Maybe you’re curious about your identity.
You can’t help but wonder:
Who am I? What is the purpose of my life?
>>Watch a video that addresses those very questions
These questions are the driving force behind the ongoing gender and identity discussion that is anything but clear against the backdrop of today’s culture.
But the conversation isn’t that tricky when viewed through the lens of God’s love.
Start at the beginning. The Bible says you were created by God in His image (Genesis 1:27). He intricately knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). And we know whatever God creates, He calls it good.
You were created good.
You were created by a loving Father.
You were created on purpose and for a purpose.
And your biological gender is a critical part of that package.
>>The late Rev. Billy Graham once explained why you were created
It’s so easy to get off track when you don’t realize—or can’t see—God’s overwhelming love for you, His beloved creation. Or when the loudest, most publicized voices continually blur the line and ostracize those who simply ask questions.
But, if you’re honest, in the midst of your current struggle with gender, homosexuality or transgenderism, there’s a quiet, unrelenting voice trying to pierce the cacophony. Maybe it’s piping up inside of you even now.
I love you. I created you.
God’s Word—the Bible—is clear. God’s creation covers two genders—male and female. Some will remain single, and some will get married. A sexual relationship is meant to seal the marriage bond between a man and a woman and perpetuate the human race. Jesus reinforces this in Matthew 19 and Mark 10 when He quotes the creation story in Genesis saying, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Matthew 19:5).
>>Read Billy Graham’s message: God’s View on Sex
All other forms of sexual relationships end in emptiness. That goes for homosexual and heterosexual encounters. The Bible tells us to “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18).
The Bible considers sexual immorality the “work of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19), “idolatry” (Colossians 3:5) and “passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11).
Sin breaks God’s heart, but it also blocks fellowship with Him. And yet, God gives every member of His creation the option to embrace His love or run in the opposite direction. He never stops loving His beloved, but as Romans tells us, He will relinquish people to choose their passions over Him.
>>Read: Does Sin Really Break Fellowship with God? Billy Graham’s Answer.
Romans 1:26-27 states, “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
>>Read: If God Really Loves Everyone, Why Can’t He Accept Everyone Into Heaven?
Sexual sins can have lifelong ramifications with ultimately zero fulfillment.
As one man told Decision Magazine, he learned neither hetero- nor homosexual relationships were the answer. He tried both, and it took God rescuing him from the depths of depression.
The research is limited when it comes to considering childhood trauma as an indicator for later LGBTQ identification. But the statistics on depression in these communities are heart-wrenching. Consider one organization in 2019 reported 39 percent of LGBTQ youth have seriously considered suicide.
>>Billy Graham answers: Is depression a sin?
The mental health struggle continues for many into adulthood. A separate study reported 40 percent of transgender adults are likely to attempt suicide in their lifetime verses 5 percent of their heterosexual counterparts.
>>Will God help me from becoming suicidal again?
Lasting peace simply can’t come from human hands. It rests in a long-term relationship with Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can bring about true peace.
Would you look to Him now? He wants to renew your heart, your mind and redeem your journey. He wants you to live fully in His love. He wants you to know who you are.
