Each of us as individuals and as a society together must ask ourselves where we go to find the truth about matters of ultimate importance. We as Christians here at Lake Bible Church along with countless other Christians across the globe and throughout history believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testament when rightly interpreted, is the very Word of God. Therefore, what the Bible teaches, God teaches, and His truth is absolute and life giving. What the Bible teaches about God’s creation is what is inherently good for us who were created by him and for him. It is with this honest desire for the good of men and women everywhere that we articulate God’s truth about God’s design for creation regarding gender and sexuality.
God’s Word teaches that God created all that is, and that he created it all with a purpose. From the cosmos to the creatures that crawl on the ground. Every aspect of God’s creation reveals his glory through his design. The crown of God’s creation was human beings whom he lovingly created with distinction. God created both men and women in his image, each gender bearing his image equally yet uniquely through the distinct roles God gave to men and women. God created both men and women to have the ability to be in relationship with their Creator, God Almighty.
God’s design for human beings includes only two genders. God created both men and women equally in his image yet with distinction in their roles in the home and in the church. The Bible says that all who are in Christ find the core of their identity in knowing and following Jesus. This common identity unites all Christians, and subordinates all other social categories, self-identifications, and divisions to their primary identity in Christ. As members of a unified body, Jesus calls all his followers to lay down any selfish identifiers and self-gratifications that conflict with God’s design for our lives. The Bible also teaches that joy in Christ can only be fully experienced when we fully deny ourselves and our will for our lives in favor of embracing him and obeying His will for our lives.
Therefore, we believe this leaves no room for constructing our own identities separate from Christ, or rejecting the biological sex or gender in which he made us. Rejecting our own created gender is a rejection of God’s design for us as individuals. A deliberate blurring of gender roles is a corruption of God’s design that His word condemns. Until we have submitted to God in these areas, we cannot righty follow Christ, receive his fullest joy within us, or realize his plan and purpose for us as individuals.
Grounding our identity, gender, and sexual design in the revelation of God through his word and through Jesus Christ requires that we also conduct our sexuality in a manner that is consistent with his design and revelation. God designed sexual experiences to exist only within the context of marriage between one man and one woman for life.
Therefore, God’s Word teaches that all sexual experiences outside the marriage relationship between one man and one woman are a rejection of God’s design in pursuit of our own desires. Any time we as God’s creation choose to fulfill our desires against his design we are sinning against God. All sins can be forgiven through placing one’s trust in Christ’s sacrifice for sins. But we cannot stubbornly choose our sin and choose to be in relationship with him at the same time, we must choose Christ or our sin, we cannot have both.
Because of this, we encourage all to turn away from all sins including sexual immorality and the rejection of God-given gender and turn to Christ. Jesus Christ made you, loves you, and wants to redeem you from a life of darkness to a life filled with His life-giving light.
Sincerely,
Lake Bible Church
Biblical References
- Followers of Christ find their core identity in Christ: Galatians 3:26-29
- Followers of Christ are called to reject gratifying the desires of their flesh: Romans 8:12-13
- Joy in Christ found in denying ourselves and obeying Christ: John 15:11, Matt 16:24-26
- Blurring of gender roles is a corruption of God’s design that the Bible condemns: Deuteronomy 22:5; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-28
- God’s design for our sexual expression: 1 John 1:6-7; John 12:47-48, Genesis 2:24, Matthew 5:28-32, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40
- Jesus Christ can forgive our sins: 1 John 1:9
- Choose Christ or our sin: 1 John 3:4-6
- Turn to Christ: 1 John 4:7-10
