m a sinner who cannot save myself no matter what I do, and I deserve to spend eternity in hell. But, I know that because You loved me so much, You voluntarily died on the Cross for me taking my sins upon Yourself, and You physically bodily rose from the grave, showing that Your sacrificial death was sufficient payment to give me eternal life in Heaven. I now repent of my sins and completely trust alone in what You did for my eternal salvation through Your atoning death on the Cross and Your physical bodily resurrection. Please take control of my life as I now receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You so much for saving me. I am now Yours forever!
Now that You Are Saved
Upon your salvation, you must begin two basic practices. First, you must read the Bible daily. The Gospel of John is an excellent place to start reading. Also, you should learn how to study the Bible. Second, you must find a spiritually solid Bible-believing church that: (1) teaches that the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, (2) believes in the doctrine of the Trinity, and (3) teaches that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and not by works of any kind.
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