Have you heard that the Bible endorses transsexuality? Really??? It’s really about ‘eunuchs.’ Seen any of them lately? Let’s unpack that.
If you only want a summary, this is it:
· The Bible only talks about eunuchs, never transgendered.
· Eunuchs did not want to be castrated; if they did, it was to land a cushy job, not change their sex.
· Most LGBT sites say that eunuchs were castrated before puberty. Many were, but there is no evidence that this did not occur among teens and men after puberty.
Just to be clear, the Bible uses the word “eunuch” in its classical way. The definition is “a man or boy deprived of the testes or external genitals”.1 First, all eunuchs in the Bible were slaves. They were forcibly castrated. Sometimes a boy or man would voluntarily be castrated, not to identify as the opposite sex, but to get a great job in a rich person’s house or at a temple instead of working in difficult or dangerous jobs. However, voluntary castration was rare. Men and boys were forcedly castrated.
There are several references in the Old Testament to eunuchs, most in the book of Esther. None of those references could be applied to a person voluntarily seeking a change of gender.
The closest the Old Testament comes to referring to transsexualism would be to ban cross-dressing. Scholars consistently teach that this verse refers to dressing in drag, not transsexualism. See the scripture.
Deuteronomy 22: 5 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.
One spiritual liability for eunuchs came when they wanted to worship. In the Old Testament eunuchs were banned from entering the temple.
Deuteronomy 23:1 No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.
Likewise, in the New Testament, the definition of a eunuch has not changed. It is still a forced act of cutting off a boy’s or man’s genitals. The Bible never mentions anything about women who are eunuchs or women wanting to become men. Some LGBT sites call eunuchs “proto-transgender individuals”.2 If Jesus wanted to talk about transgendered, he would have done so. He would not use “proto” language.
There was a theological change about eunuchs and worship in the New Testament. In Acts 8:26-39, Phillip witnessed to the Ethiopian eunuch. He was a high-ranking slave in the Ethiopian royal court. Probably a proselyte to Judaism, the eunuch could not enter the temple, yet he traveled to Jerusalem to worship. He would only be allowed to worship in the gentile (not gentle) section of the temple, not the Jewish section.
After his conversion, now as a Christian Jew, the Ethiopian could enter God’s presence spiritually at any time, not needing to stand outside a physical worship center. In addition, he would be freely welcomed inside church meetings to worship. Jesus restored eunuchs to a place where they could worship equally with other Christians.
Finally, the LGBTQ+ community misinterprets Matthew 19:12 to mean that Jesus endorsed transsexualism. In their words, Jesus endorsed ‘gender diversity’. Is that true? Let’s read the scripture.
Matthew 19:11-12 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.” NIV
Let’s be clear, Jesus wasn’t talking about transsexuals. Jesus mentioned eunuchs but was using an analogy when he said that some choose to live as eunuchs. In this scripture, Jesus is saying that some people choose to avoid sex for the sake of using their talents full-time for His kingdom. They make themselves similar to eunuchs in that they are willing to devote all of their lives to serving God without the expectation of family or sex.
Physical eunuchs couldn’t have sex and psychological/spiritual eunuchs choose not to have sex.
In this Matthew passage, Jesus stressed the need for us to be so willing to serve the kingdom of God that we would be willing to give up everything, including sex and family. As spiritual eunuchs, we are to willingly serve Jesus just as eunuchs were required to serve their masters. Paul referred to this abstinence as a “gift” (1 Corinthians 7:7).
However, Jesus knew this would be impossible for most people. In no way does he tell men and women they can’t marry and have children. He is talking about how much time we would be willing to devote to furthering the kingdom of God. Some can give 100 percent if they are not married and have other family commitments. Others can give lesser commitments if they are married and have children. Either way is okay.
So, Jesus is not referring to “gender-expansive” or “intersex” concepts in these two verses.3 His meaning was to challenge us to give our best and utmost for the kingdom of God.
If you want to read about the psychological fad of transgendered from a secular point of view, click to order Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier.4 It tells of why girls are flocking to the transgendered craze when it was very rare for girls before the craze.
A Christian approach to transgendered is Professor Mark Yarhouse’s book, Understanding Gender Dysphoria: Navigating Transgender Issues in a Changing Culture.5
The voices of several who detransitioned is shared here. Their voices are just as important as those who desire to transition.6
Peace and grace,
Tom
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