Sexuality and Gender

Introduction

Cru exists to help fulfill the Great Commission by winning, building and sending in the power of the Holy Spirit and helping the body of Christ do evangelism and discipleship.

Today we encounter a wide variety of questions related to sexuality and gender. These questions are both complex and personal. As followers of Christ, we want to navigate LGBT+ questions in a way that follows what the Bible calls us to in all respects.

To this end, we want to follow Scripture's call to love by being compassionate toward people and faithful to what the Bible says about how Christians should steward their bodies and minds in holiness when it comes to sexuality and gender.

Biblical Teaching about Human Sexuality

What follows is a summary of Cru’s biblical teaching regarding sexuality and gender. The order broadly follows the storyline of the Bible (creation, fall, redemption and new creation).

• Male & Female: We believe God made humanity, in his image, as male and female (Gen 1:27; 5:1b–2). The male/female distinction represents one aspect of the “goodness” of God’s original creation (Gen 1:31). We embrace the goodness of the sexual difference God created by living distinctly as male and female, which includes using pronouns that align with our biological sex.

• Two Dignified Paths: We believe that God, as the designer of sexuality, invites us to receive this gift in purity and holiness (Exod 20:14; Matt 5:27–30; 1 Thess 4:3–8). Scripture calls us to sexual purity through one of two equally dignified paths: the practice of faithful singleness (Isa 56:3b–5; Matt 19:11,12) or the practice of faithful marriage between one man and one woman (Gen 2:24; Matt 19:4–6; Eph 5:22–33). Sexual relations are only to be expressed in the context of marriage.

• The Fall: Not only did the Fall bring every human being under divine judgment (Rom 5:16-18) but it also resulted in the corruption of human nature (Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 3:9-18). Every aspect of our human constitution–including human sexuality–has been corrupted by the devastating effects of sin. While the specific effects of the Fall vary from person to person and culture to culture, we are all broken (Rom 3:10-12). All sexual sin is rooted in the disordering of our desires resulting from the Fall (Rom. 1:24-25; James 1:14-15).

• Same-Sex Attraction: We believe that same-sex attraction is contrary to God’s design for human sexuality. It represents a disordering of sexual desire in our fallen condition, which is neither morally neutral nor good. From a discipleship perspective, we also believe that all Christ-followers, including those who experience same-sex attraction, need encouragement, support, and love as they walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and battle temptation (Gal 6:2).

• Gender Dysphoria: God designed us, male and female, to experience wholeness and integrity rather than alienation from ourselves. Some people experience an incongruence between their perception of themselves as a man or woman and their biological sex. This incongruence is often deeply painful, and is experienced as a type of alienation from one’s own body. This alienation should be understood as a result of the brokenness that came from the Fall.

• Redemption and Growth: Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ brings redemption in every area of life, including sexuality. By the gift of confession and repentance, grounded in the work of Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven. All Christ-followers by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, are commanded and empowered to turn from sin and embrace righteousness.

  Same-sex attraction must be addressed in the life of the believer in the same way that we approach all other aspects of the flesh that are in opposition to God’s will for our lives. We ask God for deliverance from and power over temptation (1 Cor 10:13). For those who experience gender dysphoria, coming to Christ may, over time, provide some change and healing in that experience. However, for other faithful saints, the experience of gender dysphoria may persist throughout life. By God’s grace, we can trust Christ to walk with us in the midst of this experience.

  We want to encourage every disciple to increasingly understand and speak about themselves in ways that are consistent with their new life in Christ and the indwelling power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We invite everyone to whom we minister to bring every aspect of their life under the Lordship of Christ, including their sexuality.

• Understanding the Times: On the one hand, we have been made new. As Paul explains, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). At the same time, we still live in a fallen world in which we struggle with sin and temptation. The fullness of salvation awaits us in the future when Christ returns. In the present, we still experience temptation, sin, suffering, and death as we await the return of our savior, Jesus Christ (Tit. 2:11-14). Nonetheless, we can confidently expect growth in joyful obedience as we walk humbly with Christ. Additionally, as a Spirit-filled community we can together look to Christ for His power, as we support and encourage each other in this growth with grace and truth, seeking repentance and forgiveness.

Conclusion

As image-bearers, human beings possess God-given dignity, honor and worth. Questions about sexuality and gender are being asked by people who bear God’s image and who deserve to be treated with dignity, no matter their beliefs about sexuality.

We are each sinful and deserve condemnation. Our universal need for mercy, grace, honor and reconciliation makes us each equal before the Lord. As followers of Jesus, we want our relationships to be marked by grace and truth (Eph 4:15), free from both condemnation of one another and condoning one another’s sins. Our ability to extend grace flows from experiencing the grace God has extended to us (Eph 3:14-19; 4:32-5:2) as well as the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 4:31).

As we build relationships and trust with people who identify as LGBT+, we want to make Jesus Christ--not sexuality--the central issue. May image-bearers from all nations come to know the love and transforming power of our Lord and Savior!