Short answer: Read the classic way, the Bible teaches that God made humanity male and female, and it never uses the modern word transgender or singles such people out for contempt. I hold that classic reading and I will not pretend Scripture says otherwise. The world has changed, and so has the way Christians live alongside transgender neighbors, and I accept and support transgender people, because God does not want us to be enemies.
In This Article
- What Does The Bible Say About Being Created Male And Female?
- Does The Bible Mention Transgender People Directly?
- What Does Matthew 19:11-12 Mean About Eunuchs?
- Did Jesus Believe In Gender Equality?
- Has The World Changed?
- How Should Christians Treat Transgender People?
- Key Bible Verses About Gender And Identity
Few questions today are asked with as much hurt on every side. Some readers are Christians trying to understand a family member or friend. Some are trans themselves and have been treated harshly by people who used the Bible as a club. Some are simply trying to find out what Scripture says without the noise.
I will give you the classic reading of the Bible plainly, then tell you honestly how I live with it in a world that looks very different from the one these texts were written in. The Bible does not mention the modern word, so we have to think with Scripture's own principles about creation, the body and the new life in Christ.
What Does The Bible Say About Being Created Male And Female?
The Bible begins here. The very first statement about human beings tells us they come in two kinds, both made in God's image.
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
Genesis 2 tells the same story from closer up: God forms the man, then the woman, and joins them as one flesh (Genesis 2:18-24). Jesus himself points back to this in Matthew 19:4. From Genesis on, Scripture treats being male or female as part of how God made us, not as a costume or a mere social role.
The Bible does acknowledge that we live in a fallen world, where bodies and minds do not always work as they should. Rare conditions in which a person's physical sex is unclear (often called intersex) are one sign of that brokenness, and I do not believe they overturn the pattern Scripture gives. They call for compassion and wisdom, not a new category.
Does The Bible Mention Transgender People Directly?
Not in those words. The Bible does not speak about gun violence or vaccines either, and it would be unreasonable to expect it to address every modern debate in modern terms. But Scripture gives us teaching that bears on the question, and I think that teaching points one way.
The passage most often cited is in the law of Moses.
A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this.
Deuteronomy 22:5 (NIV)
Christians disagree about how to apply Old Testament laws about clothing, and I would not build a doctrine on this verse alone. It does show that blurring the lines God drew between men and women was a concern in Israel. Paul makes a similar point in 1 Corinthians 11:14-15, appealing to what nature itself teaches. Other texts that touch on sex and God's design include Romans 1:26-27 and Leviticus 18:22, which I address in what the Bible says about homosexuality. Gender identity and sexual orientation are different questions, and I try not to merge them.
Then there is the matter of the body. Believers are not their own.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
That is the principle the classic reading comes back to: our bodies were given by the Creator, and we honor him in how we receive and care for them. Christians apply that principle differently, and I hold my own reading with humility. For more on how the Bible treats sex and sexuality in general, see is sex a sin in the Bible.
What Does Matthew 19:11-12 Mean About Eunuchs?
This is a question I am asked often, and it deserves a careful answer, because some people say Jesus blessed gender diversity here. Read it.
For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.
Matthew 19:12 (NIV)
A eunuch in the ancient world was a man who could not father children, either from birth, because of castration (often for service in a royal court), or by choice for the sake of the kingdom. The word was never a third gender in the way we use the idea today. Jesus is answering a question about marriage and divorce, and he is saying that some people will not marry for various reasons, and that those who can accept it should. It speaks to singleness, not to a change of sex. The passage should not be stretched in either direction.
Did Jesus Believe In Gender Equality?
He did believe that men and women are equal in worth, in dignity and in standing before God. Jesus taught women openly, as when he let Mary sit at his feet to learn (Luke 10:38-42), and he first appeared to women after his resurrection (John 20:10-18). Paul says the same about salvation.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28 (NIV)
This verse is about equal access to Christ, not about erasing the difference between male and female that Genesis established. Paul is not abolishing the creation order in the same breath that he honors it elsewhere. Equal worth and a God-given difference can both be true. For how Christians read the question of roles in the church, see what the Bible says about women pastors.
Has The World Changed?
Yes, and a pastor should be honest about that. When I was ordained in 1994, almost no one in the pews had heard the word transgender. Today transgender people are our neighbors, coworkers and family members, and many of the people asking me this question are not debating a theory. They are asking about a daughter, a brother or themselves.
The Bible did not change, and I have just told you plainly how its passages have classically been read. What has changed is the world we live the Bible in. The question for a Christian today is not only "what does Genesis say?" but "how do I love the transgender neighbor God has put next to me?" Scripture answers the second question with no hedging at all.
How Should Christians Treat Transgender People?
With love, and without pretending to agree on everything. Jesus gave the command that sets the standard for how his followers treat all people.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:34 (NIV)
That means no mockery, no cruelty, no treating a person as a problem to be solved. A transgender person is made in the image of God like anyone else and is loved by him.
It also means refusing to make enemies. Paul puts it as plainly as it can be put:
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18 (NIV)
So here is where I stand. I hold the classic reading of the passages, and I also accept and support transgender people. Some readers will find those two things hard to hold together. I hold them together because God does not want us to be enemies, and because the command to love my neighbor is clearer than any of the arguments. If you are transgender, you are welcome at my table and in the church, as you are.
Every one of us comes to God the same way, in need of the same grace, and none of us comes having sorted everything out first (see what is sin and does God forgive all sins). What I will not accept is cruelty, or the idea that a transgender person is beyond God's reach.
Key Bible Verses About Gender And Identity
- Genesis 1:27: God creates humanity in his image, male and female.
- Deuteronomy 22:5: Israel was told not to blur the dress of men and women.
- Matthew 19:12: Jesus on eunuchs, in the context of marriage and singleness.
- Galatians 3:28: all are one in Christ, equally welcome.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: our bodies belong to God.
- Romans 12:18: as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
- John 13:34: love one another as Christ has loved us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Jesus believe in gender equality?
Jesus honored women as disciples and first witnesses of his resurrection, and Paul says all are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28). That is equal worth and equal access to salvation. It does not erase the male and female distinction in Genesis 1:27.
What does Matthew 19:12 mean?
Jesus speaks of eunuchs who were born that way, made that way by others, or who gave up marriage for the kingdom. In context it is about singleness and marriage, not a third gender or a change of sex.
What does John 13:34 say?
Jesus commands his disciples to love one another as he has loved them. That command covers how Christians treat everyone, including people they disagree with about gender.
Does the Bible mention transgender people?
Not by that word. The classic reading rests on God creating humanity male and female (Genesis 1:27) and on our bodies belonging to him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Scripture never singles transgender people out for contempt.
How should a Christian respond to a transgender family member?
With love, patience and an open door. Keep the relationship, refuse mockery, and welcome them as they are. See does God forgive all sins for the grace we all stand on.
Can a Christian hold the classic view and still accept transgender people?
Yes, and that is where I stand. I hold the classic reading of the passages, and the command to love your neighbor is clearer still. God does not want us to be enemies, so I accept and support transgender people. See also what the Bible says about homosexuality.
