“No matter gay, straight, or bi,
Lesbian, transgendered life,
I’m on the right track baby,
I was born to survive.”
—Lady Gaga and Jeppe Laursen
Let’s go back to Matthew 19:4-6 as we continue to explore the fourth aspect of this framework. Again, Jesus is quoting Genesis and this is what He says.
4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ 5 And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ 6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” —Matt 19:4-6 NLT
Sometimes people will say things like, “Jesus didn’t say anything at all about gay, bi or trans issues?”
Okay. but Jesus didn’t say something about a lot of things. On top of that, you can’t make an argument from silence. But in the three verses above, Jesus did say a lot. In fact, He said at least four things sexuality and marriage.
Four Insights from Jesus About God’s Original Intent and Design:
1. God’s original design for humanity was male and female.
4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” —Matt 19:4
Gender was introduced in Genesis at the beginning of creation. It was re-affirmed by Jesus approximately 4,000 years later.
Jesus’ statement is incredibly empowering, especially to women. Adam and Eve were both made in the image of God. The ground was level between them.
Think about it. They were both called to make a world by making babies. They were both called to, “…fill the earth and govern it.” They were both given the responsibility to “reign over fish, birds and animals” (Gen 1:28).
In the beginning women were in no way inferior to men, and men were in no way superior to women. We were equal in every way — equal but different, beautifully and amazingly different. We used to celebrate those differences. Now, there is growing pressure to deny them… God’s design, however, has always been that the woman was made to complement the man and man was made to complement the woman.
Nancy Pearcey writes with incredible insight:
“Scripture teaches that the creational differentiation of male and female is a good thing. Our complementary nature speaks of our yearning for union, which in turn reflects the divine nature—a God who is a Trinity, differentiated Persons in relationship with one another. The question is, do we accept that created structure or do we reject it? Do we affirm the goodness of creation or deny it? Do we see the body as a reservoir of meaning, a source of moral truths? Is there a teleology of the body that we are called to respect? Or do we see the body as just a piece of matter with no moral message? These are the worldview questions at stake…”
—Nancy Pearcey[1]
2. God’s design for marriage was heterosexual — a man and a woman.
4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ 5 And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife..’” —Matt 19:4-5
By quoting this story in Matthew, Jesus is letting us know that the Genesis story isn’t just a one off. Adam and Eve’s marriage was meant to be a paradigm for all marriages. The story of Adam and Eve isn’t just a history lesson. It’s a God-designed order, framework and foundation to build on.
3. Marriage was designed to be life-changing decision and priority.
5 And [Jesus] said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’” —Matt 19:5
In the old KJV it translates the phrase in verse 5, “…a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.” The ESV translates it, “…hold fast to his wife…”
That’s a statement of steadfast, rock solid commitment – not to just co-existing — not to just barely crossing the finish line together — but to a committed relationship that actually inspires, nourishes, encourages and energizes the people involved.
The Message gives us insight into how important marriage is to God and the kind of commitment it involves when it translates verse 6 as follows:
“Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.” —Matt 19:6 MSG
From the very beginning, God designed us to live life in the context of a life-long, committed relationship.
4. Marriage was designed for one man and one woman for life.
6 “Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” —Matt 19:6 NLT
Those four statements briefly summarize God’s original intent and design for sexuality and marriage. Obviously, so much more could be written ab out these ideas. But Jesus’ teaching is a strong indication that anything outside the boundaries of God’s original intention and design is sin. It is less than God’s best.
That doesn’t mean that God can’t or won’t forgive. It doesn’t mean that God can’t provide a second, third or fourth chance. It doesn’t mean that grace can’t re-write our story. But it does mean that this is God’s design.
Once again, Nancy Pearcey, in her excellent book, Love They Body, makes this important statement:
“The Christian sex ethic is grounded in the way humans were originally created. ‘In the beginning’ is where we learn who we are, how God made us, and what it means to be fully human.” —Nancy Pearcey[2]
She also writes:
“Biblical morality affirms the high value of creation. In a teleological view, nature is not undifferentiated raw material with no positive character of its own. It exhibits a plan, a design, an order, and a purpose. Because of that, it gives rational grounds for our moral decisions. Our sexual identity is meant to be in harmony with our psychological identity. The goal is to overcome self-alienation and recover a sense of inner coherence.” —Nancy Pearcey[3]
Let’s review the fourth aspect of the framework one more time:
God’s original design for humanity was male and female. He called His creation “very good” (Gen 1:31).
In the next post, we’ll continue with the fifth piece of the framework.
[1] Pearcey, Nancy. Love Thy Body (p. 156). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[2] Pearcey, Nancy. Love Thy Body (p. 161). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[3] Pearcey, Nancy. Love Thy Body (p. 162). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.